ASSUNTA De Rossi made her on-screen cat fight with young actress KC Concepcion in ?Lovers in Paris? an experience that the latter would never forget.

The violent confrontation, complete with hair-pulling and scratching, happens after Eunice (Assunta) catches Vivian (KC) staring longingly at her fiance Carlo (Piolo Pascual) at a party. Eunice attacks Vivian for all of the guests to see.

?It was a difficult scene. The script clearly indicated what my character should do and I simply followed it,? Assunta told Inquirer Entertainment during the thanksgiving dinner for ?Lovers in Paris? on Friday afternoon. ?KC and I discussed the scene with our director [FM Reyes]. We had to make it look authentic. ?Di pwedeng dayain.?

In an earlier interview, KC said she was impressed with how well Assunta handled the scene. ?When I watched it on TV, it seemed like she really did hurt me. Ate Sam (Assunta?s nickname) is a true professional.?

According to Assunta, she got a thank-you message from KC shortly after. ?She said she was grateful that I made sure not to hurt her so much. It felt good to get that text message. Wala pang artistang gumawa n?on sa akin. I just did my job, but KC went out of her way to thank me.?

Difficult role
She pointed out that Eunice is a complex role and very difficult to portray. Eunice is Vivian?s former classmate. She is engaged to marry Carlo, who happens to be Vivian?s boss. The plan to have her and Carlo married was part of a business agreement between their parents. ?Direk kept telling me na may pagka-boba at walang breeding si Eunice. She?s really over the top. Being Eunice was physically draining,? Assunta said.

She didn?t mind that her character was taken out of the show ahead of the airing of its final episode on Dec. 11. ?Before I agreed to appear on the program, I already knew that it would run for only 10 weeks. I?m happy to have been a part of it. The people behind the show took care of me well,? the actress said. ?I?m grateful that, up to now, I still get good projects. Markado pa rin ang mga roles ko.?

Assunta added: ?I guess people hire me because they believe in my talent. I make sure to give my 100 percent in any role I portray. I don?t want disappoint my producers. I want them to see that hiring me was the right decision.?

No meddling
She said it is she who decides which projects to accept, and that her husband, former Negros Occidental Rep. Jules Ledesma, doesn?t meddle.

Assunta, who made titillating films like ?Bahid? and ?Red Diaries,? said she?s done portraying sexy roles. ?Di na rin naman uso. Besides, I?m already a married woman. And even if my husband doesn?t object, the question remains: Will the audience appreciate it? I?m fine with love scenes, as long as they?re tastefully done. As an artist, I should take on as many challenging roles as possible.?

Assunta and Jules have been married for seven years. They hope to finally have a baby next year.

?We also wish to have a house of our own. A lot of people think we have things easy. In reality, it?s the total opposite. Jules and I have an obligation to the clan. We are responsible for the well-being of the workers of the sugar plantation in Negros and their families. We often have to sacrifice our own interest because the workers needs come first,? she said.

E-mail mcruz@inquirer.com.ph