Veteran actress Gina Pareño opened up to Ogie Diaz in an interview on the latter’s YouTube channel that she is proudly part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Kaya mo bang aminin na miyembro ka ng LGBTQ?” Pareño was asked in the interview, which was posted on Monday, July 18.
Veteran actress Gina Pareño. (Screenshot from Ogie Diaz’ interview)
While laughing, she said: “Oo, bakit, [may] problema?”
“Saka nagmamahal ako nang tapat,” she added.
Pareño talked about the late actress Nenita Vidal, who she referred to as Doktora Bong, who grew to popularity in the 1950s for her films “Puppy Love,” “Dalagita’t binatilyo,” and “Pagtutuus.” Pareño shared that Vidal was the one who taught her things about acting and who greatly helped her recover from a past drug addiction.
When Vidal had died, Pareño admitted that she would bring her urn everywhere as a “lucky charm.” Despite being called “crazy” for taking the urn with her to tapings, she would laugh it off, knowing that it’s her way of expressing her “utang na loob” to Vidal.
“Alam kong mahal na mahal ako no’n,” Pareño said while choking back tears.
Gina with Nenita Vidal (Screenshot from Ogie Diaz’ interview)
In response to Diaz’s question about whether she has already closed herself off from a potential romance or not, Pareño said: “Ay, wala na. Pack-up na ako diyan.”
She then shared one important thing that she has learned in her entire acting career.
“Ako kasi bilang artista … dapat nasa puso mo, mahalin mo yung mga taong itinataguyod ka, nagmamahal sayo. Dapat maging thankful tayo sa kanila,” she told Diaz. “Tsaka ang dami natin dapat utang na loob sa kanilang mga tagahanga.”
Gina Pareño began her career in the 1960s as an extra in several films before starring in major roles for Sampaguita Pictures. She gained international recognition for her role in “Kubrador” and in Brilliante Mendoza’s “Serbis.” Locally, she has won multiple film and television accolades.
(ALSO READ: Gina Pareño and Daughter Raquel to Audition for Disney Movie)
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