Nicole Kidman at Ruby Ruiz
NAKAKATUWA ang mga kuwento ng veteran actress na si Ruby Ruiz nang humarap siya sa ilang members ng entertainment press nitong Martes, January 30.
Super chika talaga si Ruby sa mga naging karanasan niya sa kanyang international project na “Expats” kung saan nakasama niya ang Oscar-winning actress na si Nicole Kidman.
Ang “Expats” ay napapanood na ngayon sa Prime Video, kung saan gumaganap si Ruby bilang si Essie, ang Pinay yaya ng mga anak ng karakter ni Nicole bilang si Margaret.
Sa nasabing presscon na ginanap sa Cornerstone Studio sa Quezon City, nagkuwento nang bonggang-bongga ang aktres tungkol kay Nicole at kung paano siya nakuha sa naturang Hollywood series.
“Nasa ilalim ako ng puno ng manga in a remote place where we were shooting “Niña Niño” (TV5 series). Habang naghihintay kami ng take ni Maja (Salvador), may pumasok na call. Pagtingin ko sa cellphone ko may plus. Hindi ko agad naisip na abroad kasi malapit na kami mag-take.
Baka Bet Mo: Hirit ni Joey kay Ruby: Marunong pa kaya siyang mag-Tagalog? Kilala pa kaya niya tayo?
“Sabi ni Maja sagutin mo na Tita nakakairita yang cellphone mo. Sinagot ko at ang tawag ay galing sa Hong Kong. I was told to free my phone in 10 minutes because director Miss Lulu Wang is going to call you. So I asked the caller, did I get the part? Sabi niya, ‘I don’t know.’
“Tumawag na si Lulu Wang at sinabi niya, ‘Congratulations, you got the part!’ Sabi ko, ‘Thank you.’ Sabi ko, “What part did I get?’ Marami kasing audition.
“Sabi niya, ‘the role that you auditioned Essie.’ Ganu’n lang. Tapos sabi niya, ‘aren’t you excited? Sabi ko, ‘Oh yes, I am!’ Doon niya sinabi na hindi ko tatanggihan ang amo ko who plays Margaret. I asked, ‘Who is Margaret?’ Sabi niya, ‘It’s Nicole Kidman.’ Nabigla ako.
“So tinanong ako ni Maja, ‘Sino yun, Tita? Bakit English, English ka? May boyfriend?’ Sabi ko, ‘Wala.’ So si Maja ang unang nakaalam,” pagbabahagi ni Ruby.
Patuloy niya, “Noon parang hindi naman ako masyadong interesado na kasi ang ganda na ng role ko sa “Niña Nino” and besides pandemic pa noon.
“Tapos ang shooting daw sa Hong Kong, so medyo afraid. So sabi ko kay Maja, sandali lang naman baka mga three months lang.
“Sabi ko sa team ng ‘Niña Niño’ huwag muna nila ipakita yung pagkawala ko. Puwede pa naman akong bumalik kahit sa flashback lang. But the three months extended to six months.
“Dapat sa Hong Kong lang ang shooting pero nag shoot din sa LA, so na-extend for a total of 11 months. Yan po ang kuwento paano ako napadpad sa ‘Expats,'” lahad ni Ruby.
Baka Bet Mo: Dolly de Leon tampok sa bagong US TV series kasama si Nicole Kidman
Natanong din ang aktres na napapanood din ngayon sailing “Linlang: The Teleserye Version”, tungkol sa kanyang talent fee sa “Expats”, “Worth it, not monetarily if I would be very honest.
“But considering the experience and the amenities that came with the package, sobrang worth it. I would never have lived in a five-star service apartment. Everything is provided.
“Even the bra. Kaya bilang artista, walang dahilan na hindi ka dumating sa set na hindi ka handa. Kasi wala kang irereklamo. Walang kang hihingin na hindi ibibigay. So you better deliver as an actor,” chika pa ng veteran star.
Aniya pa patungkol sa kuwento ng serye nila ni Nicole, “‘Expats’ is about the lives of expats of three women na meron nangyaring tragedy sa storya which affected all of them.
“Ngayon, saan papasok ang papel ng Filipino nanny? May isa pang nanny. Doon ipinakita na walang expats kung walang domestic helpers. Crucial yung presence ng mga domestic helpers sa buhay ng expats.
“That’s for episode 5. May confrontation scene kami ni Nicole. That was my favorite scene. Not because it’s with Nicole but because that’s where I felt the essence or dilemma of a migrant worker.
“Yung dilemma ni Essie kung babalik ba siya sa the Philippines and spend the rest of my life with my children or my surrogate family that I have established in Hong Kong,” saad pa niya.
“In terms of acting experience, doon ko naranasan how powerful ang isang Nicole Kidman. Nakatingin lang ako sa mga mata niya. Nagpadala lang talaga ako sa kanya.
“After the premiere in New York, people were congratulating me. I was very good in that scene raw. I would always tell them it was Nicole. I was her scene. Nagreact lang ako sa kanya as the character. And it came out so beautifully.
“After our emotional scene, sinabi niya, ‘You were so good!’ Sobrang galing talaga niya. Tuod ka na lang kapag hindi ka nadala the way she carried her scene. She asked me, ‘How do you feel about the scene?’ Sabi ko, ‘My God! Thank you! You were so good!’
“Sabi niya, ‘No, you were so good!’ Nagpalitan na kami ng reactions. Then hinawakan niya ang kamay ko, ‘We have chemistry, Ruby.’
“Sabi ko, ‘I have a question?’ Akala niya may request ako. ‘Are you wearing contact lenses?’ Sabi niya, ‘No!’ Then she rubbed her eyes to prove it’s natural. She said, ‘Why did you ask?’
“Sabi ko, ‘In our country, our actors change their colors.’ Her eyes as an actress are her asset. Nagsasalita ang mga mata niya kahit walang linya. Ang dami kong natutunan sa kanya bilang actress.
“It’s true. In character na siya when she arrives on the set and pareho lang kami. Wala naman yang mga method acting na yan. Maging totoo ka lang sa character na ginagampanan mo. The moment she gets out of the green room (standby area), she’s in character na. She mumbles her lines. She rehearses it,” pagbabahagi pa ni Ruby Ruiz.