Teleseryes are often subject to changes just before or during actual production.
These changes are intriguing. You know for sure that something big has happened for these changes to be made so late in the day.
These big occurrences include: the show's lead actress becomes pregnant, any one of the lead stars transfers networks, a major player gets sick enough to be confined in a hospital, someone playing an important role backs out because of a decidedly better offer, or a lead character is uprooted by management itself to star in another vehicle.
Note that if one thing must be said about these changes, the one thing often overlooked is this: teleserye writers are a very creative lot.
They can make the dead come back. They can rewrite an entire lead character to suit a star replacing another. They can create the scenario that will cover up a star's word war with another star. They can find the drama to mask the real story behind the scenes.
That said, we focus at the moment on celebrities who have caused changes in teleseryes.
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) has done this in the past.
(Read: Stars who caused sudden changes in teleseryes)
Now here are 20 other stars who left their teleseryes due to unforeseen circumstances.
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SPANKY MANIKAN
Show: My Love From The Star (2017)CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓NOOD KA MUNA!In July 2017, PEP.ph reported that veteran actor Spanky Manikan had to leave the production of the GMA-7 series My Love From The Star due to health problems.
Without any alteration in the storyline, Spanky was replaced by actor Crispin Pineda in the role of Mr. Jang.
In August 2017, it was reported that Spanky was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.
The character actor peacefully died on January 14, 2018.
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YEN SANTOS
Show: Because You Loved Me (2016, shelved)Yen Santos was supposed to play the leading lady of Gerald Anderson and Jake Cuenca in a triathlon-themed series Because You Loved Me in 2016.
Taping and trainings commenced in June 2016, and Yen had to learn to dive and swim.
However, rumors floated in September 2016 that Kim Chiu would reunite with Gerald in this TV series.
The Kimerald reunion was officially confirmed in October 2016 when ABS-CBN announced its new show, Ikaw Lang Ang Iibigin. It had the same storyline and theme as Because You Loved Me.
When PEP.ph spoke to Yen in an October 2017 interview, she admitted that she backed out of the show because of her phobia of water.
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JAMES REID
Show: Moon of Desire (2014)James Reid was supposed to be a part of the 2014 sexy afternoon drama Moon of Desire, starring Meg Imperial and JC de Vera.
However, his management Viva Artists Agency let go of the role.
This was because at that time he was promoting the movie Diary Ng Panget, which became a blockbuster movie that gave birth to his team-up with Nadine Lustre.
It was not indicated in reports, however, which role James was supposed to portray in the ABS-CBN series.
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KYLIE PADILLA
Show: Encantadia (2016)Towards the end of January 2017, Encantadia aired teasers that a Sang'gre would be killed in the show.
Rumors were also floating that Kylie Padilla, the actress playing the lead role of Amihan, was pregnant with child, and that she was with Aljur Abrenica.
This was confirmed by the couple in an exclusive interview with PEP.ph.
Due to her delicate condition, Kylie had to leave Encantadia, and her character Amihan was killed and transformed into a sarkosi or reincarnated soul.
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COCO MARTIN
In December 2017, Coco Martin had to temporarily leave his prime-time series FPJ's Ang Probinsyano.
This is because he had to focus on promoting his 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival entry Ang Panday, which he top-billed and directed.
While he was on leave, Coco's character Cardo went missing and the other characters went on a mission to find him.
Coco returned to the series in the first week of January 2017, after his character was discovered abducted by the henchmen of Don Emilio (Eddie Garcia).
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JANELLA SALVADOR and ELMO MAGALONA
Show: The Good Son (2017)Janella Salvador and Elmo Magalona were announced as the lead stars of the teleserye Kung Kailangan Mo Ako in May 2017, along with Joshua Garcia.
However, in July 2017, the ElNella love team revealed in an interview that they would no longer be part of the series.
The official statement from the love team is that the series had undergone several cast and story changes, which "wouldn't be beneficial for the show or us."
The ElNella love team was replaced by Loisa Andalio and Jerome Ponce.
The series was re-titled as The Good Son, and it is currently airing on ABS-CBN's Primetime Bida block.
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JOSHUA GARCIA
Show: Born For You (2016)Joshua Garcia was set to play the third wheel to Elmo Magalona and Janella Salvador's love team in the 2016 series Born For You.
When the series was launched in June 2016, however, Joshua was no longer part of the cast.
This was because ABS-CBN management decided to give him a bigger role in the afternoon series The Greatest Love.
Joshua's character was played by Francis Magundayao.
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VIVIAN VELEZ
Show: Tubig at Langis (2016)In March 2016, Vivian Velez surprised everyone when she resigned from the Kapamilya afternoon drama Tubig at Langis after a heated confrontation with lead actress Cristine Reyes.
In the show, Vivian played Conching, the mother of Natoy (Zanjoe Marudo) who is married to Irene (Cristine).
Her resignation from the show led to her character being killed off in the series.
Prior to her departure from the show, Vivian also requested that she not be made to shoot scenes with Cristine.
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ANGELICA PANGANIBAN
Show: Asintado (2017)In May 2017, Angelica Panganiban was announced as one of the cast members of the ABS-CBN teleserye, Victims of Love, along with Julia Montes, Lorna Tolentino, and Cherry Pie Picache.
In August 2017, along with reports saying that Victims of Love had been re-titled Asintado, Angelica was no longer part of the cast.
Reports indicated that Angelica dropped out of the cast to focus on her two movies: Ang Dalawang Mrs. Reyes and Wife, Husband, Wife.
Isabelle Daza was considered as Angelica's replacement, but she turned it down because of her pregnancy.
After several casting changes and character revisions, Shaina Magdayao who won the part of Julia Montes's rival.
However, Shaina clarified that she did not replace Angelica, since the show's creative and production team made many revisions to the character.
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TONI GONZAGA
Show: Written In Our Stars (2016, shelved)Toni Gonzaga was supposed to reunite with Starting Over Again leading man Piolo Pascual in a teleserye titled Written In Our Stars.
The show, which was part of ABS-CBN's upcoming shows for 2016, was already done taping its pilot week.
In February 2016, PEP.ph broke the news that Toni was pregnant with her first baby with husband Paul Soriano.
In fact, the PEP report was correct, and a pregnant Toni caused the show to postpone its airing.
However, when Toni returned to television after giving birth, Written In Our Stars did not push through anymore.
At the press launch of ABS-CBN Mobile Exclusives in 2017, business unit head Marcus Vinuya said that they have plans to air the pilot week of Written In Our Stars in their program called SeenZone.
SeenZone is a program that airs episodes of ABS-CBN shows that did not make it on TV.
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JODI STA. MARIA
Show: Be Careful With My Heart (2013)In October 2013, Be Careful With My Heart lead star Jodi Sta. Maria was hospitalized because of dengue. For this reason, she was not seen in the show for several days.
To make her absence believable for the audience, Jodi's character Maya also had fever and was confined in a hospital for several days, just not showing her face onscreen.
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ANNE CURTIS
Show: Bridges of Love (2015)Actress Maja Salvador revealed in an interview that it was actually Anne Curtis who was supposed to play her character in the prime-time series Bridges of Love, aired in 2015.
However, Anne had already said yes to playing Dyesebel in the series with the same title.
Production temporarily stopped for Bridges of Love until the lead role was eventually offered to Maja.
Of this, Maja said, "I'm very thankful and blessed na parang, di ba, kasabay nito pini-pitch sa ibang artista, tapos ngayon, nag-end din sa akin."
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TOM RODRIGUEZ
Show: Be Careful With My Heart (2013)In May 2013, Tom Rodriguez had to leave his ABS-CBN show Be Careful With My Heart, where he played the father of Aiza Seguerra's love child.
This was because Tom had won the lead role in rival network GMA-7's provocative teleserye My Husband's Lover, where he played the love interest of Dennis Trillo.
In Be Careful With My Heart, Tom's character was shown accepting a job abroad, which is why he had to leave.
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CRISTINE REYES
Show: Reputasyon (2011)In August 2011, Cristine Reyes—then lead star of the afternoon series Reputasyon—was confined for two weeks from an unknown illness.
While she was not seen on the show, rumors floated that ABS-CBN management had already decided to cut short the series.
Meantime, during her absence, her character Agnes was kidnapped and was hidden in a remote warehouse.
However, in September, Cristine recovered from her illness, which turned out to be viral meningitis, and she denied the rumors that Reputasyon would end its run. She also said she had already returned to taping for the show.
Later that month, Reputasyon was moved from its earlier time slot to 5 p.m., and was actually extended until January 2012.
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ANGELIKA DELA CRUZ
Show: Prinsesa ng Banyera (2007)Angelika dela Cruz was one of the two main characters of the 2007 afternoon series Prinsesa ng Banyera, alongside Kristine Hermosa.
However, after two months on the air, Angelika made the transfer to GMA-7.
This was because she had said yes to the offer of the Kapuso network, not knowing that Prinsesa ng Banyera would be extended for more than one season.
Because of her career move, Angelika's character was killed off in the series.
A month later, actress Ara Mina was introduced as the new kontrabida of Kristine in the show.
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RICHARD GOMEZ
Show: Dyesebel (2014)Richard Gomez was supposed to play Prinsipe Tino in ABS-CBN's 2014 adaptation of Dyesebel starring Anne Curtis.
If he had accepted the role as the father of Dyesebel, he would have been reunited with Dawn Zulueta after their 2012 series Walang Hanggan.
However, Richard turned down the role, saying, "Kasi kung kaming dalawa ni Dawn yung magkakasama, maganda yung talagang meron kaming [istorya]."
The character, who only appeared at the prologue of the show, was played by Albert Martinez.
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ANGELU DE LEON
Show: Mara Clara (2010)Angelu de Leon revealed in a 2011 interview that she was once offered the role of Mara in the ABS-CBN remake of Mara Clara aired in 2010.
However, she had already accepted the role of Jackie Rice's mother in the afternoon series Sisid.
Had she accepted the role, it could have been her reunion project with perennial onscreen partner Bobby Andrews.
The mother role in Mara Clara eventually went to Dimples Romana.
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AYEN MUNJI-LAUREL
Show: Ikaw Lang Ang Iibigin (2017)It was in April 2017, a month before Ikaw Lang Ang Iibigin aired on television, when cast member Ayen Munji-Laurel learned that she was pregnant.
Because it was a delicate pregnancy, major revisions were done to her character Victoria dela Vega.
This revision led to her character's death in August 2017.
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PEPE HERRERA
Show: FPJ's Ang Probinsyano (2017)In January 2017, viewers of FPJ's Ang Probinsyano were surprised to see the heartbreaking death of Benny, played by Pepe Herrera.
Benny was the best friend of Cardo who sacrificed his life to save his friend.
In an interview with PEP.ph, Pepe revealed that he had to leave the show to travel with his mother and take care of his own health.
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TONTON GUTIERREZ
Show: Haplos (2017)Tonton Gutierrez attended the story conference of the afternoon drama Haplos, where he was supposed to play the father of Sanya Lopez.
However, he had to be replaced in the Kapuso show because, at that time, his teleserye with ABS-CBN, The Promise of Forever, had not yet been aired and it could go head-to-head with Haplos in its time slot.
Tonton was replaced by Emilio Garcia.