Aside from the confrontation and catfight scenes of Monica and Nicole in “The Legal Wife,” the bluntness of Rowena, played by Matet de Leon, towards her mistress best friend was one of the viewers’ favorite bits in the said phenomenal drama series.
Netizens would even quote Rowena’s punch lines. For Matet, her role as Nicole’s best friend was her best role throughout her acting career.
Here are a few examples compiled by Frankz Amazing Information:
1. The scene: Rowena comforts Nicole, who shares her frustration about not finding the right man.
Matet’s line: “Alam mo, kung mag kasing ganda tayong dalawa, sigurado ako mas pogi pa sa boyfriend ko ngayon ‘yung makukuha ko. Marami pang lalaki diyan, Nicole. Mahahanap mo rin ‘yung para sa’yo.”
2. The scene: Rowena finds out about Nicole’s winning bid at an auction to get a date with Adrian.
Matet’s line: “Alam mo, grabe ka. Hindi mo man lang sinabi sa akin na naiwan mo ‘yung manners mo dito sa bahay. E ‘di sana sinunod ko sa’yo doon!” (Nicole asks how Rowena found out.) “May tenga ang lupa, may Twitter ang mga bakla. Ayan, trending ka!”
3. The scene: After finding out she is pregnant, a panicked Nicole makes her way out to attend a party.
Matet’s line: “Teka, saan ka pupunta? Ano ‘yon? Party-party ka, buntis ka, party-party? Lukaret ka talaga, Nicole!”
4. The scene: Nicole says she does not want the baby.
Matet’s line: “I’m sure, Nicole, ayaw din sa’yo niyan.”
5. The scene: Rowena observes Nicole getting restless after finding out that Monica (Locsin) and Adrian have separated.
Matet’s line: “Ano ka ba? Nalaman mo lang na break si Monica at Adrian, para nang sinisilaban ‘yang tumbong mo, hindi ka na mapalagay… Alam mo, sa tingin ko lang, ha — ‘yung hiwalayan niyang dalawang ‘yan, temporary lang ‘yun. Hindi naman siguro umaasa ka na porke nag-break sila sandali, e babalikan ka na ni Adrian!”
6. The scene: Nicole calls out Rowena for “judging” her when she is supposed to be her best friend after cutting ties with Monica.
Matet’s line: “Huwag mo kong matawag-tawag na ‘bes.’ Alam mo na nangyari sa ‘bes’ mo noon, ‘diba?”
7. The scene: Rowena says she is growing tired of Nicole’s stubbornness; Nicole offers to move out of Rowena’s place.
Matet’s line: “Hindi kita pinapaalis. Pero utang na loob, tumulong ka naman. Tulungan mo rin ‘yung sarili mo. Nakokonsensya ka rin, ‘diba? Hiwalay na si Monica at si Adrian — iyon ba talaga ang gusto mo?”
8. The scene: Rowena sees Nicole hysterical in her room after she finds out that Adrian and Monica are planning to migrate to Canada.
Matet’s line: “Nicole, obviously, ayaw nung tao, e. So maganda na rin siguro, huwag mo ipilit ‘yung sarili mo sa kanya,’ diba? Kaya mo ‘yan, e… Hindi mo kailangan maging biktima. May bata diyan sa sinapupunan mo. Diyan ka mag-focus, hindi sa lalaking kahit kailan, hindi magiging iyo!”
9. The scene: Rowena grows impatient with Nicole, who insists on seeing Adrian despite him telling her off several times.
Matet’s line: “Ang tigas din kasi ng ulo mo, eh ‘no? Ilang beses ka ba itataboy ni Adrian bago ka mahiya sa sarili mo? Intindihan mo ‘yang anak mo! Tigilan mo na si Adrian, utang na loob! Atsaka, teka lang, ha. Ano bang sustansiya meron ‘yan si Adrian para kailanganin mo siya para mabuhay? Binibugbog mo ‘yang katawan mo, binubugbog mo ‘yang puso mo para sa lalaking ayaw ka naman! Lampas ka na sa pagiging loka-loka!”
10. The scene: Nicole says it is probably best if she moves out of Rowena’s place after their argument; Rowena challenges her to do so.
Matet’s line: “Sige! E ‘di umalis ka! Pero tatandaan mo ‘to — hindi kita pinapalayas, ha. Wala kang pinakinggan kaya wala ka ring sisisihin. Ano? Sige na, umalis ka na! Humabol ka na kay Adrian, magpakabasahan ka!”
“In every acting project, you have to pretend as if you are a different person. But Rowena was just like me so I really enjoyed it,” she explains in “Tapatan Ni Tunying” airing this Thursday (June 19).
Because of her string of best friend roles in television and the movies, including her portrayal as Zoila in “A Very Special Love,” “You Changed My Life,” and “It Takes a Man and a Woman,” Matet has recently been tagged as the “Best Friend ng Bayan.”
Matet, however, confesses that despite her success with this niche role, she cannot relate it to her personal life.
“Ironically, they call me the “Best friend ng Bayan,” but I grew up with only a few friends,” she admits.
Meanwhile, in a separate interview, Kris Aquino’s perennial sidekick in the morning talk show “KrisTV” Darla Sauler shares how the TV host saved his life after he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2011.
“Kris has a huge part in my life now,” Darla shares.
[stextbox id=”astig”]Don’t miss “Tapatan ni Tunying” (TNT) this Thursday (June 19) at 4PM on ABS-CBN’s Kapamilya Gold.
For updates, follow @TNTunying on Twitter and Instagram, or like its Facebook page facebook.com/TNTunying.[/stextbox]