Lovi Poe (Facebook)

Supreme Actress Lovi Poe smiled when she recalled a fortune-teller telling her she would become an actress early in life. Taking a break from her busy schedule for the series "Batang Quiapo" on Kapamilya Network, Lovi said she is familiar with the "old downtown of Manila," several times she goes to its miraculous church, where the Feast of Black Nazarene is held with millions of people joining every year. "I've been to Quiapo, and I did go to the church. Nagpahula na rin ako doon," Lovi laughed when asked if she was familiar with the place in Manila, during an interview for the hit series recently. Lovi added: "Marami na akong pinahula pero siyempre hindi naman natin alam if it's true. Pero one time, nagpahula ako, not in Quiapo. My mom and I went to Baclaran at hinulaan ako na magiging actress daw ako. I was very young then. I remember 'yun ang hula sa akin noong nasa Baclaran ako." (I've had many predictions but of course, we don't know if it's true. But one time, we went to a fortune teller, not in Quiapo. My mom and I went to Baclaran and it was predicted that I would become an actress. I was very young then. I remember that was her prediction when I was in Baclaran.) For the first time, Lovi is working on a project related to her dad, the late King of Philippine Movies Fernando Poe Jr., who starred in the film version of "Batang Quiapo" in 1986. The movie, featuring "Da King" and Maricel Soriano, broke box office records at the time. "I'm just very thankful that after how many years I get to do this. Ang sarap ng pakiramdam to be recognized as his daughter," she said. "I'm so happy that we were able to do that somehow and now it's like going back to your roots and doing a project that my dad has done in the past."
She believes her father would be proud of her now that she's part of an action-comedy series. "I would like to believe that he is proud and happy kasi nga first of all, it's nice to have someone like Coco (Martin) who continues to make sure that people remember my father's name FPJ like 'Ang Probinsyano' and then 'Batang Quiapo.' That's nice. Maybe someone's guiding us up there and leading us in this direction," she added. Lovi said that the people of Quiapo simply amaze her. "Pag makita mo kasi yung life ng iba't ibang tao sa Quiapo, of course these are fictional characters, but as actors we portray real life people. And what's special about it is how they manage their daily lives. Kung paano nila binibuhay ang famili nila on a daily basis, it's really nice to look at." Her dream of working with Coco for the first time is also a reality. "It's a dream come true to work with Coco. The working relationship is great. He's very hands-on, very passionate. He's spontaneous. He keeps you on your toes. One time tumawid kami ng bridge ng Quiapo and no one was following us. I don't know where the cameras are. Nakaplant somewhere. Ako as an actress, I'm already in character wherever I go. I don't know where the cameras are so it's nice kasi you're always ready." Aside from her co-stars, Lovi says that she is delighted to make action scenes in her latest project. Two years ago, she revealed that one of her dream roles is action.

Coco Martin and Lovi Poe

"I'm grateful for doing action scenes. As an actress, you like to complete your wish list. I've done drama, romantic comedy, and happy stuff. And now finally, it's happening. Nagstart 'yung mga actions scenes sa 'Flower of Evil.' And I hope the action roles get bigger here. Sa pilot episode pa lang I was blown away. Napakaganda," Lovi said. Love said that it was not difficult for her to shift to the action genre.  "Hindi naman ako masyado nag-adjust. Joke nga nila sa akin masyado raw akong excited kapag may action scenes. Imbes na ma-stress ako, lalo pa ako nae-excite. Hindi sya masyadong mahirap na shift for me." (I didn't adjust too much. They joke with me that I'm too excited when there are action scenes. Instead of stressing me out, I'm even more excited. The shift to action is not too difficult.) Lovi has been preparing for action scenes, training, and boxing. "I work out. I've been doing a lot of boxing. There was a time kasi I really enjoyed boxing pero now mas consistent ako. Nagshooting range na rin kami. A lot of things on the side. "It's time that women portray action scenes. Siguro biased ako but I'm a big fan of Gal Gadot and Scarlett Johansson. All these physically strong women get to showcase action scenes. I think it's nice to showcase that women can also do these things. You have to admit it there's a different flavor when women do all this stuff," she said. Fans, she said, can really enjoy numerous action scenes in 'Batang Quiapo." She remarked: "Lets just say I'm training for something for my character. Hindi ko pa puwedeng sabihin. It's a surprise. Pero bago pa kami nagstart ng taping, I started training for it kasi mahirap siyang gawin." “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo,” led by Coco as “Tanggol” and Lovi as “Mokang,” premiered on Feb. 13. The show was well-received by audiences as it racked up 44 million total digital views during its pilot week. It took seven years for the series "FPJ's Ang Probinsyano" to finally bid farewell to its legions of fans. Is Lovi ready to stay longer in "Batang Quiapo"? Lovi laughed anew. She answered: "Let's cross the bridge when we get there. I'm not sure. I don't know. But why not?  I would be grateful. But there are so many things that I would like to do. I'm shooting a movie (now) and I'm so thankful for my 'Batang Quiapo' family na pinagbigyan nila ako magshoot sa isang movie."