In a heartwarming revelation, the beloved comedy superstar Roderick Paulate opened up about his enduring friendship with the talented and award-winning actress Sylvia Sanchez, also producer of Nathan Studios. Their relationship, which has grown stronger through the years, is a testament to the joy and warmth that true companionship can bring.

"Dalaga pa siya magkaibigan na kami. Matagal na kaming magkakilala noon pa. (We have been friends for a long time, ever since she was single)," said Roderick at the block screening of his comedy flick "Mudrasta" now showing in theaters nationwide. Nathan Studios sponsored the block screening.

Roderick, 65, said he and Sylvia have collaborated on TV projects but never on a movie. "Wala akong maalala na nagkasama na kami sa movies. Parang wala pa. (I don't remember us ever being in a film together. It's as if we never had a movie project)," he said.

Sylvia expressed that Roderick truly holds a special place in her heart, viewing him as one of her dearest friends in the entertainment industry. Their bond, forged through countless shared experiences and laughter, makes him a shining light in her life amidst the glitz and glamour of their industry.

"My No. 1 adviser in showbiz is Tita Caridad Sanchez. Aside from Roderick, I am also okay with Sharon Cuneta and Maricel Soriano."

Asked to describe Sylvia as a friend, Roderick answered, "Hindi kami madalas magkita ni Ibiang eh. Pero ang maganda sa kanya every now and then magme-message sa'yo. 'Kuya, I miss you.' Ang natatandaan ko sa kanya noong hindi pa kami close, lagi niyang sinasabi sa akin, 'Kuya, sana naging kapatid kita.' At saka, 'Kuya, gusto kitang kapatid.' Yun ang mga natatandaan kong sinabi niya sa akin noon. Hindi pa kami close nun ha pero sinasabi na niya yun sa akin. "Ibiang and I don't see each other often. But the nice thing about him is that every now and then he sends you a message. 'Brother, I miss you.' (What I remember about her when we weren't close was that she would always tell me, 'Brother, I wish I could have been your brother.' And then, 'Brother, I want you as my brother.' Those are the things I remember her saying to me back then. We weren't close yet, but she was already saying that to me.)"

Roderick said he feels flattered whenever Sylvia tells him that she sees a brother in him. "Alam niya siguro na sa mga interview ko, maka-pamilya ako. (She probably knows that in my interviews, I love my family.)"

After the success of "Mudrasta," Roderick stated he is considering two projects, which he declined to reveal at this time.

"Pinag-aaralan ko pa yung dalawang projects. Sure na ang mga producer. Ako na ang lang inaantay pero tinitignan ko pa kung tama ba ang follow-up na ito. (I'm still studying the two offers. The producers are sure. I'm the only one waiting, but I'm still looking to see if any of these offers would be a good follow-up)," Roderick said.

Roderick revealed that when "Mudrasta" was offered to him, it was challenging because he hadn't done a comedy movie for quite some time.

"When it was pitched to me, sabi ko, 'Mukhang okay ito ah?' Sige gawin natin ang script. Storyline lang kasi noon ang ipinakita sa akin. Wala pang screenplay noon. Tinutukan talaga namin ito per scene. (When it was pitched to me, I said, 'It looks okay.' Let's do the script. I was only shown the storyline at the time. There was no screenplay yet. We really focused on it scene by scene.)"

"Itong nasa theaters ngayon, one hour and 43 minutes. Pero yung tinapos namin na movie, two hours and 15 minutes. So, nagbawas kami para shorter. I was worried sabi ko, 'Naku, paano na yung ibang ginawa ko?' Pero okay naman ang lumabas. (The one in theaters now is one hour and 43 minutes. However, the movie we finished was two hours and fifteen minutes long. So, we shortened it to make it shorter. I was worried, I said, 'Oh, what about the other scenes I did?' But it came out okay)," Roderick also said.

Roderick said he also enjoyed working again with veteran actress Celia Rodriguez. "Sanay na ako sa kanya kasi nagkaroon kami ng teleserye noon produced by TAPE. Magkaaway kami roon so sanay na kami sa isa't isa. (I'm used to him because we had a teleserye before, produced by TAPE. We were enemies there, so we're used to each other.)"