What happened to the Diamond Star?
After Maricel Soriano was removed from the ABS-CBN teleserye, “Bukas Na Lang Kita Mamahalin,” the status of the Diamond Star in the Kapamilya network has been put under question and scrutiny.
Dawn Zulueta, who replaced Maricel in the series following Maricel’s “unfortunate incident” involving lead actor Gerald Anderson, said it right: “Sayang.”
Maricel has been in the business for decades, winning countless awards and hundreds of movies and TV dramas. And with her well-known reputation as being the “Taray Queen,” whatever transpired between her and Gerald may simply have been Maricel Soriano being, well, Maricel Soriano.
Maricel forgot her ‘place’?
But doesn’t age and experience mellow people out? What’s one or two artistic “stumbles” by a fellow actor? I’m sure she has encountered far worse co-stars in the past and has had to deal with “delays” in the tapings because actors didn’t arrive on time.
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And couldn’t she have held her legendary temper with Gerald, a centerpiece talent of the network with his own impressive thespic journey? If rumors are true about what happened on set, why should she treat him more shabbily than an inexperienced newcomer?
Maybe Maricel forgot where she stood. There are subtle hierarchies in every situation. Much as we would like to treat everyone equally, we develop an antenna for the dynamics of a group or a setting. We know who’s in charge, who’s in power and who’s not.
A public humiliation
Although she has decades of award-winning performances and was a valuable asset to the network, Maricel must have been aware she was simply returning to her old fold. Her loyalty and value needed to be tested again.
In such a situation, the last thing you would want to do is create discord, and yes, vilify and embarrass a top male lead, one of the network’s most valuable stars whose loyalty is certain.
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And to dress him down in front of his peers and co-workers is an unthinkable blunder (and possible career suicide). Hey, you can’t even do that in your everyday workplace, classroom, or even your own home.
Allegations of cruelty
This leads us to Maricel herself. What happened to the Diamond Star?
With more than one incident of her alleged cruelty to others (including charges of physical and verbal abuse from her kasambahay), Maricel should perhaps set aside more time to assess and reflect.
She can take cues from those who came before her, like the late Dolphy and Vilma Santos. These stars know that relationships with people, especially co-workers on the set, are more precious than anything.
Not too late for another comeback
I remember Dolphy telling me in one of his last full-length interviews, “Kung gusto mong tumagal sa industriya, maging mabait ka sa kasama. Dapat pamilya ang turing mo, wala nang iba.”
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I’m sure Maricel knows that. Maybe she forgot. Maybe there are lingering traces of her bout with depression.
But all is not lost.
Maricel can still redeem herself with a comeback and regain the respect and love she deserves (but should earn again) as one of the best actresses the country has produced.
