Sharon Cuneta and Barbie Forteza believe that Honor Thy Mother’s female-led story is an empowering step forward in the entertainment industry, giving women characters the freedom to be strong, complex, and unapologetically themselves.
During the series’ media conference on September 8, the two actresses shared how the upcoming family drama takes a different approach to its female characters, allowing them to show both strength and sensitivity while breaking away from familiar portrayals of women on screen.
“I feel it’s empowering to women in particular. But not just [women]. There’s still a lot of sensitivity in every woman character,” Sharon said. “I think it’s just approached in a different way which makes it exciting for us.”
At the heart of the series is the complicated relationship between Diana Aragon and Patricia, played by Sharon and Barbie, respectively.
Diana is a formidable CEO determined to keep her family-run business and empire standing, until an unexpected crisis disrupts the carefully controlled life she has built. Patricia, on the other hand, is a determined young woman whose return to her mother’s life forces them to confront their complicated past.
For Sharon, one of the things that makes Diana compelling is how the character challenges the idea that a good woman must be portrayed as weak.
“Diana was raised by her father who built the empire. She had to keep it going...That was the way she was raised, she didn’t know of any other things. She did what she could as a mom and a wife, but then maraming nangyari. Dito natin makikita everything she learned having gone through that.
“So, it’s different. Hindi naman lahat ng mabuti, kailangang magmukhang weak. For this one, Diana is a strong woman. She was raised that way, she’s running a company, and she lost her family. But there are reasons behind it. ‘Yung mga rason ang aabangan,” she continued.
Being called as a “female-led” show that put on a chance to explore women beyond conventional expectations, Barbie maintained: “I love it so much. Ang powerful.”
She pointed out that both Diana and Patricia have personalities that combine traditionally feminine and masculine qualities, making their mother-daughter dynamic even more intense.
“However, both of our personalities po [as] Diana Aragon and Patricia, meron [silang] level of masculinity sa kanilang dalawa kaya para [silang] dalawang lalaki na nagsusuntukan palagi. Sabi ko nga ‘yung aming official poster, parang boxing match eh.”
“I like how we were able to combine femininity and masculinity in a female-led show. Also, this is something new for me because I usually portray a daughter who is very loving. Nag-uumpisa [‘yung stories] na mahal na mahal ko ‘yung nanay, very caring, very ganon.”
Instead of beginning with an affectionate mother-daughter relationship, Honor Thy Mother immediately introduces tension and conflict, giving Barbie the opportunity to portray a daughter with deeper emotional layers.
“But this time, we will start the show with tension, conflict, full of depth na agad. Kaya maho-hook ka agad kasi aalamin mo na ‘yung ‘whys’ on each character [at] kung bakit ganito ‘yung resentment ng bawat isa.”
Beyond the story itself, Barbie also considers the project a significant milestone in her career because of the opportunity to work with Sharon, whom she has long considered her idol.
“Definitely, this is something I will treasure dahil this is a dream come true for me, working with my mama idol.”
The series also marks another collaboration between GMA Network and ABS-CBN’s Dreamscape Entertainment.
Apart from Sharon and Barbie, the cast includes John Estrada, Khalil Ramos, Tonton Gutierrez, Mercedes Cabral, Criza Taa, Amy Nobleza, and more.
Honor Thy Mother premieres September 11 on Prime Video.