This is an excerpt from the June 2026 Special Issue. Subscribe to MEGA Digital All-Access to read the full story.
There comes a time in an actress’s life where they encounter that one special role that changes the way they see their craft. Whether it be a defining performance, a breakthrough project, or a career-best portrayal, it’s a role that isn’t just remembered for how good it is, but also for its impact beyond the screen. For Maris Racal, whose career has its fair share of scene-stealing and well-received performances, that honor belongs to Sunshine.
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Playing a young gymnast who discovers she’s unexpectedly pregnant, the role required Racal to research the lives of young women who have gone through similar experiences. “While studying the role, I got to really study girls who became pregnant unexpectedly. So it revealed a lot of the complexities that girls would go through.” Their stories had a profound effect on the actress, as they went beyond how she approached the character. “That really changed my perception of women, the kind of women who would love to be mothers, women who really fight for what they want in their lives, in their dreams. And the story itself, it’s all about women’s empowerment, choosing your dreams, and choosing what you really want for yourself.”
Racal filmed Sunshine three years ago. Yet, the movie and her time portraying the character left a profound mark on her life, one that has influenced how she engages with each role and its intentionality. “I really make sure that the stories that the characters that I am going to portray in the future will definitely tap into women’s empowerment. When I saw Sunshine‘s success and how it moved women and girls, and people in general, I now see things differently. I study roles and characters and stories differently now because I get to the bottom of why that script was made and what was the main intention of the writer.”
It’s clear Sunshine will be one of Racal’s defining performances of her career. But with so much more to give, take, and learn, her journey is far from over. If anything, it’s entering a new and exciting period where truth, dedication, and representation come together in harmony. With her performances that earned recognition from local and international award-giving bodies, she established herself as one of the most promising actresses of her generation. “People have their own battles and stories, and they go through a lot of painful human things. To see themselves in a certain character and to feel represented, it gives them hope. And hope sometimes, that’s the only thing that people hold onto in this life, and it’s just nice to be able to give that kind of feeling to your audience.”ANDREA TETANGCO top and bottom
Photographed by JERICK SANCHEZ. Creative Direction by PATRICK TY. Art Direction by CLARE MAGNO. Beauty Direction by AGOO AZCUNA-BENGZON assisted by MARA GO. Sittings Editor PEEWEE REYES-ISIDRO and TREISHA ROVERO. Produced by THESSMAR LECTURA. Image Retouching by JONES PALTENG. Hair by MATT LEDESMA assisted by GABRIEL GARCIA. Makeup by PATRICIA ACEJO. Styled by ADRIANNE CONCEPCION. Photography Assistants KARL RIMANDO and BUDDY REYES
Frequently Asked Questions
Sunshine is a Filipino film in which Maris Racal plays a young gymnast who discovers she is unexpectedly pregnant. The role required Racal to research the real experiences of young women who have gone through similar situations, and the film explores themes of women’s empowerment, personal choice, and the courage to pursue one’s dreams.
Sunshine fundamentally shifted how Maris Racal approaches her craft. The research she did for the role — studying women who experienced unexpected pregnancies — changed her perception of womanhood and deepened her empathy. She now approaches every role by examining the writer’s original intention and ensuring the characters she portrays contribute meaningfully to women’s empowerment narratives.
Maris Racal described Sunshine as a story about women who fight for their dreams and make difficult choices for themselves. Seeing the film’s impact on audiences — particularly women and girls who felt represented — reinforced her belief in storytelling as a source of hope, and redirected her career focus toward roles that champion women’s stories.
Maris Racal has received recognition from both local and international award-giving bodies for her performances, establishing her as one of the most promising actresses of her generation in Philippine cinema. Her role in Sunshine is considered among her defining performances and her most critically significant work to date.
The MEGA June 2026 Special Issue features Maris Racal in a profile centered on her career-defining performance in Sunshine and how it reshaped her approach to acting, storytelling, and representation. The full interview is available exclusively through MEGA Digital All-Access.
