After a well-deserved break to focus on family, Marian Rivera makes a triumphant return. Following the success of Jose & Maria’s Bonggang Villa season 2 in January and the blockbuster film Rewind, the Philippines’ highest-grossing film of all time, she steps back into the spotlight with her first TV series in five years.
Tonight, viewers can catch her return in My Guardian Alien, where she portrays an “out of this world” character.
Why did she choose My Guardian Alien for her comeback project?
“When GMA presented it to me, this is what I really liked,” Marian said. “Because it’s new to me, and I’m sure my children will watch it. That’s important to me. I want to do a series that my children can watch and be proud of.”
She also admitted that returning to the small screen, despite already doing a film and a sitcom, wasn’t a walk in the park. She had to readjust after a long hiatus.
At the media conference for My Guardian Alien, the 39-year-old actress discussed the challenges of returning to acting after taking a break to care for her kids, Zia and Sixto.
“After five years of being away from soap operas, I didn’t know where my angle was, where the lighting was, so I felt my way through it,” the actress said.
“The director even said I was an ‘echosera’ at first,” she added, referring to series director Zig Dulay.
Marian further elaborated that she felt like she was “kind of struggling,” but the whole cast and crew were incredibly supportive.
“It was difficult to memorize lines, but because of the help of the people around me, my job became easier,” she explained.
“And then Direk Zig, he didn’t lack in showing me what acting I needed to portray,” she added.
Marian also shared the challenges of portraying an alien character, especially when she had no lines and had to rely solely on facial expressions.
In My Guardian Alien, Marian portrays Katherine Soriano, a devoted wife and mother whose seemingly perfect life takes a tragic turn when a shooting incident takes her away from her loving family. But the story doesn’t end there. Adding a layer of mystery, a mysterious pod crash-lands on Earth on the night of Katherine’s funeral, containing an alien who takes her form.
The series also marks the long-awaited on-screen reunion of Marian with seasoned actor Gabby Concepcion. Concepcion plays Carlos, Katherine’s husband, who must navigate this unsettling turn of events.
“Working with Kuya Gabby is a dream come true,” Marian shared. “He’s a fantastic co-star, kind-hearted, and always knows how to lighten the mood.”
Rounding out the cast are Raphael Landicho as Doy, Katherine and Carlos’ son, and Max Collins as Venus, the Soriano family’s business partner with a hidden agenda.
The supporting cast boasts a stellar lineup, including Gabby Eigenmann, Marissa Delgado, Kiray Celis, Josh Ford, Caitlyn Stave, Christian Antolin, Kirts Viray, Sean Lucas, Arnold Reyes, Tanya Gomez, and Tart Carlos.
My Guardian Alien premieres tonight at 8:50 on GMA. It airs weeknights and will also have a delayed telecast on GTV at 10:50 p.m.