Coincidentally, or not, a day before the deadline for this story, I was scrolling mindlessly through Instagram and saw an old video of Elaine Cuneta一a rare sight as though she was the First Lady of Pasay for decades, the sister of pop sensation Helen Gamboa, and mother of Sharon Cuneta, she never gave an interview.  

“My daughter is going to make it big,” Mommy Elaine is saying on the vintage clip, with emphasis and conviction. Mother’s instinct is indeed a superpower, as it is palpable from the way she spoke that there was absolutely no doubt in her mind that Sharon Cuneta was born to be a star. 

And though she has now passed on, Mommy Elaine is strongly present at the photo shoot and interview, rightfully so as we have all gotten together to explore, celebrate and reflect on Saving Grace, a show depicting the depth and complexity of every person’s first relationship: the bond of mother and child. The series is the Philippine adaptation of the Japanese TV drama Mother, which had several international remakes in China, France, Mongolia, Spain, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, and Ukraine.

Forever Brilliant, Forever Present

“This was my mommy’s,” Megastar Sharon Cuneta shares as a trusted stylist on her team adjusts her necklace when the photographer notices it has gone askew. It’s a dazzling diamond necklace with a large central heart-shaped stone. “I used to borrow it. But now it’s mine!” And she ends with a girlish giggle, her trademark since her Mr. DJ days.  

Julia Montes, her co-star and “anak-anakan” then reveals that she is getting advice on how to invest in jewelry from her beloved co-star, who is famous in the industry for her beautiful rocks. The two of them are as close as two peas in a pod, whispering and laughing like schoolgirls, oblivious to everyone else on the set. Sharon Cuneta may be a legend in local showbiz, but she still has the childlike wonder and giddy enthusiasm as the young star who entranced a nation with a plea for a song request.

“Everything has to come from the heart. I just can’t fake it. Even if there’s a screen, people know if the emotions aren’t real, so it really comes from here,” she says when asked about her creative process, putting her hand on her chest. “My emotions are like a faucet and, if you turn it, it will come out. My life is so colorful! As Mae West once said, you can Google it for the exact wording, but she said something like, ‘I was Snow White, and then I drifted.’ I went from having this fairytale-like view of the world, and then, I became so battle-scarred. I don’t really know if it’s because of me or what people did to me. But the truth is, I allowed it to happen. There’s a saying that actors never heal, because they are always tapping into their emotions. But, I have never been a self-destructive person. So you learn, you learn to use your pain, you can use it for your work.”

Asked to talk about the mother figures in her life, she names a set of mothers who molded her and another group of work mothers who brought out the best in her.  “My mom, my Mama Mina, my first manager, my mommy Helen, and Mama Rosie (she was the secretary of my dad for many years and the wife of the fiscal of Pasay). In ABS, there’s Mariole [Alberto], Inang [Olivia Lamasan], and Tita Charo [Santos-Concio]. In certain seasons, they came into my life and brought out the best in me.  You don’t get close to a person quickly; it takes time. They’re all nurturing, encouraging, supporting, and loving.”

The same adjectives can be used to describe the working environment on her latest show. “When I go to work, it was like going from one home to another. And everyone is so good! You’ve got to be on your toes. And you really want to be your best. And in the middle of it all, I was just thinking, I really love these people.”

Twin Souls

Though Sharon has high praise for everyone in the cast, it is clear as day that she has a special, special bond with her co-star Julia Montes. While posing for their photos as a duo, while their features may not be similar, their expressions and demeanor are mirror images. They often burst into laughter when the photographer says, “Let’s do some serious looks now!” They are excited to catch up and cheer each other on. When Julia says she still has to do a recording, Sharon enthusiastically tells her how good she is and what a fine voice she has.

“We never lost touch after we did Probinsyano. From the first time I saw her, even before I met her, I told Peachy (her makeup artist of fifteen years), I see so much of myself in her. And I have never said that of anyone, ever. I promised her that we would do a show again, and so even before I knew the story of Saving Grace, she was the first reason I decided to do the show.”

Julia Montes and Sharon Cuneta

Julia Montes and Sharon Cuneta with Saving Grace child star Zia Grace

Miranda Valdez, Sharon’s character on the show is described as the “Nanay ng Bayan.” In a previous interview, Sharon characterized her as “a mix of Oprah and Barbara Walters.” But for her own process, Sharon turned to a person much closer to home. Sharon tells Metro.Style, “Miranda is tough. She’s strong, but that is because she didn’t have a choice. She’s a person with a lot of guilt and regret. So I thought of my friend Cherie [Gil]. You know, the minute she walked on set, you just felt so much of her energy and presence. So not as taray, nor as bitchy, but I just wanted to give off that kind of strength and toughness.” 

Fun fact: Sharon used to pinch-hit for Loren Legarda for the show Inside Edition: “I loved it! I learned so much from reading the script and it was fun to do.”

Going to the Heart of It

The director of Saving Grace, FM Reyes, told his cast to think of what “pricks at their heart.” Asked to talk about what she drew on that pricked her heart, Sharon says seriously, “I’m a mom, ’di ba? And I’ve had my share of difficulties with raising my kids. But it’s fulfilling, of course. And you can have heartache from your romantic life, but nothing can hurt you as much as when your kids even slightly hurt you.”

In line with the show’s title and to share what has been a saving grace in her own life, she becomes a little pensive and then turns on her megawatt, movie star smile. “Kiko [Pangilinan, her husband] is my saving grace. I was in pieces, and I didn’t even know it. I didn’t want to stop and think of my life and emotions, I just wanted to work. Kiko made me whole, and now after twenty-eight years of marriage, we know each other so well.”

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Saving Grace is available for streaming on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories. 

Check out Sharon Cuneta's and Julia Montes' Christmas gift recommendations here.

Read our exclusive interview with Julia Montes here.

Photography by Chris Cantos

Sittings editor: Grace Libero-Cruz

Makeup by Peachy Mariano

Hairstyling by Caren Bautista

Styling by Lianne Locsin

Special thanks to Dreamscape Entertainment