30 years of Camille Prats
FORMER child star turned TV host and dramatic actress Camille Prats can hardly believe she has been in show business for 30 years.
While many of her contemporaries have opted to leave the industry for good — either to savor early retirement or get into a more lucrative job — the actress feels blessed that she gets to take on non-acting jobs despite being identified with drama roles.
One such assignment was her five-year hosting stint on the now-defunct “Mars (retitled Mars Pa More)” on GMA Network. Arguably, it proved that Camille could also shine in the hosting department.
Five years for Camille, however, was long enough for her to cast selfdoubt if she could still act in front of the cameras. She admittedly entertained such misgivings when GMA offered her to play the mother on its afternoon series “AraBella.” The TV series follows the story of Rossel, a mother searching for her missing daughter. “To be honest, I doubted myself if I could still do drama like kaya ko pa bang mag-memorize ng mga lines? [Can I still memorize lines?] Imagine, I had not been acting in a while,” Camille confessed in an interview.
Doing drama all over again became more challenging during actual takes.
“Our director Adolf Alix would tell me, ‘Camille, make your emotions more intense.’ I was asking myself what he meant. It turns out direk only wanted more from my delivery,” she divulged in Filipino.
Camille is immensely grateful that AraBella allowed her to embrace what she loves the most, admitting, “I didn’t know how much I missed acting.”
Inspiring her even more, is the company of young actresses Shayne Sava and Althea Ablan who play the title roles in the series. So impressed is Camille by the pair that she describes them as smart, humble and respectful.
“We always get called out on set because we’re so noisy chatting when we’re in the tent together. We enjoy three things: coffee, gossiping and laughing!”
THE ACTRESS DIDN’T HAVE A DIFfiCULT time working with Shayne and Althea because they are her eldest daughter’s age.
“I would engage them in light conversations like what they appreciate the most about their mothers. For the three months that we were taping the series, I felt they became at home with me as much as I was with them.”
Very much like the way Camille dealt with the younger generation of stars, veteran actress Nova Villa — who plays con-artist Lola Madonna in the cast — is likewise in awe of their work attitude.
“I’m certain these young actresses will go far in the industry. They both have the right attitude — they are down to earth, which I’ve always said is the secret to longevity,” the senior star shared in Filipino.
To Camille, congratulations and may you have many more years in showbiz.