Acclaimed actress Meryll Soriano hopped onto our call wearing a flowy orange kimono blouse, one hand around a giant mug of coffee, and the other casually lifting a vape to her lips. “Ang aga,” she said as she eased into the familiar comfort of her kitchen. It’s a relaxed contrast to the dramatic presence she brings to the screen in films like Mark Meily’s Donor, Erik Matti’s Honor Thy Father, or, more recently, director Antoinette Jadaone’s award-winning drama Sunshine.
Since her debut in the early ‘90s on The Maricel Soriano Drama Special (whose titular headliner is one of the country’s most well-known actresses and Soriano’s aunt), the actress has steadily carved out a career marked by range and emotional depth. At 19, after regularly appearing on the small screen, Soriano made the pivot to independent cinema with the drama Room Boy in 2005, which screened as part of Cinemalaya’s first year and saw her taking on the role of weary sex worker Melba. In 2010, she won the Cinemalaya Best Actress Award for her role in Donor, a drama about organ donation. Five years later, she took home the title of Best Supporting Actress at the 14th Gawad Tanglaw Awards for her performance in the Erik Matti-directed Honor Thy Father.
However, Soriano is less preoccupied with accolades and more invested in coaching her son Gido at football practice. As of this interview, she said she hasn’t even seen her latest film, Sunshine, where she plays Maris Racal’s coach. “I don’t think I can even go to the AKTOR screening of it tomorrow because my son has a football class then… but I might be able to make it for the talkback.”
As if speaking his name had summoned him, Gido appeared by Soriano’s side, shyly finding his way to cuddle behind his mother for the rest of the interview. “He’s my real star,” Soriano said proudly.
When Soriano first started preparing for her role as Coach Eden, she felt like the character was a natural fit. “I played volleyball for seven years when I was younger,” said Soriano, “and I’ve always had good coaches to mentor me. I started acting when I was nine, so I wasn’t very focused on school. But when I started playing volleyball, it was the first time that I felt normal. I felt like I had a sense of belonging. My volleyball coach, and the sport in general, really helped me sort of become a kid.”
In Sunshine, Soriano plays the stoic, level headed gymnastics coach to Maris Racal’s Sunshine, a young Olympic hopeful whose aspirations take an unexpected turn when she discovers that she is pregnant. Coach Eden often acts as the young woman’s tether to the real world, offering steady guidance and a voice of reason as Sunshine is forced to navigate the physical and emotional challenges ahead.
“With Sunshine, it was my first time playing a mentor, and a role that didn’t have something to do with poverty or motherhood,” said Soriano. “And, well, I think I’m at that mentoring age, you know? I work with a lot of young actors and makikita mo ‘yong, grabe nga ‘yon ang mararating nitong batang ‘to. Parang… May sense of wizardry ko. Something like a gift of seeing talent.”
Soriano had that same feeling of awe when she first met Racal. “I had a strong connection agad with her,” she recalled. “She’s gonna go places. Kasi marunong siya mag-drama, marunong siya mag-comedy. Parang she’s such a breath of fresh air. She has all the traits: she can do mainstream, she can do independent. For her, Sunshine is such a milestone.”
“With Sunshine, it was my first time playing a mentor, and a role that didn’t have something to do with poverty or motherhood. And, well, I think I’m at that mentoring age, you know?”
However, Soriano initially did not expect Sunshine to garner such widespread recognition, both locally and internationally. “I thought it would be just for audiences here,” she said, “but even then…I wonder if it was because of the script. It’s so controversial, especially now. Actually, ‘yon din ‘yong inisip ko na parang shocking. Kaya-kayang tanggapin dun ng Filipino audience. We’ll see.”
“I think sa generation ngayon,” she continued, “Gen Z and millennial audiences are more accepting of difficult truths. Mas open kasi kayo. During my time, if we had tried to do Sunshine, it wouldn’t have been as accepted as it is now, kasi mas mahirap ‘yong audience noon.”
When it comes to the future of her career, Soriano is most mindful of the legacy she hopes to leave for her children. “I don’t think I’ll ever be done with acting, but syempre, ang edad ko and I have a toddler,” she said. “Four years old ‘yong [youngest] ko. Pag nakita nila ‘yong work ko, I want them to be proud of me. Hindi na lang ako e.”
