MANILA, Philippines?Movie queen Gloria Romero was blushing throughout, as she recalled how she prepared for her latest role, the sassy septuagenarian Mameng in Joel Lamangan?s ?Fuchsia,? which is part of the APT and Directors? Guild film series Sine Direk.

It?s because genteel and gracious Gloria was required to utter several cuss words throughout the film ? including not a few vernacular terms pertaining to the human anatomy, male and female.

?When I read the beautiful script by Ricky Lee, I got nervous,? she recounted. ?I called up Direk Joel: Do I have to say all those words??

It was a first time for the screen legend who marks her 57th year in the movies.

She kept bargaining with Direk Joel during the shoot. ?I asked him if I could say the Tagalog word for ?balls? only once ? in the final scene.?

During rehearsal, though, she refrained from saying the b-word. ?I only did it during the actual take so that my co-actors would really get shocked. I wanted their reaction to be as natural as possible.?

The gambit paid off.

Three cameras

?I did that long speech at the end in only one take. We had three cameras for that scene,? she looked back.

When it was time to say the p-word, she got a little help from co-star Celia Rodriguez.

?I couldn?t bring myself to curse. I would only use the short cut ?tang,? she explained. ?But since Celia was with me in that scene, I felt at ease and we said it at the same time.?

In spite of the challenges, she?s glad she accepted the role.

?It?s for the benefit of the scholarship program of the Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng Pelikulang Pilipino. Also, meaty roles like Mameng don?t come every day, especially for women my age,? said the award-winning actress who turned 75 last Dec. 16.

She described Mameng as ?a fighter. She speaks her mind. She doesn?t care about what people would say.?

She conceded that she?s more reserved compared to Mameng, but she could very well relate with her personal travails ? particularly those scenes in which Mameng was shown taking care of her ailing ex-husband (played by Eddie Garcia).

?She?s very compassionate. Even though they were separated, she didn?t want her ex-husband to be alone in his old age,? she said.

Gloria went through a similar ordeal when she nursed ex-husband Juancho Gutierrez when he fell ill.

?Those scenes with Eddie ? were also hard in a way because I had to relive the past and see a loved one?s suffering again,? she said.

Juancho was 73 when he passed away three years ago, she recalled.

She took care of him ?because it was the right thing to do. I didn?t do it for the publicity. It was my choice, along with my daughter Maritess. I told myself: If our roles were reversed, I?d be heartbroken if no one would be there for me.?

Gloria, who is part of the cast of ABS-CBN?s new soap ?Maruja,? said that she often mines her life experiences, happy and sad, as inspiration in her work.

Already, there is talk that she?s a front-runner in next year?s awards derby for ?Fuchsia.?

?I?m happy with the trophies I already have; I?m not that greedy,? she said, laughing heartily like Mameng.

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