femalenetwork.com

Finally, the Philippine remake of Betty La Fea premiers tonight on ABS-CBN.

 

I Love Betty La Fea marks the primetime comedy debut of dramatic actors Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz, who are teaming up yet again after their successful collaboration in Maging Sino Ka Man. Bea, in particular, feels challenged by her role as Betty, since comedy is "a different world for her."

ABS-CBN Business Unit Head Deo Endrinal assures us that I Love Betty La Fea will amuse us, as they remain faithful to the story of the original Colombian comedy and even the entire look and feel of the series. Did you know that the rights and set of the Eco Moda office alone cost about P40M? Deo told the media that the rights particularly required production to build an office set similar to international Betty franchises.

However, there will still be some changes in the story, such as Ruffa Gutierrez assuming a female version of the male antagonist Daniel Valencia. Daniella is a scion of the Valencia clan who seeks to become the president of Eco Moda and exact revenge on John Lloyd's character, Armando.

When it comes to the two leads, Endrinal said that Bea and John Lloyd were meant to play Betty and Armando from the very start. "[The project] was just really a matter of timing. But from the very beginning, they were really our first choice," he said.

The cast also includes Vhong Navarro as Betty's best friend Nicolas Mora, Rolando Valdez as Betty's father, Ai-Ai de las Alas as her mother, and Sam Concepcion as her younger brother (although Betty was an unica hija in the Colombian series). Megan Young plays Marcella Valencia, possessive girlfriend of Armando, while Meryll Soriano plays Rose, the only Eco Moda employee who is kind to Betty. Sheryn Regis, Wendy Valdez, Joem Bascon, Thou Reyes, Ronnie Liang, and Jojo Alejar complete the cast.

I Love Betty La Fea will amuse us weeknights beginning tonight on ABS-CBN.