Empress Schuck seems to be clueless about the status of the still untitled movie she's currently shooting with Cesar Montano.
The project, supposedly a biopic of the leader of a religious group, cast Empress as Cesar's leading lady.
We asked her how much time she has invested in the movie so far.
"After ng first shooting day ko, hindi na nasundan," she says.
She was also surprised when we told her that there are rumors that Cesar has abandoned the film project altogether.
"Ah, hindi na?" she asked back.
Apparently, no one from the movie's production team has given her any updates.
“Hindi ko po alam,” she admits.
“Kasi honestly, wala po silang in-update sa amin, sa part ko. So, hindi ko po alam.”
EMPRESS SCHUCK'S KING CUP BLENDS
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) sat down with Empress during the grand opening of the latest branch of her King's Cup beverage business, located at the third level of Paragon by the Penthouse, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City, last August 18.
She exclaims, “Sobrang saya ng feeling na nakapagbukas ulit kami ng bagong branch.
"Saka kasi, nung first na nag-branch out kami nung unang branch namin sa Farmer’s Market, hindi namin in-expect na ganito kabilis magtutuluy-tuloy yung mga branches.
"So, medyo mabilis, di namin expected. Pero masaya naman dahil tuluy-tuloy yung branch out namin.”
Why did she and her partners decide to open another branch at Mall of Asia?
“Si Andre [Lim, her business partner] ang makakasagot niyan,” she replies, pointing to him while they were seated side by side.
Apparently, Andre was a former college classmate of Vino Guingona, who is the father of Empress's daughter, Athalia. Both Andre and Vino are proud alumni of De La Salle University, located at Taft Avenue, Manila.
He explains, “Paragon is the very first concept na ganito sa Philippines, like there’s food, shops, etc. It’s Instagrammable. And I believe, like this place, King’s Cup is Instagrammable...
"So it compliments nature, alam mo yun? It’s pastel and so, pumayag or naisip namin na maglagay dito ng bagong branch. And because ah, sabi kasi nila, since this is the first concept, ibu-boost daw ito ni MOA. So, this is a great spot for the King’s Cup. Siyempre, doon tayo sa the best."
WHAT MAKES KING CUP DIFFERENT?
The actress is proud about their frappe, which has "16K gold" flakes.
“We are the only one na nag-o-offer doon sa drink na frappe na may 16K gold. Kami lang yun. So, yun yung isa sa uniqueness ng drinks namin.
She also underlines that their ingredients are healthy.
“Kasi may mga lumalabas na article na milk tea raw is bad for the health. Kaya we’re proud kasi iba yung sa amin, e. Na-eliminate na natin yun.
"Lahat ng items namin are more on the healthier side.
"We use sugar alternative. We use sucralose, parang mga Splenda, for everyone, to cater to everyone....And zero fructose milk. So, mas better yung frappe namin than the regular drinks out there.”
KING'S CUP AGGRESSIVE EXPANSION PLANS
Their MOA branch is actually their third outlet. The second one opened recently in Baguio.
“Pang-third na ito kasi meron tayong branch sa Baguio, sa may third level ng Porta Vaga Mall [near UFC Taekwondo],” Empress reveals.
“Nag-open siya first week of August and it’s doing well.
“Bukod sa amin ni Andre, may partners din kami sa Baguio branch, si Nina Tan and Mike Hidalgo.
“Dito sa Paragon branch namin, partners namin sina Chester Lusuan at si Charles [Cobankiat]. Sila yung franchisee dito.
“Nauna siya nag-open bago dito sa MOA...And on September 1, La Salle Taft naman tayo mag-o-open. Super lapit na talaga."
How many more branches do they plan to open in the near future?
“Naku, as many as possible. Kahit more than one hundred, go lang. Hahaha!
“Siyempre yun naman talaga yung gusto natin, di ba? Na maka-at least 100 tayo. Kapag naka-100 na tayo, we’ll aim for more pa,” she promises.
But how is their very first Farmer's Market branch doing now?
Andre replies, “Nasa top 10 yung sales natin. Actually, gumaganda pa nga, e. Hindi ko alam, ha, pero kasi nakikita ko sa media. And recently nga, may ulan-ulan, may bagyo-bagyo, pero hindi tayo negative.
“Kukuha pa ng second branch sa other floor, and Gateway too. Once nag-open ang Gateway, may dalawa sa Farmer’s. So, may tatlo kami sa Cubao.”
EMPRESS SCHUCK'S ROLE IN KING'S CUP
What exactly does Empress contribute to the business?
She replies in jest, “Yung mukha ko!"
Andre throws in and clarifies on a more serious note, “Yung branding, actually, yung idea niya [Empress] of how we will present this to the market.
"Ako kasi is more on the back, more on development, ganyan.
"Sa kanya yung goals."
Empress interjects, “Saka mas forte naman talaga niya ‘to. So, I just trust him kung ano yung gusto niya. Sabi ko, 'Go, okay yan! Kasi sa aming dalawa, siya naman talaga yung professional diyan.
"Ako, sinusuportahan ko lang siya [Andrei], and he’s there to guide me.
“So, I’m learning from him as well. I think we’re really making a good partnership talaga.”
Do they plan to get other celebrity endorsers for King's Cup?
Andre says, “Siyempre, si Empress lang yun. Empress is enough. Kasi, yung co-relation pa niya sa brand.”
EMPRESS ON BALANCING BUSINESS AND SHOWBIZ CAREER
We asked Empress if she will still have time for her showbiz career now that she's equally hands-on with their business venture.
“Oo naman. Sana talagang magtuluy-tuloy. Although, siyempre hindi maiiwasan yung hirap, complication.
"Pero kahit saan ka naman pumunta may ganoon na kasama, e.
“So, nag-e-enjoy ako na pagsabayin yung business and yung career ko as actress, as well.”