Barbie Forteza–from teenybopper to indie and comedy roles

BARBIE Forteza

For her performance in the indie drama, “Tuos,” an entry in this year’s Cinemalaya festival, Barbie Forteza earned positive reviews, with critics and moviegoers calling her a “revelation” and commending her capacity to hold her own against her costar, Superstar Nora Aunor.

But while she’s glad about the glowing feedback, discussing it in a recent interview made her a little shy, at one point almost downplaying herself. “No, I won’t ever match Nora Aunor. Going toe-to-toe with Nanay was never my intent; it’s impossible, because she’s truly special,” she told the Inquirer.

Working on “Tuos,” in which she plays a reluctant binukot-in-waiting, the 19-year-old actress had one goal: To give a performance that wouldn’t make her cringe once she sees it. “I took the project  seriously,” she said. “Being in a movie with Nanay was a privilege.”

Barbie entered show biz with dreams of becoming a respected dramatic actress. And she seems to be well on her way.

Thus far, she has had two major acting awards: best supporting actress at Cinemalaya 2014 for “Mariquina”; and best actress  at the Director’s Week section of this year’s Oporto International Film Festival in Portugal, for “Laut.”

“I’m happy and proud that I’m starting to achieve something in my career. When I’m old, I can look back and say that I did more than just being pa-cute,” said Barbie, whose most recent comedy-drama series, “That’s My Amboy,” concluded in April.

Barbie’s mainstream work in her home station, GMA 7, however, had been mostly of the teenybopper type. But she doesn’t mind. “I trust my network. They’ve been taking good care of me since I started,” she said, when asked if she feels that her acting talent is being underutilized.

At the moment, Barbie is part of the weekly variety program, “Sunday PinaSaya,” where she—among other things—impersonates Kris Aquino. “I’ve been in love teams, I’ve done indie films. Recently, I’ve been doing more comedies for a change,” she said, adding that dabbling in the said genre would only expand her range as an actress.

“I’m not a professional impersonator, but I was surprised that I somehow pulled it off,” Barbie said. “I hope I can continue to do different projects as I go along.”