Rita Avila on working with younger actors like EA Guzman as a leading man: ‘‘Di ko siya matawag na anak'

Rita Avila is the latest star to grace “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda!”

On Friday’s episode, the actress talked about some of her work experiences, including previous projects that had her working with younger leading men, including Martin del Rosario and EA Guzman.

“Kami ni EA, alam mo, the night that I met him, natawa ako. Hindi dahil—I didn’t mock him ha, pero parang ‘Huh?’" Rita said as though pointing to his age. "Pero nung first shoot namin, alam ko na that he’s a good actor, na-sense ko na,” she said. “One knows eh. Magaling ‘yung bata.”

[That night I met EA, I laughed. Not so much — I didn't mock him. It was just 'huh?' But on our first shoot, I knew he's a good actor. I sensed it. You will know. He is good.]

While she and Martin only had a “smack” kissing scene, she and EA had to film an intimate scene.

“Tinanong lang naman kami nung director kung hanggang saan puwede, ganiyan. Wala na, ‘yun na,” Rita said before laughing.

[The director asked us until where we could bring the scene. That's it.]

“Ganun talaga. ‘Yung parang ‘pag ando’n ka na, parang magic ‘yan eh, you transform. Pero ‘pag cut na, siyempre parang—I don’t know. Hindi kami nagtitinginan, nahihiya, I guess.”

[It's really like that. When you're there, it's like magic. You transform. But when he yells 'cut.' It was like, I don't know, we weren't looking at each other. We got shy, I guess.]

Rita continued, “‘Di ko siya matawag na anak kasi pa’no siya aarte na ka-love scene ko kung anak ang tawag ko sa kaniya sa set, ‘di ba? But after that, nung shoot namin, ‘Ayan, so puwede na kitang tawaging anak.’”

[I couldn't call him son because how will we act a love scene if I call him child. But that the shoot, I was comfortable enough to call him son.]

Rita is set to star in the upcoming series “Lilet Matias: Attorney-At-Law” as Lorena.

“Philanthropist ako tapos isa akong host ng public affairs na show,” she said. “Tinulungan ko si Lilet na makapag-aral kaya siya naging lawyer.”

[I am philanthropist in the show, who hosts her own public affairs program. I helped Lilet in her education that allowed her to become a lawyer.]

Rita confirmed that they have lawyers on set to guide them.

“Mahirap magkamali, ‘di ba? Nakakahiya. Baka pagtawanan kami. Tsaka siyempre, sensitive ‘yung topic kaya dapat tama ang sinasabi namin sa palabas namin,” she said. “Ang mahirap para sa’min, ‘yung mga legal terms.”

[It's hard to get things wrong. It's embarrassing, people might laugh at us. And of course, it's a sensitive topic that's why we ensure we are saying correct things. It's hard, especially the legal terms.]

Rita shared that there was one scene when she asked the show’s director to allow her to deliver the lines in bits.

“Kasi ang haba tsaka ang hirap talaga ng mga terms,” she said.

"Lilet Matias: Attorney-At-Law" will begin airing on March 4 at 3:20 p.m. on GMA Afternoon Prime and Pinoy Hits.

— Carby Basina/LA, GMA Integrated News