MANILA, Philippines - Three times, Jolina Magdangal said, foreigners mistook her for a real cabin attendant during the two-week shoot of ?I.T.A.L.Y. (I Trust and Love You)? on the cruise ship Costa Magica.

?First was an elderly passenger who had difficulty opening her cabin door,? she told Inquirer Entertainment.

The second instance involved an entire family in an elevator. ?I couldn?t understand a word they were saying.? Third, a crew member thought she was goofing off. ?I had to drag him to the set, to show him that we were shooting a movie.?

She told director Mark Reyes that, perhaps, she should carry a note in Italian, saying she?s not a cabenista, but an actress. ?Direk Mark suggested that I wear a jacket over my cabenista uniform,? she said.

Actually, she wore the crew uniform proudly. Prior to the trip, she took a crash course at the Magsaysay Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Arts in Manila. ?I wanted to be convincing. Cabin attendants fold bed sheets and fix a room in a particular way.?

For the gala night, Jolina and the entire cast blended with the actual crew members in a ?farewell show? mounted for passengers.

?Mark (Herras) joined waiters in a dance number,? Jolens recounted. ?Eugene (Domingo) and I performed with cabenistas, mostly Filipinos.?

She said she learned a lot, chatting with the OFWs. ?They shared their life stories with me. Some are homesick, others are excited because they just started working.?

One told her that the Pinoys on Costa Magica became closer because of the shoot. ?We got together with them before we left. They were so sweet, cooking adobo and sinigang for us every so often.?

But Venice is definitely the highlight of that trip for Jolina.

?It has always been my dream to ride a gondola,? she said. related. ?The one I got was special, lined with Persian carpets.?

Again, since she was in a wedding gown for that Venice shoot, tourists mistook her for a real bride. ?People on the Rialto bridge applauded and serenaded me. An Italian girl asked for a snapshot with me.?