MANILA – It was an easy yes for Sharon Cuneta when she was offered a role in “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano,” the country’s longest-running action-drama series that recently marked its historic sixth anniversary.

In a virtual press conference on Tuesday, Cuneta said it was ABS-CBN COO for broadcast Cory Vidanes who reached out to her and said they would love for her to join the series led by Coco Martin.

“Ang dali lang. When Tita Cory sent me a text message, ‘We’d like to offer you a role in Probinsyano,’ yes agad. Nagka-Zoom kami na meeting and Coco pitched the story to me, 'yung character ko. For me, it was a no-brainer. Sino ba naman ang ayaw maging part ng Probinsyano?” she said.

“Oo agad. It was so easy for me na in spite of the lockdown, in spite of malalayo ako sa pamilya ko. My family is actually excited to see me on the show, buong household namin, pati mga kasambahay. Sobrang thrilled ako to be part of this,” she added.

Another reason why she immediately agreed to join the show is the fact that it was originally the work of Fernando Poe Jr.

“FPJ was my best, best friend in the business. I really wanted to be a part of this because Coco has maintained FPJ’s legacy and made it shine even brighter. I am grateful to Coco for that and Tita Susan (Roces) also. This really belongs to FPJ and I am glad that I will be part of it as a tribute to him.”

Since this would not be her first-ever action project, can Kapamilya audiences expect action scenes from Cuneta in “Ang Probinsyano”?

“I think magkakaroon ng halo [ng drama and action] kasi tinanong ako ni Coco kanina kung gusto ko daw mag-action. Kasi I’ve worked with the big action stars from FPJ, to Rudy Fernandez, to Bong Revilla, and of course Robin Padilla. But new image? Sorry, I am bringing you back Sharon na nakasanayan niyo pero mas older, wiser na. Napaka-complicated ng back story, di ba? Malalim 'yung storya ng panggagalingan ng character ko.”

As she gears up to join the show’s locked in taping, Cuneta said her preparations are more of mental and physical.

“Ang tagal ko nang wala sa groove na meron kang routine every day, na itong oras na ito, gumigising ka… Ang paghahanda is more mental din kasi I will leave my family again a couple of weeks at a time. Hindi ko kaya 'yung dire-diretsong three weeks to a month. There are other things, lalo ngayon na we are gearing for a big challenge in our lives,” she said.

While excitement prevails, Cuneta shared there are also things that she is really nervous about.

“Ang nerbyos ko lang, paano kaya gumawa ng teleserye every day? Sanay ako na movies eh. Iba siyempre, di ba? At 'yung ang laki-laki ng papasukin kong teleserye kasi it’s been number one for six years.”

• Sharon Cuneta makes Kapamilya teleserye debut via 'Ang Probinsyano'

While Cuneta has been a Kapamilya for so long, “Ang Probinsyano” will be her first-ever teleserye with ABS-CBN.

When asked why this is so, she said she personally did not want to do any television series before because of its unforgiving schedule.

“Lagi kong inaayawan talaga dahil 'yung mag-guest ako minsan sa ‘Maalaala,’ hindi ko kaya 'yung parang morning to morning nagmememorya ka tapos paiiyakin ka or sisigaw ka kapag dramatic. 'Yung tuloy-tuloy. Para kang gumagawa ng pelikula na usually shinu-shoot mo between a month to six months depende sa director, tapos biglang ginagawa mo in three days. 'Yun ang takot na takot ako sa teleserye,” she said.

Thankfully, she heard that the working hours on the set of “Ang Probinsyano” are very decent, that’s why she did not have apprehensions to do it.

“Everybody has to be at their best pagdating sa set. There is a 12-hour cut off for everyone. That’s amazing. It’s a good example sa set. Because your performance also suffers. Kapag 'yung teleserye walang konsiderasyon sa cast, magsa-suffer 'yung teleserye mismo kasi everyone’s gonna look tired. Pero here, I hear talagang maayos,” she said.

“Ang Probinsyano” continues to achieve milestones on its sixth year as it became the first Filipino teleserye to livestream on YouTube, where it repeatedly smashed its own live viewership record, peaking at 162,831 concurrent viewers.

Through the years, “Ang Probinsyano” and its stars have also received over 100 awards from various award-giving bodies.

The legendary show has also enjoyed success overseas as it seen in other countries via Netflix and The Filipino Channel and its TV broadcast in Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and 41 countries in Africa.

“Ang Probinsyano” airs weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, TV5, CineMo, Kapamilya Online Live on ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube channel and Facebook page, iWantTFC, WeTV, and iflix.