EXCLUSIVE: Catching Up With Sunshine Dizon On Her First Month As An ABS-CBN Artist

New Kapamilya star Sunshine Dizon joins us on Metro Chats via Kumu's FYE Channel for one of her first online conversations as an ABS-CBN artist!

In the exclusive interview, we catch up with her on everything she's been up to and what she's most excited about as she starts this new step in her career. The mom of two is busy with her first ABS-CBN teleserye called Marry Me, Marry You.

On being asked to join ABS-CBN as a new Kapamilya

"Of course I was very excited," Sunshine begins. 

She got the offer from Dreamscape, and she's incredibly glad that her foray into her new network was with them. She'd heard nothing but good things about them which was a sign she'd be well taken care of.

"I was very overwhelmed, specifically when I saw Ms. Cory Vidanes in that video greeting welcoming me... With regards to the pagwe-welcome, masaya naman. Kasi madami rin nagsasabi online that they're glad to have me. They're excited to see me on the Kapamilya network," she continues, as she tells us about her warm welcome from ABS-CBN execs and artists. 

On her first project as a Kapamilya, Marry Me,  Marry You

"It's rom-com, a little slice of life, medyo a little light drama, family-oriented. It's very refreshing. Sure ako marami silang matututunan sa show namin," she explains

Sunshine teases at keeping much of the project's details secret to keep her audience on its toes. She started her first "cycle" of shooting in a "bubble" a few weeks ago where taping teams are restricted from moving around. As for her character, she says this about her:

"Coming from super heavy dramas that I've been doing for quite some time, medyo iba ito," she smiles. 

Most uniquely, the show doesn't have a villain and it digresses from the template of Filipino TV shows. It's what Sunshine liked the most about the project; that it portrays everyday people making everyday mistakes, and going about their everyday lives minus the sensationalized dramas most local stories hinge on. She enjoyed studying character arcs and their developments—the heart of the show—on top of reading a well-written story. 

On what she's been up to these days aside from work

Who would have guess? Sunshine likes to crochet and read when she's not preoccupied with work. As for what she's binge-watching at the moment, she's all about The Handmaid's Tale, plus K-Dramas Vincenzo, The Tale of the Nine-Tailed, Law School, and The World of the Married. (While she waits for Pachinko to come out, Lee Min-ho's newest project, she explores Spanish seryes too! She recommends Selena to start with).

She's been big on a lot of home-based activities because she really is worried about getting sick. Even before lockdown was declared in March last year, she admits to already doing self-quarantine at least a week before. 

On traveling these days 

Unlike many celebrities who have gotten away for a weekend at a time to take a break from quarantine living, Sunshine hasn't been traveling at all. "Kung hindi naman necessity, just stay at home," she advises. A trip of hers this April didn't push through, but she has no complaints about that.

Instead, she's trying her hand at the kitchen. She laughs at not being a good baker, but she is a lot better when it comes to her pasta-making skills! She invents her recipes from time to time, and her kids love what she whips up. 

On her Mother's Day 2021 experience 

Speaking of making pasta for her kids, that's exactly what Sunshine did on Mother's Day. They didn't do anything hugely special, but she cooked a tuna and corn cream-based pasta that fueled their family movie marathon for the day. Their movies had a theme, too—the circus! They saw The Greatest Showman, Dumbo, and Water for Elephants.

On being a mom to an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old at this time 

Homeschooling is on Sunshine's mind when she shifts out of actress mode and into mommy mode. 

"'Kung p'wede lang talaga if there's a vaccine for kids their age now, I would prefer face to face... My daughter, Doreen, doesn't have any problems with homeschooling online kasi well-adjusted naman siya. Pero 'yung boy ko, si Anton, adjusted naman din siya but there are things that he would miss out on assignments," she laments.

"I just don't like the idea that they're in front of the screen that they're in front of the screen for a longer time. My kids go to a Chinese school, so after their online classes, meron pa silang online na tutor... sa Mandarain class nila... I'm just hoping and praying everything goes back to normal," she says. 

She worries about keeping their social development on track just as any other mom does at this time, and she's a little divided about letting them have so much time on their gadgets. (But what's a mom to do when that's all kids can do at this time?). 

On what she does on a typical day

Before COVID happened, it was pilates thrice a week and then weekly trips to the shooting range! She used to like being out and about more than keeping busy at home, but overall, her time with her kids is what's kept her sane for the whole of 2020 up until now. She's grateful that she and her kids get along when it comes to what to do for recreation when they're all free at the same time. 

"Parang mga six times namin pinanood 'yung buong 'Harry Potter' series," she laughs. 

Movies are their main bonding activity, mostly because she encourages her kids to analyze what they're watching. They talk about plot twists, character arcs, and all these other grown-up conversations about what they see on screen. 

On her beauty secrets

Surprise! Sunshine doesn't have many, and she's proud to say her hair especially is naturally easy to maintain. She's a big fan of beauty brand Finesse (and no conditioner, at that), and the most she does to maintain her mane is occasional coloring to touch up her roots. 

As for her skincare, she does get her regular derma appointments down, but what she often uses is a cleanser from Obagi combined with Belo products. From time to time, she switches things up with Korean brands but what she can't live without is her La Mer serum and a good quality eye cream. She admits her preferred products are an investment (as in, pricey), but also points out that so is your face and your skin! 

Now that she's 38 years old, she also makes sure to incorporate retinol and sunscreen, the latter being every woman's holy grail of beauty. 

On managing stress during this time

Limit your social media exposure. It's good to be aware and informed, but don't make reading the news your go-to breaktime activity. 

"There was a time in a span of 10 days, every day, every time I tried to open Facebook, someone I know died, or kakilala ng kakilala. It was very stressful," she shares.

"With regards to watching stuff, make it a good balance... Watch naman siguro something funny. And, prayer. At the end of the day, it's prayer. You need to pray. Find someone who's a good listener, it could be your brother, your sister, your best friend. It's good to talk things out," Sunshine advises. 

"Reach out. Call someone. That's what I realized. People, they appreciated a simple call right now... Hindi porke't nakita mo na 'yung status niya sa social media or nakapag-post na siya, ok na 'yan. Not everything on social media is how they truly feel. It's always good to call, connect, say hi," she adds. 

On what she's most grateful for today

Sunshine is all about appreciating going back to life's essentials. 

"We are healthy, thank God wala namang nagka-COVID sa family namin... I'm able to work right now. My kids are happy and they're with me. What else? Be thankful for everything, the mere fact that you're breathing. That's something to be grateful for. Try to look at things in a different way. Practice positive thinking. Overall, be thankful for everything," she says. 

On her dreams and goals for 2021

She says she doesn't have overly ambitious goals for the year, except for one thing—for the pandemic to finally end and for everyone to return to normal. 

"For now, let's just do our part. If there's an opportunity to get inoculated, magpa-vaccine na kayo so that you're part of the solution," Sunshine states. If you don't need to go out, stay at home and always remember that you're not only protecting yourself, but others, too. 

She's not exactly making big plans this year because she doesn't want to get frustrated just in case circumstances change all of a sudden. She prefers to take things one day at a time. 

On her message to her supporters and viewers 

She's definitely encouraging everyone to come watch Marry Me, Marry You when it comes out later this year. Aside from it being her first ABS-CBN project, it also features an all-star cast that includes Janine Gutierrez, Paulo Avelino, Cherry Pie Picache, and Vina Morales.

Watch the full interview below:

Photos from @m_sunshinedizon