ABS-CBN International production and co-production division head, Ruel Bayani did not believe Samantha Richelle’s capabilities to be part of Almost Paradise and be among the lead stars.
In the virtual conference for the show, Bayani admitted that ABS-CBN chief operating officer for broadcast, Cory Vidanes sensed that Richelle is fit to play the lead role.
“When Samantha entered the room, she was about to deliver her second line (for the audition), and I was beside Cory Vidanes who were watching on the screen. She whispered to me and said, ‘she’s the one, she’s going to get the role.’,” he recalled.
However, Bayani protested at Vidanes’s remark insisting that the artist is “inexperienced.”
“And I even argued that she’s inexperienced. How could she handle something a role that’s going to be the heart and soul of an entire series?”
But Vidanes stood firm with her decision, saying that it is up to Bayani’s production team to “figure it out.”
“And Tita Cory just said, ‘She’s going to get it. We will just have to figure it out along the way.’,” he added.
Eventually, Bayani proved to be wrong. He realized that Richelle can handle the role. He noticed that the artist, through her perseverance and dedication, and made him take back his words.
“To me ha, one of the biggest revelations of this project, she was hardworking, she learned how to do her stunts really fast, she learned how to adapt,” Bayani said.
He even said that after Almost Paradise, the artist would get a lot of offers, even from ABS-CBN.
“Obviously Sam, you will get a lot of offers after this. And obviously, you will get offers from ABS-CBN. We are very proud of you.”
Meanwhile, Richelle shared her favorite part of her stint in the show, and that is being a part of the cast, and experiencing Filipino hospitality.
“It’s meeting everybody. The whole crew and the experience. It’s true, Filipinos really do have these communal, like family vibe. And I just really came out of this show with more family. And I think just meeting these talented people is definitely my favorite part of the whole show,” she said.
She also had fun with her co-actor Nonie Buencamino. During the taping in one of their scenes, the actor made an improvisation by how he should say his line. And with how he said it, Richelle could not help but laugh at the actor’s quirky ad-lib.
“It was something about Nonie said. His line was initially, ‘loved to.’ Then instead, in one scene, Nonie decided to yell, ‘loved it!’ And I just couldn’t hold it in. It was a fun time,” Richelle recalled.
Samantha Richelle plays the role of Detective Ikai Mendoza along with Hollywood actor Christian Kane who plays former DEA agent Alex Walker.
Almost Paradise is a 2020 action-drama series produced by ABS-CBN, in partnership with Electric Entertainment. It first aired in the US cable company WGN America, signifying the Kapamilya Network’s first venture into HollywoodTV production.
