Barbie finds it hard juggling four boys

Barbie Forteza

Sure, having four cute leading men vying for your attention may make you feel #HabaNgHair, but it’s actually difficult work, pointed out Barbie Forteza, who finds herself in this exact situation in her coming primetime show, “Meant to Be.”

As if building good rapport with one costar wasn’t hard enough, the young Kapuso actress has to make sure that she also has chemistry with three others. Luckily, Barbie said, her onscreen suitors, Jak Roberto, Ivan Dorschner, Addy Raj and Ken Chan, are all so different in terms of personality, which gives her something to work with.

“The big challenge for me is giving off the same level of intensity in my scenes with each one of them, but at the same time keeping my acting approach varied. It helps that they have contrasting traits, which make me react differently, in a natural way,” she told reporters at a recent press conference.

“I can’t be too bubbly when I’m with Ivan, who’s reserved. Jak is torpe, so I feel like I have the upper hand, and that I can boss him around,” Barbie explained. “Ken is feisty, so we’re like cat and mouse. Addy is hyperactive, so I can be silly.”

But who among the four does she like most? That’s the tougher question, she quipped. “Remember, bawal na ang biased ngayon!” she squealed. “Papatawag ko na lang kayo kapag nakapili na ako!”

The 19-year-old talent who had a short-lived romantic relationship with Kiko Estrada last year, added that being single has also made working with the four boys more comfortable. “I just feel freer now…No restrictions,” said Barbie, who plays Billie, a hardworking raketera who meets the four boys in the many part-time jobs she takes to support her family.

“Meant to Be” is a romantic-comedy—something which she has been doing a lot of as of late. And while she still couldn’t seem to graduate from her teenybopper image on television, Barbie said she’s very grateful that she could explore other things in independent cinema.

“I don’t want to get stuck having one identity. So it’s a good thing that I have a different image and market in the indie scene,” said Barbie, one of last year’s Inquirer Indie Bravo! honorees, for winning the best actress plum at the Director’s Week section of the Oporto International Film Festival in Portugal, for her role in “Laut.”

“My goal as an actress is to be good enough to be able to do anything—with joy,” added Barbie, who’s currently a first year psychology student at the University of Perpetual Help Laguna.

But while bent on finishing her studies, Barbie said she would also love to push her show biz career to a higher level in 2017. “But I don’t want to expect anything because it would be painful if things don’t fall into place,” she said. “I’ll just take advantage of whatever opportunities I get this year.”

Barbie and her leading men (from left): Ken Chan, Ivan Dorschner, Addy Raj and Jak Roberto