Barbie Forteza
After almost five years of doing romantic comedy projects, Barbie Forteza will begin her 2022 working on a heavy drama series—a return to her “first love.”
“The last time I did a heavy drama series was ‘The Half Sisters,’ which lasted one-and-a-half years and ended in 2016. So, the idea of doing the thing I love most once again has me feeling butterflies in my stomach. Heavy drama is my first love. Nakakakilig,” she told the Inquirer in a virtual conference for her contract renewal with GMA Artist Center. Barbie revealed that her locked-in taping for the “Mano Po: Legacy”—a television adaptation of the popular movie franchise of the same title—has already started this month. “My Christmas will be merry,” she said, laughing. “This show is going to be my first blessing for next year.”
‘True to who I am’
Barbie Forteza
Barbie also hopes that 2022 will give her more opportunities to explore other genres and take on roles she hasn’t tried before. “I want to be braver in terms of choosing roles—but not to the point of changing who I am. After all, the reason my fans and the network liked me was because I was true to who I am… that’s also going to help me last longer in the industry,” she said.The award-winning artist’s outing on “Wish Ko Lang” earlier this month could very well have been a sign of things to come for Barbie. Titled “Ang Tatlong Katauhan ni Sunshine,” the episode had her playing a young woman with dissociative identity—a condition triggered by traumatic experiences she had with her abusive father.
“I often say that I want to do something like that. But once the role was given to me, I realized that it really is very difficult. The challenge there is that you may end up doing the characters as if they’re triplets. The role is only one person with three different personas,” she pointed out. “Luckily, we had the guidance of a psychiatrist while working on [it].”
Barbie started out with GMA 7 as a child star and has been with the network for more than 10 years.
Kapuso love
Barbie Forteza
“There are so many new actors coming in these days. So, getting to stay here is such a wonderful gift. It’s as if they’re telling me that they value my work, and that they still want to continue working with me longer,” she said.
“They also never failed to show their love for me amid the pandemic. The moment work and productions were allowed—even in limited capacities—they gave projects right away,” she added. Making her contract signing more emotional was the video messages sent by her usually private family members. “I thought it would just be a montage of my past projects. But they were video messages from my sister in Chicago and my newborn niece,” she said.
Looking back at 2021, Barbie can safely say that it was a much better year than the last.
“The restrictions have eased. There are now more opportunities for work both outside and from home. I’m now fully vaccinated, which makes me feel safer at work,” she said.