Actress Mercedes Cabral said that her role as Lena in the hit series  FPJ’s Batang Quiapo gave her the break she needed to be known more popularly in mainstream media. After character exited the show during an early episode in December,  Mercedes was reunited with her Batang Quiapo co-stars Cherry Pie Picache and director Joel Lamangan in the upcoming film Fatherland. 

During the presscon for the new film, Mercedes shared just how much she missed working with her co-stars.

“Actually, na-miss ko ‘yung interaction kay Ms. Cherry Pie and kay direk Joel, sobrang na-mi-miss ko yun and ang saya eh. Ang sarap lang nila kasama. Like they make it easy sa set kasi magagaling sila. ‘Yun ‘yung lagi ko ring sinasabi na, ah may mga eksena na mahirap gawin pero ‘pag, if your director is good, if your co-actors are good, napapadali talaga eh, kasi you just have to do what you need to do as your character and then bonus kasi ‘pag magaling talaga ‘yung co-actor mo, nag-re-react ka dun sa binibigay sayo. Nagbibigayan kayo, and that’s always the relationship or the working relationship that I had with them. Kaya ang sarap, ang saya magtrabaho kapag sila yung makakasama mo talaga,” she said. 

READ: Mercedes Cabral reveals why she loves playing kontrabida roles

Unlike Batang Quiapo though, Mercedes said she and Cherry Pie's roles in Fatherland have been reversed. “I think mag iba, iba na naman dito uhm yung una kase ah reversed ay I think parang dahil ako naman yung mabait dito !” she said.

In the film, Mercedes goes head to head with Cherry Pie, who plays the mayor in the story.

“Ako yung nag-portray kay Vice-mayor Gwen. So yung character ko merong clash with the character of Ms. Cherry Pie. Yung character ko as vice mayor, nakikita ko siya as  malinis na pulitiko, which is very rare sa mga nangyayari ngayon. So nakikita ko siya na ganun, like tapat sa mga tao. She wants what’s best for the community and kung sino yung nasasakupan nila. Gusto niya ng maayos, and magbigay nang serbisyo na kailangan ng komunidad. So may mga alam siya na anumalya na ginagawa ng mayor pero wala na-prove so wala din siyang magawa. So she’s doing it hindi para agawin yung posisyon but more on parang ibigay sa tao o ipaalam sa tao na ito yung binoto niyo na mayor, and ito yung mga ginagawa sa inyo, so ganun ko siya nakikita,” she explained. 

READ: Did you know Mercedes Cabral is a professional visual artist?

With all the roles she’s played over the years in both independent and mainstream projects, Mercedes shared why each new role is a welcome challenge for her.

"Sa lahat kasi ng mga nagawa ko na character, may challenge siya every time, and siguro factor din talaga sino yung director na katrabaho mo, sino yung mga makakatrabaho ko na actors. So it’s a challenge every time. Pero masaya din ako kase na-te-test ko yung sarili ko as an actor, na na-pu-push ko yung sarili ko as an actor, and I want to learn more. Parang na-realize ko na ang acting kasi it's like a never-ending learning process talaga din siya,” she admitted.

Watch Mercedes in Fatherland, produced by Eng. Benjamin Austria’s Bentria. It also stars Inigo Pascual, Angel Aquino, Cherry Pie Picache, Max Eigenmann, Richard Yap, Ara Davao, Jeric Gonzales, Kaze Kinouchi, and Rico Barrera. Written by Roy Iglesias. Fatherland opens in cinemas starting April 19.