With change in management, Kris Bernal seeks growth, new environment

Kris Bernal

After 13 years as an exclusive GMA 7 artist, Kris Bernal is now a freelancer under Cornerstone Entertainment—a move that she believes will satisfy her longing to “explore” and “grow in a new environment.”

“I’m not getting younger. So, this is a good time for me to work with others, not just for personal growth, but also for my career. I thought hard about it and decided to look for a different management,” Kris told the Inquirer in a recent virtual conference.

The expiration of Kris’ contracts with the Kapuso network and its talent management arm, GMA Artist Center, happened in an inopportune moment—last March, at the onset of COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdowns.

The industry was about to come to a standstill, and her then home network reportedly couldn’t guarantee her anything at the time. That was when Kris started weighing her options. “I got sad because I was an exclusive artist for such a long time. But if you think about it, given the situation, you can’t really ask for more,” she pointed out.

But despite the turn of events, Kris, who entered the biz after winning the fourth season of the reality talent search “Starstruck” in 2007, had only good words for GMA 7, which she will always be grateful to.

“I will always look back at my journey with them. I have never felt that I was neglected. I was always given lead roles in soaps,” said Kris, who was last seen in the drama-horror series “Hanggang sa Dulo ng Buhay Ko.” “They took care of me, and I didn’t have any problems with them.”

Kris’ exit was “clean,” she said, and that she still talks to her former bosses. “Every guesting and appearance I book now, I still inform them. I do it out of respect for my home network.”

The 31-year-old actress would gladly re-sign with GMA 7 if, someday and somehow, she gets offered a new network contract.

Kris is currently taping for the upcoming TV5 soap “Ate ng Ate Ko.” She also recently concluded shooting an episode of the GMA 7 drama anthology “Tadhana.”

Looking for a new management was a long process, she related—one of the toughest decisions she has made. She eventually went for Cornerstone Entertainment, because her goals aligned with the plans they had for her.

“One of the things we discussed was about doing more movies. I have been known more as a television actor. But this time, I also want to do movies. I would love to have magazine covers and endorsements,” she said.

“[In terms of acting, I want to be known as someone reliable, someone who can do whatever role you give her. That’s what I want to establish for my career … and maybe win acting awards,” she said.

While acting and drama will always be her comfort zone, Kris jested that she may be compelled to explore singing or dancing since a lot of her fellow artists at Cornerstone, like KZ Tandingan, Angeline Quinto and Yeng Constantino, are singers and performers.

Kris got engaged to her businessman boyfriend, Perry Choi last February. Will her recent career decisions affect their wedding plans? The wedding can wait, but work opportunities don’t always come when you want them, the couple agreed.

“Of course, the wedding will push through. But I still want to work and there are things I want to achieve. And he said, just go for it. He knows how passionate I am with my craft,” she related. “He’s very supportive of me.” INQ