Box-office comedienne Eugene Domingo discovered a side of singer-actor Ariel Rivera that is seldom seen by the viewing and listening public.
"Ay Diyos ko! Kung makikita n'yo lang, sira ulo siya, makulit siya. 'Tsaka nasampal ko siya ng ilang beses... nakakatuwa siya," Eugene animatedly described the balladeer at the press conference of TV5's sitcom, Inday Wanda, which will start airing by September.
The presscon was held at the Rembrandt Hotel on Tomas Morato in Quezon City last July 21.
Eugene's discovery led her to conclude that perhaps there are a lot of natural comedians in the industry worthy to be given a break.
"Doon ko lang naintindihan na marami pala tayong mga dramatic actors na naghihintay lang ng tsansa makapag-comedy, so isa na siya [Ariel] na dun," said Eugene.
Being a singer, surmised Eugene, helps Ariel when it comes to delivering punchlines: "Kasi singer, e. Talagang may music sa katawan so ang timing natural na lalabas."
MAKING PEOPLE LAUGH. Ever since Ariel made that crossover from singing to acting in 1992, most of the roles he portrayed both in the movies and television were serious characters.
"This has always been my dream, to do a sitcom," confessed Ariel.
"I always thought of myself as somebody who is funny. But I was always mistaken as a serious person. Pero may kakulitan din po ako sa personal and I wanted to express that artistically but I was never given a chance. Pagdating ko dito [Manila] from Canada, puro seryoso ang roles ko na pang-drama."
Some of the television programs that Ariel did in the past include Mula Sa Puso, Narito Ang Puso Ko, Forever In My Heart, Magpakailanman: The Willy Garte Story, Rosalinda, and Ina, Kasusuklaman Ba Kita?
Ariel recalled politely asking ABS-CBN and GMA-7 management (two stations he worked with) to cast him in a sitcom but to no avail.
"So I'm really happy to be part of Inday Wanda kasi matagal ko nang hinihingi 'yong ganitong klaseng show," continued the singer, who was dubbed as "Kilabot ng Kolehiyala" during his heyday in the music scene.
Doing comedy in front of the camera is "very challenging," according to Ariel.
He added, "People don't realize na napakadaling umarte ng seryoso pero mahirap magpatawa. 'Yong comedic timing that's a continuous learning process for me and week by week napapansin ko na nakukuha ko na 'yong groove ng character."
And while Ariel feels lucky to be paired with the country's top comedienne, he admitted struggling to maintain a straight face every time he shares a scene with Eugene.
"Nahirapan ako every sequence para pigilan 'yong sarili ko para hindi tumawa and it takes a lot kasi nakakatawa 'yong mga ginagawa niya [Eugene]," smiled the 43-year-old singer, whose past radio hits include "Sana Kahit Minsan," "Wala Kang Katulad," "Simple Lang," and "Photograph."
Inday Wanda is the brainchild of Filipino animator Nelson "Blog" Caliguia. Unitel Productions earned the rights to adapt the story after its big boss Tony Gloria purchased the story from Blog.
Ariel portrays the character of Daddy Lee while Eugene assumes the lead role of Inday Wanda. Other cast members include Alicia Mayer, Gene Padilla, Cogie Domingo and Long Mejia.