Bitten by the acting bug, Kylie Verzosa sinks her thespic teeth into the erotic thriller genre

We see pretty faces on the big and small screens all the time. But even for someone who has managed to snag a coveted international—pun intended, natch—beauty title, Kylie Verzosa, the country’s sixth and most recent Miss International, which she won in 2016, has always acquitted herself well at acting, whether in supporting roles (2018’s “Kasal”) or decorative cameos (like last month’s “Revirginized”).

Onscreen, the 29-year-old actress-cum-beauty queen neither looks awkward or snooty, and consistently imbues her limited screen time with a semblance of emotional resonance and innate likability.

Will Kylie be the next beauty queen-turned-serious actress, like Gloria Diaz, who won the Philippines’ first Miss Universe title before blazing a trail for prize-winning beauties with a knack for acting?

“Oh, my God! Sobrang idol ko s’ya,” quipped Kylie while laughing at the suggestion. “I really don’t mind being compared to her!”

We had a fabulous one-on-one time on Zoom with Kylie some time ago to talk about Roman Perez Jr.’s erotic thriller “The Housemaid,” the actress’ hugely anticipated solo starrer for Vivamax that will be launched on Sept. 10.

The film follows the events that transpire after new maid Daisy (Kylie) is hired to watch over a wealthy couple’s youngest daughter (Elia Ilano). But when the family’s influential patriarch (Albert Martinez) starts to seduce her, Daisy, along with members of the family, begins to unravel before viewers’ very eyes.

Aside from Kylie, Albert and Elia, the film’s star-studded cast also includes Jaclyn Jose, Louise delos Reyes and Alma Moreno.

But there’s another reason why “The Housemaid” is hugely anticipated: It is a remake of Im Sang-soo’s 2010 Cannes entry that included Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung (“Minari”) in the cast. That film is itself a modern iteration of Kim Ki-young’s 1960 screen classic, often considered by film buffs as one of the top three best Korean films of all time.

As Kylie herself noted, even director Bong Joon-ho often spoke about how “Parasite’s” storytelling approach and style were influenced by Kim Ki-young’s film. So, Kylie’s movie certainly has its work cut out for it!

“I’ve already seen the 2010 version twice, but I didn’t want to overwatch it because if I did, I would probably keep comparing myself to its lead actress (Jeon Do-yeon). And you know, she’s a Cannes festival best actress winner (for 2007’s ‘Secret Sunshine’), so I have such big shoes to fill! But I can assure you that I really did my best here. I gave my everything—my body and soul—to this role.”

Our Q&A with Kylie:

How different will the Filipino adaptation be from the 2010 Korean film?

The whole theme and storyline are still the same. The Filipino aspect of it—as well as the family dynamics—rests in the fact that we’re a very family-oriented lot, right? We’re driven by family matters, so feeling ko, that’s what sets it apart from that version. Our approach is very Pinoy.

This is a make-or-break role for you. Since you’re known for your eloquence and sophistication, partly because you used to be Miss International, what kind of preparation did you go through to vanish into your character? Obviously, people see the need for you to “transform” into Daisy.

I prepared long and hard for this. They offered the role to me after “Los Bastardos” pa (in 2019)—matagal na talaga! But I did a couple of projects before “The Housemaid,” which served as preparation for me to warm up to the character.

That whole time, Daisy was always in my mind, and I was constantly creating her—like building her personality, watching the simple things, observing how maids act, and how all that would feed my own needs as an actress.

I’ve gotten some feedback about this, but I don’t think they should take it merely on the physical level. Watch the film and find out if you don’t see Kylie in Daisy, or if you just see Daisy as Daisy. If you can forget about me, then that’s a good thing.

In terms of preparation, a lot of characters kasi require you to build yourself up—to be strong and be the best version of yourself. But not Daisy. To play her, I had to be “deglamorized,” not only physically, but also emotionally and mentally. She isn’t the smartest character because Daisy is not well-educated—although she probably finished high school.

So, how does that kind of person think? She obviously has limits, so we had to remove all those layers from Kylie, the beauty queen, to Kylie as a person, then to Kylie at her rawest. Daisy isn’t the most secure person because she’s still in the process of finding herself—and, along the way, she does!

Do we like it or not? We’ll soon find out. But, for me, it’s been quite exciting.

Have you always wanted to act? Or is your fascination with acting the result of Jake’s influence on you?

Honestly, acting has been a hidden dream of mine talaga since I was a kid. But my friends, my mom’s friends, and even people in the industry when I was just starting to work here would always tell me, “You’re too tall! Walang pa-partner sa ’yo.” So, I said, “Sige, I’m too tall daw for TV, so I guess I’ll just model since I’m doing OK in it naman.”

Then, the beauty queen thing happened. After that, people started knocking on my door, and I learned to love acting even more. Jake made me love it even so much more. His passion is sobrang nakakahawa (laughs)!

Don’t you think it’s hard for beauty queens to shake off their titles?

It’s been very different for me. After I won the title, I really wanted to shake it off because I think you’re really a beauty queen only during your reign. So, what do you do with it when your reign is over?

There’s always going to be the next queen, ’di ba? And you’re supposed to be ready to give that title away. So, in my case, I was ready to give it to the new girl and see what was next for me.

The glorious Gloria Diaz told me on the set of “Insatiable” in Atlanta that she once approached you without knowing who you were. She said she gave you unsolicited advice that you should join a beauty pageant. And that you said, “Yes po, and I won a title.” How do you remember that amusing incident?

Oh my God, I remember this (laughs)! I went shopping for clothes at Zara and she was with her daughter Belle Daza. She was like, “Iha, come here, come here …” I don’t know if I should be insulted or something (laughs) because I was already a beauty queen at the time (laughs).

Let’s go back to movie. How long did you shoot this film?

We shot this film at the height of the pandemic, which was quite scary. It was less than a month, but over two weeks. But we had to follow strict protocols, so after every three days, there would be a break. ’Yun ang nagpahaba sa shoot.

What is “The Housemaid” about”? What’s your takeaway from the film and what do you want the audience to take away from it?

The movie is a visual feast. I want people to enjoy the film … and the art behind it. With the movie being a remake, we can’t help but be compared to the 2010 Korean version. But I think our version will hold up. Feeling ko magiging proud din ang mga Pinoy sa ginawa namin, kasi it’s a completely Filipino-made production with great actors in the cast.

I think “The Housemaid” is about how long a person can hold things in. How long can one stand being abused? There are different ways of coping for different people. And what Daisy does is her own way of coping … and of getting even! INQ