Angelica is firm about her decision to retire from doing teleseryes.
Since 1995, the year she was cast in the weekly drama Familia Zaragoza, she has starred in about 23 series.
In her interview with Boy Abunda on YouTube uploaded last December 1, Angelica underlined, “gusto ko talagang panindigan” even though it’s “difficult pa rin.”
She elaborated, “May ibang direksiyon na siyang gustong gawin ngayon, si Angge [Angelica’s nickname], may ibang gusto nang direksyong gawin.
“Hindi ko makikitang natutupad iyon kung sobrang involved pa rin ako sa paggawa ng teleserye.”
Angelica began mulling over this since doing Playhouse in 2018.
She recalled, “Nagsabi na ako sa mama ko. Sabi ko, ‘Ma, ‘tapos na ako sa teleserye, parang ayoko na.’
“Then, siyempre, hindi niya naintindihan. ‘Bakit depressed ka ba? May pinagdadaanan ka ba?’
“[Sagot ko], ‘Kailangan ba depressed? Hindi ba piwedeng ako naman?’”
But in the course of the pandemic and ABS-CBN shutdown, the network offered her to do Walang Hanggang Paalam, the series that aired from September 2020 to April 2021.
She continued, “Then, nagbakasakali ang ABS noong in-offer nila sa akin yung Walang Hanggang Paalam. Nagkataong pandemic, walang prangkisa.
“So parang, 'Wow, sino ako para tumanggi sa trabaho?' Iyong mga taong puwedeng kumita kapag tinanggap ko itong project na ito, sige, challenge accepted, game.”
However, it further convinced Angelica to stop doing teleseryes.
“Pero noong ginagawa ko na siya Tito Boy, doon ko narealize na, ‘Okay. Okay na ako.’
“Iyong pagod, naka-lock in, naka-bubble kayo for kalahating taon, parang okay na, okay na talaga.
“Then, siyempre, nagka-love life ‘tapos parang baka puwedeng i-enjoy ko muna ito.”
In July 2021, Angelica celebrated her first anniversary with boyfriend Gregg Homan.
But who knows she might change her mind in the future, especially if “kailangang kailangan.”
She said, “Iyon naman ang usapan, Tito Boy, sabi ko naman kela Sir Carlo [Katigbak, ABS-CBN President] and Tita Cory [Vidanes, chief operating officer for broadcast], pero kapag kailangan kailagan na at saka alam naman nila iyon, iyong kailangang kailangan.”
Some of the remarkable teleseryes that Angelica had done in the past were: Mangarap Ka (2004), Vietnam Rose (2005), Maging Sino Ka Man: Ang Pagbabalik (2008), Iisa Pa Lamang (2008), Rubi (2010), Apoy sa Dagat (2013), Pangako Sa ‘Yo (2015), Playhouse (2018), and Walang Hanggang Paalam (2020).
Angelica is set to do a new series on iWant titled The Goodbye Girl in 2022.