Alex Gonzaga raked over the coals for sharing story of being scolded by a ‘matandang artista’ on set
Actress-vlogger Alex Gonzaga was heavily skewered on social media after sharing a story of how she was allegedly scolded “from head to foot” by a “matandang artista” on the set of a TV series when she was starting out in the business.
In an episode of her podcast “”Ano Na, Catherine?,” Gonzaga talked about what it means to be viewed as the “bad guy” by the public. She shared one traumatic incident involving an unnamed senior actor on the set of a teledrama they were both starring in, which she claims left her traumatized.
Gonzaga shared, “So there was a time, when I was in early 20s, mag-21 ako, I was so traumatized, pinagsisigawan ako ng isang artistang matanda… pinagsisigawan niya talaga ako from head to foot, everything, kasi akala niya galing ako sa bahay late lang ako, hindi niya alam na galing ako sa work kasi siguro hindi sinabi sa kaniya.”
“And then after how many years, she’s painting me as the bad guy, na deserve ko. Yung pinapanood ko, I think hindi ako ‘yan, pero parang yung kuwento ko ang sinasabi niya, pero mali yung kuwento niya. Di ba may mga gano’n? May mga tao na who did you wrong, or who traumatized you, and then you don’t even talk about it, parang you would just let it be, and then pag sila pa ang nagkuwento, sila pa yung mabait, ikaw pa yung masama, parang ibang-iba na yung kuwento.”
“So naisip ko, anong kailangan kong gawin kapag ganoon? And then ang daming umaagree… wala… kasi alam ko naman yung katotohanan eh,” she added.
Although Gonzaga did not reveal the name or gender of the actor, netizens put two and two together and concluded that she might have been referring to veteran actress Dina Bonnevie, who starred with Gonzaga in the TV5 series “P.S. I Love You.”
In an interview with PEP.ph in 2018, Bonnie had talked about giving a “starlet” a dressing down for frequently arriving on set late and unprepared.
“Talagang sinabihan ko siya, ‘Who do you think you are? Are you famous? Who are you? What name have you made? Have you carved your name in stone in showbiz? Your call is at 9 o’clock and you come down from your van at 12 o’clock na naka-pajama? Really?,’ Bonnevie revealed.
“Sabi ko sa kanya, ‘Hindi pa ipinapanganak ang mambabastos sa akin. If you want to continue taping this soap like this, do it yourself.’
“E, yung leading man ko dun, ganun din, ‘Yeah, tell her! Grabe na! Grabe na!’”
Bonnevie did not name the “starlet” who drew her ire, but with Gonzaga’s current revelation, netizens were able to draw the conclusion that it was Gonzaga she was referring to.
Netizens overwhelmingly sided with Bonnevie, leading to “Team Dina” becoming a trending topic on Twitter. Gonzaga received a new round of online scolding, this time from Twitter users, who criticized what they felt was her prima donna attitude, lack of professionalism. and disrespect for other people’s time.
In contrast, actress Alice Dixson, who also experienced being admonished by Bonnevie for habitually arriving late on the set, acknowledged that her “bratty” behavior was unprofessional and realized she needed to change.
The lesson here, which Gonzaga should add to the lessons she’s learned as the ‘bad guy’ in the public’s eye, is that everyone grows old. No one can escape the inexorable march of time. It’s been said that getting old is a privilege denied to many. Perhaps Gonzaga, who, at 34 is no spring chicken, needs to hear it more often.
