MANILA, June 4 (Mabuhay) — Gladys Reyes and Judy Ann Santos opened up about their dream to reunite in a new project, with their roles reversed this time. In a recent episode of Netflix’s Bida/Bida, Gladys said she hopes to play the protagonist, while Judy Ann would take on the antagonist role. “Matagal ko ng sinasabi kay Juday ‘to, sabi ko ‘Jud, gawin na natin ‘to.’ Iniisip ko for a change baliktad naman kami. ‘Yung ganun,” she relayed. Gladys quipped: “Sa totoong buhay, akala lang nila, siya po ‘yung malakas manampal talaga sa totoong buhay. Nakita niyo naman kasi sa totoong buhay ‘di ba kung gaano lang ako kaliit.” Looking back on their Mara Clara days, Judy Ann praised Gladys for her intense performance as the villain in the series. “‘Yung aura ni Gladys ‘pag umacting na ‘yan, liliit ka, mas liliit ka pa sa kanya. ‘Yung energy niya as an actor and ‘yung pag pumasok siya sa character, matatakot ka talaga sa kanya,” the actress shared. Gladys also recalled their natural chemistry on set. “‘Yung meron kaming hindi namin kailangan mag-usap [like], ‘Ganito gagawin natin ha sa eksena ha?’ Basta nag-action, si Mara siya, si Clara ako. So ‘yung first movie namin na nagbubugan kami dun sa labahan, ‘pag cut dugo-dugo ‘yung tuhod namin, pasa-pasa pero walang issue,” she said. Judy added: “Kasi ngayon ang mga sampalan scenes and all, minsan may fight director pa… kami nun wala.”

Gladys believes their raw performances contributed to the enduring legacy of Mara Clara, which ran for five years and resonated with audiences across generations. “[Mara Clara] ran for five years, walang daya sa lahat ng ‘yun kaya rin siguro damang-dama rin nila… ‘pag siya inaapi, parang gripo nga so automatic pagka inapi mo na, awang-awa ka talaga kay Mara. Pero totoo ‘yan tumatawid ng henerayon kasi hanggang ngayon may tumatawag sa akin na Clara,” Gladys relayed. She added: “Pero di ba nakakatuwa na this generation, tayo nandun pa rin, kilala pa rin nila tayo, nakaka-relate pa rin sila sa atin kaya naman nakakatuwa.” In the same interview, the two actresses also reflected on their decades-long friendship, which began in the 1990s. “Ito ‘yung friendship na nabuo nung ‘90s, ito ‘yung feeling ko ‘yung klase ng pagkakaibigan na mahirap ng magawa ng generation ngayon, probably ang dahilan, wala naman tayong social media nung araw. At tsaka kaya ‘yung closeness natin ganito kasi magkakasama tayo sa isang standby area, walang teng tent-tent, walang games, walang cellphone so nagchi-chikahan talaga, nagu-usap,” Judy Ann highlighted. (MNS)