‘Love Thy Woman’ Is Back On Air!
Stars Kim Chiu, Christopher de Leon, Yam Concepcion, Eula Valdes, Sunshine Cruz, Zsa Zsa Padilla, and Ruffa Gutierrez talk about restarting production, the roles that they play, and what they learned about themselves during quarantine.
After three long months of being off air, Love Thy Woman has returned! Airing resumed Monday, June 15, with the climactic confession of a long-kept secret involving the lives of half sisters, Jia (Kim Chiu) and Dana (Yam Concepcion) Wong.
The series is one of the three ABS-CBN scripted dramas that have resumed production—adhering to strict safety protocols approved by the government—after Metro Manila was eased into GCQ, along with FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano and A Soldier’s Heart. Due to the government closure of ABS-CBN in May, the series returned via cable and satellite TV on the newly launched Kapamilya Channel. It joins a roster of well-loved programs by the network, as well as some fresh international picks you don’t want to miss.
The episode that aired on June 15, which was filmed before the coronavirus lockdown, was packed with revelations about Michael (JJ Quilantang), Dana’s adopted son. Harry (David Chua) revealed the truth to Adam (Christopher de Leon), admitting that Jia was, in fact, the biological mother of Michael. Viewers found out that, unbeknownst to Jia, Harry had sold the baby to Lucy (Eula Valdes) five years ago out of desperation. It was during a time that Jia was in critical condition battling cancer, and the newborn had been sick, as well. For Php 5 million, Harry also agreed to keep mum on Lucy’s plans, which eventually all fell through. Michael was left outside of Dana’s home—an answered prayer after a life-threatening road crash that had left her incapable of bearing a child of her own. Lucy did this as she believed that a baby would be the best solution to save her daughter’s marriage to David (Xian Lim), however, we found out that this was not enough. The married couple’s love for their adopted son could not stop David from seeking the annulment of marriage.
Harry then confessed to Kai (Sunshine Cruz), who is his sister and Jia’s mother. Fearing that the truth would affect Jia’s health, Kai convinced Harry to keep it a secret for the meantime. Five years pass, and Jia continues to grieve Jianyu, her baby whom Harry said died in a fire. Dana also remains clueless that Michael is, in fact, the biological child of her half-sister, a woman she despised so much. Meanwhile, Adam is adamant to know for certain which of his daughters is the real mother of Michael. After Lucy had denied all of Harry’s accusations, Adam decided a DNA test would settle any and all doubt.
In a special presscon to announce Love Thy Woman’s return, the all-star cast talked about resuming production of the series, the characters they bring to life, and what they learned about themselves during quarantine.
In the live press conference, we asked stars Kim Chiu, Christopher de Leon, Yam Concepcion, Eula Valdes, Sunshine Cruz, Zsa Zsa Padilla, and Ruffa Gutierrez, about what they love about the roles that they play. We also additionally asked what, for them, was the strongest and most inspiring thing about their individual characters.
Ruffa answered how she believes Amanda Del Mundo is her alter ego, saying: “We share the same sentiments na tinatanggol namin ang mga anak namin. In real life, I have two and Amanda has one. I really love that Amanda is really strong, she fights for what she believes in, and she’s a bit scheming. But if you know her past, you’ll understand why she’s acting the way she is right now!” she laughs.
For Zsa Zsa, who plays the role of Helen Chao, the mom of David Chao, it’s being able to play a mother to a son. “It’s nice to play a mother to somebody like Xi, and be somebody who is supportive and mabait,” she smiled. She also adds that in the upcoming episodes, we’ll see a side of Helen we haven’t seen yet!
With the portrayal of Kai Estrella, Sunshine Cruz shares: “Si Kai nagkamali pagdating sa minamahal kasi nga, meron na siyang Lucy pero bumawi naman… and at the same time, as a mom, talagang ilalaban niya at proprotektahan at ipatatanggol si Jia. At higit sa lahat, ang gusto gusto ko kay Lucy ay magaling siya magluto ng sinigang!”
Eula Valdes, on the other hand, answers with a laugh: “Parang wala namang malolove kay Lucy! Sore loser kasi si Lucy!” Digging deeper, Valdez said that it’s Lucy’s love for her daughter Dana that she finds admirable. “Loving mother, yan lang ang masasabi kay Lucy. Kasi, may mga ways siya na nakakaiba eh, yung love niya ay ibang klase.”
Playing the male lead of Adam Wong, Christopher de Leon loves that he gets to play a gentle and loving father. “Medyo napagod din ako to be playing mga villain roles or tough guy! This one is a very cool guy, but unfortunately due to past situations, he has a lot to deal with, especially now as more intriguing situations come in,” he says.
As Dana Wong, Yam Concepcion enjoys being able to bring to life the mother daughter dynamic between her character and Lucy. “More than anything, for me, I like the idea of how she is a reflection of her own mother. Parang, ang gagaling. History repeats itself. Kung ano ang naranasan ng mom niya dati, yun din ang nararansan niya sa present day. They’re very similar, as in parehas na parehas, and for me, parang sarap isipin ng thought na yun. And Dana is very far from who I am so whenever pinaportray ko yung role na Dana Wong, parang ako nasestress at natritrigger kasi she’s so crazy, you know?” she quips.
For Kim Chiu, bringing to life the role of Jia Wong is challenging and that’s exactly what she loves about it. “Kakaiba ito compared to the usual characters na pinoportray ko. And yung pinakagusto ko is yung matapang siya, naninindigan siya, at hindi hinahayaan na pinatapaktapakan siya ng iba. Basta alam niya na tama siya, at wala siyang inaapakang tao, magkamali man, very light.. Pero di naman niya tinuloy ang maling pagibig. So exciting journey ni Jia Wong in the next coming days na mapapanood ninyo, and it’s gonna be different! First time kong maging tapang tapangan and actually mahirap siya ha. Pero after ECQ, pwede na akong maging matapang,” she laughs.
Spend time with the Wong family and witness their lives entangled by love and lies as Love Thy Woman returns this week. Love Thy Woman airs Monday to Friday at 2:30 pm on the Kapamilya Channel (SkyCable ch 8 SD and 167 HD, Cablelink Ch 8, and G Sat Ch 2). Live streaming of the Kapamilya Channel and on-demand viewing of its programs are available on the iWant app and on iwant.ph. For the latest productions you don’t want to miss, follow Dreamscape on Facebook and Instagram.
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