Did you regret setting aside showbiz work to focus on your family?
This is the question asked seasoned actress Claudine Barretto during a recent virtual press conference for her comeback project.
According to her, it was a "very painful" decision but that she had to given the situation.
Claudine reiterated she didn't want her kids to ever feel "na wala na silang tatay, wala pa silang nanay."
Note the actress separated from her husband Raymart Santiago.
"It was a very painful and conscious effort and decision to leave show business. And looking back, I'd still do the same thing," she said, pointing out that it was "all worth it."
"Kasi ang babait ng mga anak. Ang ganda ng bond namin," she related, adding how important it is for her to see them as they grow up.
The hiatus lasted for almost six years.
Claudine also shared the reunion she had with the Barretto clan during recent holiday.
"We had a great New Year," was how she put it.
"Sinalubong namin ang bagong taon na sobra-sobrang masaya dahil magkakasama kami ng buong pamilya. It was such a touching experience," she added. "And nakaka-miss yung mga pamangkin ko, nakasama ko ulit."
Claudine also talked about her relationship with estranged sister Marjorie.
"We were civil lang naman. Pero alam kong wala na. Wala ng gulo. Alam mong may peace na," she related.
"I think it's the best New Year of my life."
She thinks her late dad would be so happy to see them reunited again.
Note that it's their first-ever get-together since Barretto sisters had a fight at their father's wake.
More than anything, Claudine is just grateful to be able to enjoy being with her nephews and nieces again.
Meanwhile, she's also looking forward to working with Julia Barretto particularly that they're under the same management agency.
On the other hand, Claudine said her upcoming film titled "Deception" is close to her heart.
She said the story is somehow similar to the things she experienced in life.
"Very close to home. Nakaka-relate talaga ako," she noted.
Streaming exclusively on Vivamax this Jan. 28, Joel Lamangan's drama-mystery film "Deception" stars Claudine and her former reel partner Mark Anthony Fernandez.
The project, produced by Viva Films and Borracho Film Production, tells the story of Rose (Claudine), a famous actress, and Jericho (Mark), a stunt double, who fell in love and got married. As they start their own family, they are blessed with a son and named him Thomas. From the looks of it, it was already a perfect life filled with love, but what could have been a promising future for their family starts spiraling down after Rose became convicted for killing her husband and was sentenced to ten-year imprisonment. With Rose in prison and Jericho’s death, their son is taken to an orphanage and learns to live without his parents.
As Rose’s time in prison ends, she tries to start her life anew, among them is finding and reconnecting with his estranged son, who is now a teenager. But her troubled past starts to catch up with her and reveals all the lies that go with it. She also soon finds out why her almost perfect life went crumbling down.
"Deception" is a reunion project of Claudine and Mark, a former couple and a love team during the ’90s. It has been 25 years since their last movie project.