Princess, Ruby and Tootsie find their way back to acting in America

Posted by ReyFort Media

MANILA, Philippines — Ruby Rodriguez, Princess Punzalan and Tootsie Guevara have found their way back to acting, this time in the US, thanks to “Nurse the Dead.”

The “Hollywood-made, Filipino-led” supernatural workplace comedy-drama on iWant brings them together with a multicultural cast that includes seasoned actors with credits in American network television, Hollywood studio films and international productions, from “Freakier Friday,” “Glee,” “S.W.A.T.,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” to Telemundo shows.

Show creator Mark Labella said the project’s mission is to put Filipino faces and stories in front of Hollywood and global audiences. The series, after all, centers on Filipino healthcare workers.

“Nurse the Dead” follows Noa Reyes, played by Jelynn Malone, a hardworking Filipina nurse in a US hospital who can see and communicate with the spirits roaming the facility. While handling patients, families and relationships with co-workers, she must also deal with ghosts carrying unfinished business.

Ruby plays Rosalinda “Ross” Amee, a member of the haunted Ward 5 hospital team, while Tootsie portrays Nurse Zeny, who brings humor and heart to the workplace. Princess takes on the role of Camille Alejandro, a former Filipino child star who now works as a nurse, a character that interestingly reflects the actress’ own transition to the US healthcare field.

For the three former Philippine showbiz personalities, “Nurse the Dead” reconnected them with their “past lives” in the Philippines, while allowing them to draw from the lives and careers they had already established in the US.

Relocating for family

Ruby recalled that she had not planned to leave showbiz. The comedienne and former “Eat Bulaga” host eventually chose to move to the US for her children, particularly for her son’s special education and medical treatment for an autoimmune condition.

“It’s always family first. It (the show) resonates with me so much because I left the Philippines for my family,” Ruby said during the show’s global media conference.

“I still had a good run there. I was doing well when I left. It may not have been at the peak, but I was still there. I left because I had to, for my son — not just his education but his treatment.”

Relocating meant starting over in a country where her credentials in the Philippines didn’t necessarily bear the same weight.

“I said, ‘Forget it. I’m just going to start over and work hard again for my son, not just for my son but my daughter,’” she further shared.

Her decision, ultimately, came down to determining what mattered most at this stage of her life. “It’s the mom in me. I had to weigh what’s important in your life. You had a good run. You enjoyed your showbiz life. It’s about time to devote yourself. You’re a mother now.

“Sacrifice whatever comfort and joy and everything that you had in the Philippines. Say goodbye and be a mother — this time a full-time mother.”

That’s why Ruby, though working as a staff member at the Philippine Consulate Office, could relate very well to the sacrifices made by Filipino healthcare workers portrayed in “Nurse the Dead.”

“That’s how nurses are. They sacrifice their families, their lives because they serve families that are not their families,” she said.

“That’s why I always tell people, if a Filipino nurse or caregiver is taking care of you, be thankful. Love them. Be nice to them because they will be your family forever.”

Ruby also said that she drew from her personal history for one of her character’s most emotional scenes. She was already crying during rehearsals and had to hold back the emotion until the right moment.

“There’s a term in the Philippines when you’re doing something like that: ‘Saan mo hinuhugot?’ Where are you pulling it from?” she said.

“You’re pulling it from there, but at the same time you’re pulling it down so that you give it out at the right time. That episode hit me right there.”

Apart from reuniting her with former colleagues such as Princess and Jett Pangan, the experience made Ruby realize that her love for acting had never waned.

“When I got on the set, I didn’t even realize that I missed it so much,” she said. “I was so happy doing it.”

Reinventing away from showbiz

Tootsie, meanwhile, moved to the US in 2004 after making her name in the Philippines primarily as an OPM singer in the late ’90s and early 2000s.

She became known for such hits as Kaba, Pasulyap-Sulyap, Mahal Ka Sa Akin, Nang Dahil sa Pag-Ibig, etc.

Acting formed a smaller part of her Philippine showbiz career but the “That’s Entertainment” member appeared in films like “Psycho Sex Killer,” “Rubberman” and “Radio Romance.”

“Nurse the Dead” marks her return to the craft.

“Gusto ko po talagang maging actor even when I was based in the Philippines,” she stressed. But as her family’s breadwinner, she had to make practical decisions. During her time in the industry, acting could mean spending an entire day or longer on one set for a single paycheck. As a singer, she could perform on several stages in one day and earn separate fees from each appearance.

That led her to prioritize music before moving to America and creating a completely different professional identity.

“I moved here to the US to reinvent myself as Emma,” she said. “I reinvented myself as a different person, but I still have it in my heart as Tootsie Guevara.”

She has since pursued a successful non-entertainment career, becoming a hospital executive. Her daily work has given her a closer view of the contributions and pressures experienced by overseas Filipino nurses.

“I work in the healthcare field. Sa hospital po ako nagtatrabaho. I’m in management, so I see my fellow Filipinos who are nurses,” Tootsie said.

Having worked in healthcare for more than two decades, she noticed that many of the nursing leaders in the hospitals are Filipinos.

“Maaasahan ko talaga the way they take care of and represent my hospitals, the way they treat patients and difficult families,” she said. “Filipinos, especially in healthcare, we are the heart of the company. Napakahirap po ng trabaho ng nurses.”

So, when Labella and director Wesley Villarica approached her for “Nurse the Dead,” the opportunity didn’t only reawaken her interest in acting, it also let her two identities — Emma, the healthcare executive, and Tootsie, the performer — to finally meet.

She jokingly described herself as “Emma during the day, Tootsie at night.”

One thing’s for sure, she said, it filled a space in her life that she had long wanted to explore.

“That is such a huge addition, not only to my résumé but as a human being,” she said. “My soul right now, I’m at the point in my life that it’s complete.”

She also welcomed the chance to act opposite performers working in the US, including those who were discovering the Philippine veterans’ body of work for the first time.

Working in US healthcare

Princess, on the other hand, brought real hospital experience to the set while pulling off a demanding balancing act to make the project work.

“It felt nice to be able to do what I actually do in real life,” Princess said of her character.

She also felt responsible for helping the production portray hospital procedures and workplace realities more accurately.

“I felt like I had the responsibility to help guide them on what really happens and how things are done in the hospital,” she said.

Her two careers sometimes collided during production.

Labella recalled Princess reporting to the set after completing a 12-hour hospital shift.

“Pag mahal mo talaga ang ginagawa mo, gusto mong ginagawa mo, you will do everything to make it possible para mangyari siya,” the actress explained.

She hoped the series would help patients and families understand that nurses often work under intense pressure while still trying to provide the best possible care.

“We want to help you. We want to find solutions. We want to be able to give you the best care possible,” Princess said.

“It’s just that sometimes there are too many tasks to be done and too little time. More often than not, we rarely eat. We rarely take our breaks. We can’t even go to the toilet.”

She added: “We try our best to help as much as we can, and it’s nice when we meet patients and families who are understanding and kind.” (N. Tomada/Philstar)

CAPTION: Former Philippine showbiz personalities Princess Punzalan, Ruby Rodriguez and Tootsie Guevara are part of the supernatural workplace comedy-drama ‘Nurse the Dead’ by show runner Mark Labella.