Vic finds a different Maine
Vic Sotto shares titular roles with Maine Mendoza in the GMA 7 sitcom titled Daddy’s Gurl set to premiere sometime in October.
His moreno skin got a few shades darker after Vic Sotto revealed that most of the tapings are done under the bright, sunny skies of Batangas. The veteran comedy actor is working on his upcoming GMA 7 sitcom titled
Daddy’s Gurl with Maine Mendoza also topbilling in it.
“I told myself that when I do another sitcom, it has to be different,” began Vic, or Bossing to many, during the recent pocket interview held inside the Studio 4 of the Kapuso network. “It should be different production-wise, technical-wise because I had sitcoms shot in studios and this time, we are on location — including the condominium scenes and Manila scenes — given our characters are living in Batangas. And we are shooting it like a film complete with cameras meant for movie production.”
On the directorial chair is Chris Martinez who, Vic said, is handling a TV project for the first time. The latter is confident that the former can live up to the task of perfectly capturing the spirit of fun on camera. “Chris is good at comedy so he also acts as the head writer who provides ideas and situations where our pool of writers draws the story from and then Chris does some fine-tuning before the actual shoot.”
It took them sometime before they finally came up with Daddy’s Gurl and that’s one reason why Vic had to take a temporary respite after wrapping up his last sitcom Hay, Bahay! with Ai-Ai delas Alas.
As for the cast of characters, Vic and co-producer, APT Entertainment’s Tony Tuviera, and GMA, have yet to finalize the list “because normally we would plan the concept then the characters so we will see who fit best to the roles.”
Wally Bayola will definitely play Vic’s “wife” with Maine as their daughter. In fact, this is the second time for Vic and Maine to play father and daughter in a project. The first was in the 2015 Metro Manila Filmfest entry My Bebe Love. “Nag-pirmahan na nga kami ng kontrata sa pagiging mag-ama kasi sa isang ginagawa naming mag-tatay rin kami dun. Sa father and daughter (roles) may forever,”
quipped Vic.
And just like in his past projects, Vic is hands-on. That is why he knows every aspect of the project — from the concept down to the finish product.
“First of all, I am a co-producer so I have that responsibility of making sure that everything is smooth. I don’t settle for anything less. I am not just an actor who is handed with a script or the type who demands for a talent fee at wala na akong pakialam, ayoko ng ganun. I’m not just an actor but also a producer and at the same time I’m a friend, a family to all involved (in the project) like Maine, Wally…”
Asked to comment on Maine’s performance, Vic said that she’s a good actress “so we felt that she deserves to be given a role in a sitcom. It’s her first sitcom and it’s a first for her to act in full comedy and I know, even before we started, that she can deliver.
“She has a very good timing. If you get to watch her in Barangay Jokers:
Pamilya Nunal, you could sense that there’s timing in the way she drops a punchline, may dating at hindi ‘yung
tipong basta binasa lang ‘yung script.” But that is not to say that Maine no longer needs mentoring from the pro. Vic shared they help one another to make the scene work better.
From the very start of Maine’s career as Dubsmash Queen to her hit loveteam AlDub with Alden Richards, Vic had seen how Maine improved in her acting. “You could see how she was able to level up as an actress. I must admit, I saw her as if she just woke up and she was there. I mean
hindi n’ya feel but I’ve seen her progress as a performer. We felt that Maine has begun to put into her system the joy in what she does. Ngayon makikita mo na seryoso na siya.”
What remains visible in Maine is her shyness, with Vic telling that it’s something too tough to overcome.
“Mahiyain siya. It takes time for her to get comfortable with people just like me, who is often being mistaken as a snob, na suplado sa personal. The truth is, I’m just quiet, oftentimes I’m the listener and in our group the talkative ones are Joey (de Leon) and Tito (Sotto, his senator brother)…ako ang taga-tawa.” (Daddy’s Gurl is set to premiere sometime in October.)