Now it can be told: Princess Punzalan is part of the cast of the upcoming American crime drama TV series The Cleaning Lady.
Season 2 of The Cleaning Lady will start airing on Fox Channel on September 19.
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In an exchange of messages with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) Thursday, August 18, 2022, Princess confirmed that she'll be playing Lola Alma, the mother-in-law of Thony (Elodie Yung) in The Cleaning Lady. Her children on the show are Marco (Ivan Shaw) and Fiona (Martha Millan).
In the story, Thony used to be a doctor in Manila who is desperate to have her son's rare illness treated in Las Vegas.
But unforeseen events forced Thony to get involved as a doctor and cleaning lady of an organized crime syndicate in order to pay for her son's medical expenses.
While she can't divulge other details about her role yet, Princess told PEP.ph that her character will be seen in the subplot surrounding the "family conflicts" in The Cleaning Lady.
Princess was thrilled because she never thought that she'd be given opportunities to pursue acting in the U.S.
"Sa totoo lang. I remember being in Connecticut, and watching a behind the scenes special of a popular TV drama then and crying because my heart was so sad and I missed acting.
"I prayed to God na sana bigyan Niya ako ng chance to work in an American set kahit na one time lang. Para ma-experience ko lang.
"And then He has blessed me with a lot of opportunities na.
"Many people have been so warm and helpful to me. Am grateful for my coach and reps here. They have helped me a lot."
PRINCESS AS A LICENSED NURSE AND ACTRESS
It was in 2005 when Princess left her showbiz career in the Philippines when she married her American husband, Jayson Field.
At the time, she wanted to focus on family life instead of pursuing acting that will force her to fly in and out of her then homebase in Michigan and keep her away from her husband for long periods of time.
So she opted to start over by finishing a degree in nursing with honors and then carving a new career as a licensed nurse.
Then in 2011, she appeared in an episode for the ABS-CBN drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya where she met Clarissa delos Reyes. Clarissa asked Princess to be part of a short film for a thesis when the former was still studying at the New York University.
The short film titled Johnny Loves Dolores caught the attention of director Diane Paragas who, in turn, asked Princess to join the auditions for Yellow Rose.
Princess auditioned for Yellow Rose in 2014 and landed a role as Eva Noblezada's mother when the internationally acclaimed film was shot in 2018.
The veteran actress spoke at length about this in an earlier interview with PEP.ph via PEP Spotlight last month.
"Sinabi sa akin ng director, ni Diane Paragas, 'Bakit di ka nag-aartista sa Amerika? You should act here in Amerika also.'
"Kasi nga ang thinking ko, 'Okay, nasa Amerika ako. If I want a normal life, I'll just be a nurse. Kung gusto ko mag-artista, if I need to be creative, uuwi ako ng Pilipinas for a certain period of time...'
"Pero nung nilagay ni Diane iyon sa isip ko, 'Oo nga naman, maybe I should try.'
"So, kinausap ko yung asawa ko. Very supportive siya. At the time, we were living in San Diego. Sabi niya, 'Okay, let's move to L.A. para mapalapit ka sa industriya.'
"At the time, face-to-face auditions pa so I had to go to L.A."
more PEOPLE WHO HELPED fulfill her "answered prayer"
For the past three years, Princess also took regular acting classes with her coach Billy Hufsey to keep her acting muscles "limber" and for her to have an easier time internalizing emotions for a part.
Known as a primera kontrabida in the Philippines, the veteran actress said her classes really helped her hone how to act in a way that is more relatable for an American audience.
She thanked other people who played pivotal roles in rekindling her acting career.
Her latest Instagram post read: "I am grateful for my representation:
"@anthonyleonestalentmanager and @connectentertainmentgroup for their all-out support.
"@realbillyhufsey, thank you for coaching me these past three years. Thank you for supporting and preparing me for opportunities like, "The Cleaning Lady."
"@wendyalane1 , we have never met but I followed your advice and teaching and here I am. Thank you for sharing the hard truth and your words of wisdom.
"Thank you, @paragasdiane for encouraging me to go for it when we were doing Yellow Rose.
"Thank you, Miranda Kwok and Melissa Carter Newman for having me on your set. It was such a pleasure! I am so honored."
Princess is also a member of Screen Actors Guild.