Andrea Brillantes on how it feels to do the slapping in 1st ‘kontrabida’ role

Andrea Brillante

For young actress Andrea Brillantes, the hardest part of playing a kontrabida, just like her character Marga in “Kadenang Ginto,” is accidentally hurting the protagonist whenever they figure in a catfight.

“I’m afraid to slap her and pull her hair for real,” Andrea said of costar Francine Diaz, who plays Cassie in the afternoon drama series on ABS-CBN.

“Back when I was still at the receiving end of slaps, I would tell my coactors to do it for real because this helps me release the emotions required for the scene,” she explained. “I would say, the harder I get slapped, the better. But now that I’m the one who slaps, I would often hesitate. I just don’t feel comfortable hurting other people.”

Another interesting part about playing Marga, said Andrea, was the “switch from being super nice to being the exact opposite. She hates Cassie so much. She is determined to get everything that Cassie has. She doesn’t really like this particular guy, but since the guy seems interested in Cassie, she would try to win his affection.”

The young actress added: “How does one become a good kontrabida? I really don’t know how to answer that. I learn by observation. What’s funny is that my young coactors, those who play my classmates in the series, swear that when the director shouts ‘Cut!’ I effortlessly go back to my normal self. For me, it’s easy to switch because Marga and I have completely different personalities.”

With her character doing nothing but bully Cassie, Andrea said the biggest challenge about being Marga was to “make viewers, especially kids our age, realize that bullying is not right, that it’s bad.”

Andrea, 15, is currently home-schooled. She said she used to juggle working and being a normal student, but “I would often feel insecure and inadequate. I would compare myself to my classmates and often feel left behind. At least now, I study at my own pace. I don’t feel pressured.”

She said she no longer missed being with students her age. “I’ve already come to terms with the fact that with the work I do, I can never be normal. I don’t complain anymore. Being an actor is the path I’ve chosen.”

Besides, the teener added, working for “Kadenang Ginto” often made her feel like she’s still in school, anyway. “We would shoot in a school setup—that’s why Francine and I are always surrounded by actors portraying students. They’re like my classmates, too.”

“Kadenang Ginto,” codirected by Jerry Lopez Sineneng and Avel E. Sunpongco, also stars Albert Martinez and Adrian Alandy.