KING. Invigorating, life-affirming journey.
Heartbreak has made Bianca King wiser and more accessible—and we’re pleased to see that she’s turned her romantic woes into a learning experience devoid of vengeful bile.
In fact, her insights into loving, losing and moving on constitute the provocative gist of a soon-to-be-published (in a glossy magazine), 1,800-word essay about that difficult episode in her life—and she hopes that it’s something that her followers can learn from!
During our candid chat last week, not once did the articulate 27-year-old actress mention the name of Dennis Trillo, who unceremoniously broke up with her late last year as she was going through family-related medical emergencies (involving both her father and grandmother).
But, like Geneva de Villa, the self-effacing character she portrays on GMA 7’s OFW-themed afternoon soap, “Maghihintay Sa ‘Yo,” Bianca’s resilience and positive disposition help her cope with her troubles.
Writing, she says, has given her a comforting refuge from the break-up: “When I write, I get to ‘speak’ a language I can’t normally utilize in conversations with people.”
In 2009, we met Bianca for the first time when she watched a performance of a play (“The Male Voice”) that we wrote and directed. We knew that there was more to the actress than her lovely looks, because the questions she asked us after the show were sharp, sensible and probing.
Back then, she was juggling acting and school—and was halfway through her filmmaking degree at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.
On the dean’s list
She recalls, “If tapings were scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I would only enroll in classes that were offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. I managed my time wisely: On good semesters, I got to put in four subjects in one day, so I’d be in school from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. once a week! I strove hard to stay on the dean’s list to get first crack at the slots for the subjects I needed to enroll in.
“I’m an only child, but I’ve been financially independent even before I turned 18. So, I was very upfront about my situation as a self-supporting student—I fought hard to get a scholarship.”
Even at an early age, the multitasking actress was no stranger to hard work. She appeared in her first commercial when she was 10—and, as a sixth grader (at age 12) in San Beda-Alabang, she wrote and staged her first play!
Bianca has so far directed three music videos: SomeDayDream’s “Hey Daydreamer,” Frencheska Farr’s “Today, I’ll See The Sun,” and Hale’s “Bahay Kubo.” What is it about directing that she doesn’t get from acting?
She replies, “Control. I’m a good captain of the ship. I have a knack for logistics. I manage people well, and know how to delegate work. In music videos, the budget is so tight that you’d rather spend it on things you can’t get for free. In acting kasi, you just wait for people to tell you what to do.”
These days, Bianca’s home studio has been entrusting her with bigger and more substantial roles—a tribute to her perseverance and good work ethic, especially after portraying kontrabida roles (“MariMar,” “Dyesebel”) for seven years!
The actress says she’s single at the moment—but, she’s dating. What should guys do to impress her? She quips, “They shouldn’t try to impress me at all! There are guys that I find attractive, but I get turned off when they over-exert themselves.
“I’m drawn to those who lead a healthy lifestyle, as well as those who know how to manage money, because that says a lot about character. My first and most recent boyfriends were from show biz. As it turned out, they were all bad choices.”
Red flags
What has she learned from those failed relationships? Bianca answers, “We shouldn’t disregard the red flags when we see them! Ako kasi, when I fall ‘in like,’ I tend to see things that aren’t there—I romanticize romance! —Just the same, don’t be afraid to get your heart broken—you’ll get over it in no time!
“In my case, I lost the one person who was supposed to help me get through the difficult times. The rug was pulled from under me—and I was blindsided! ‘What’s happening—I don’t have a boyfriend anymore?’ That’s what happened—I was just told about it!
“A heartbreak is very ‘relatable,’ because as you go through it, you’re stuck in a rut. It boils down to how you control your thoughts: You are what you think! Allow yourself to cry—in prayer, with a song, or to a movie. Then, have somebody tell you that your five minutes are up—so, wash your hair, put something nice on, go out, and move on!
“When that relationship ended, I said, ‘What will I do now? Who will I spend the holidays with?’—because I was supposed to spend Christmas with his family!
“So, when I finished my ‘Sosy Problems’ commitment, I took a six-week break, traveled on planes, trains and buses by myself, visited more than six cities in Canada and the US, and lived out of two suitcases!
“It was an invigorating, life-affirming journey. It allowed me to reconnect with old friends and family. It made me realize that I should be celebrating, not grieving. Life is truly amazing—and so are we!”