YASMIEN Kurdi
AT A RECENT media gathering for GMA 7’s coming drama series, “Sa Piling ni Nanay,” not a few people took notice of lead actress Yasmien Kurdi’s 3-year-old daughter, Ayesha, who followed her everywhere, even in interviews.
The kid is cute and spunky. And when asked if she wanted to be an actress, she promptly replied, “Yeah!”
But does Yasmien want her to? “Perhaps when Ayesha finishes college,” she told the Inquirer. “It’s better if she enters show biz as a mature adult, already armed with a degree. By then, she would already know what she really wants to do in her life.”
Second place
The slight apprehension, the 27-year-old actress admitted, is a product of her own experiences. She joined the reality talent search “StarStruck,” where she finished second behind Jennylyn Mercado,” in 2003, at age 14—a time, she said, when her mindset was still not stable.
“I was fickle-minded when I was young. I wanted to do a lot of things, but ultimately ended up not being sure where to begin or what to actually pursue,” she related. “I do not want my child to experience that.”
Still, the signs are almost impossible to ignore, she quipped: Ayesha loves to dress up and, one time, was caught doing her own makeup. “She is very entertaining. She’s fond of wearing swimsuits. Ayesha dances, [pretends], even sings,” Yasmien said of her kid. “But I do not want to box her in—I also want her to explore other worlds.”
Being a mother, the Kapuso talent said, has made her appreciate and regard her career with more value. “It is true that your perspective in life changes when you become a mother,” said Yasmien, who is married to Rey Soldevilla, a commercial aircraft pilot. “Things are different when you’re young… you just think of spending for yourself.”
In “Sa Piling,” which marks her return to lead star status in a series, Yasmien plays Ysabel, a single mother who agrees to be a surrogate mother so she could earn money for her sick daughter.
However, midway through Ysabel’s pregnancy, her child dies unexpectedly. She then falls into depression, breaks the surrogacy agreement and raises the baby as her own.
“I relate to my role because it requires me to do the things that I do in real life. It is very challenging, and I feel a little pressure. But I’m also very excited,” said Yasmien, adding that she could see herself being a surrogate mother, given a compelling reason.
“I feel that this is a good topic to discuss these days. There are many gay couples or couples who simply could not bear a child, yearning to have someone they can call their own. And if you could help these people through surrogacy, why not?”
Directed by Gil Tejada Jr., “Sa Piling ni Nanay” (weekday afternoons, starting June 27) likewise topbills Katrina Halili and Mark Herras, who were Yasmien’s batchmates in “StarStruck.” “I am proud… happy that we’re still here working,” she said. “We have found real friends in one another.”
E-mail apolicarpio@inquirer.com.ph