Did You Know? Maris Racal Filmed "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Sunshine" Simultaneously

Maris Racal’s career has soared to remarkable heights over the past year. After a decade in the industry, the Preview November 2025 cover star secured a slate of projects that showcased her acting range and earned her critical acclaim—including the primetime teleserye Can't Buy Me Love and sports drama film Sunshine.

These roles demanded entirely different facets of the 28-year-old, and she notes that embodying both characters posed a unique challenge. In a series of interviews with the Kapamilya star and director Antoinette Jadaone, it was revealed that Maris filmed both projects simultaneously. “On Mondays, I was Irene. On Tuesdays, I was Sunshine,” the actress tells Preview.

Can’t Buy Me Love premiered in the last quarter of 2023, while Sunshine had its first screening at TIFF in 2024. Maris was announced as part of the former’s stellar ensemble alongside some of ABS-CBN’s most in-demand talents, including hit love team DonBelle and screen veterans Agot Isidro and Ina Raymundo. She portrayed Irene Tiu, the razor-sharp middle child whose icy exterior and equally frosty wit became fan-favorites. A defining element of her character was her voluminous fringe—a dramatic set of bangs that punctuated her commanding wardrobe and helped cement Irene’s fashion-forward persona

Maris signed on to lead Sunshine around the same time Can’t Buy Me Love entered development. In her Preview In Focus interview, director Antoinette Jadaone recalled choosing Maris for her physicality and believability as an athlete. “'Yung flexibility is something na hindi mo agad matututuhan kung wala ka 'nun from the start. Na-assure ko muna na physically, hindi pag-iisipan ng audience na hindi naman gymnast 'yan o parang artista siya,” she explains.

A small hurdle emerged early on: Maris’ signature bangs. While they became a defining detail for Irene Tiu, they were hardly realistic for a competitive gymnast in contemporary settings. To convincingly portray both roles, she had to pin them back. “Hindi planado ng [production designer] na may apat na clips si Sunshine sa buhok. Dahil may bangs ako,” Maris shares in a separate conversation with the director.

Beyond physicality, Antoinette’s conviction that Maris should lead Sunshine was rooted in her discipline and depth. Having previously collaborated on The Kangks Show and Suntok sa Buwan, the director witnessed her commitment firsthand. "The way I wrote Sunshine, I didn’t want it to be dreary and very heavy. I wanted it to still have a certain kind of lightness. Meron [si Maris na] certain maturity for her age na nakakapag-shift siya... kita ko na agad the way she handles sensitive or very heavy scenes. It’s always with care.”

On Maris' end, she emphasizes how important it was for her to bring Sunshine to the big screen, even if it meant temporarily leaving Irene behind. In retrospect, she's also bewildered by how she pulled off both characters. "I can't even remember how I did it. Maybe because my mental health was in tip-top shape [at the time]?" she theorizes.

"I think I was able to do it because of proper preparation," she goes on, explaining how she evoked one character after the other. "I really studied the role, and I even trained for it for a year. Solidified na yung character ni Sunshine prior to doing Can't Buy Me Love."

If you didn't catch Sunshine during its theatrical release, you can soon stream it on Netflix this November 26. And while you're at it, you can also rewatch episodes of Can't Buy Me Love.