Kylie Padilla
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Everyone’s happy. That’s what’s important.”
That was Kylie Padilla’s lighthearted and rather measured reply to news that her estranged husband, Aljur Abrenica. and actress AJ Raval have finally confirmed the longstanding rumor that they’re dating.
The revelation—which didn’t seem to actually surprise anyone, based on social media comments—was made on the couple’s respective Instagram accounts a few days before the press conference for Kylie’s upcoming primetime series, “Mga Lihim ni Urduja.” Needless to say, most reporters in attendance looked forward to getting a comment or reaction from the actress.
Because the show is currently being shot, huddle or one-on-one interviews after the Q&A proper were discouraged—as a health and safety precaution. However, that didn’t stop some members of the media from poking at the issue.
“Please be kind!” the actress joked, knowing fully well that everyone had the same question in mind. True enough, it came toward the end. What was her reaction, a reporter asked, now “na ang lihim ay nabunyag na?”
“I’m happy for everyone! We all went through some sort of depression [during the pandemic]. Just being happy is a blessing,” she said, casting glances at the GMA 7 executives seated in front of her, as if asking for assurance or permission to answer the question.
“No joke—I’m just happy that everyone’s finding happiness,” she stressed.
Kylie and Aljur called it quits around April 2021. In July that same year, Aljur worked with AJ on the sexy drama film “Nerisa,” sparking romance rumors. They were also spotted on supposed dates sometime after. While many show biz observers assumed that it was AJ who caused the breakup, the newbie actress—and even Kylie herself—clarified that that wasn’t the case.
Kylie (center) with sons Axl and Alas
Action-Packed Role
Another point of curiosity was the fact that one of Kylie’s costars in “Urduja” is Aljur’s brother, Vin Abrenica. But whatever happened between her and Aljur, Kylie pointed out, has nothing to do with her relationship with Vin.
“I have never worked with him [prior to this show]. I’m happy because we got closer here. I want to treat my coworkers as family. Having him here will only make us closer,” Kylie said.
Dubbed as a mythical fantasy series, “Mga Lihim ni Urduja” will have Kylie playing Jen, a police officer who discovers that she’s a descendant of the legendary warrior princess Urduja. In order to unlock and discover her true self, she must search and collect Urduja’s seven missing gems, and prevent nefarious elements from getting their hands on the precious relics.
“My character wanted to become a police officer to protect people. And as a descendant of Urduja, she has the ability to wield some of the latter’s power,” she said.
The 30-year-old star has been raring to dabble in action, so she couldn’t be more thrilled when she found out that “Urduja” would be her follow-up project to her sports-themed series, “Bolera.”
“It’s my first time to do actual fight scenes, so this is different for me. Sometimes, I use weapons, but mostly, I do hand-to-hand combat. I have been waiting for a project like this for so long. I’m happy I’ve been given a good one,” she said.
Aljur Abrenica (left) and AJ Raval
Father’s initial opposition
Asked by the Inquirer if her father, action star Sen. Robinhood Padilla, inspired her venture into action, Kylie said: “It’s quite funny because he didn’t want me to become an actress at first. Bawal daw kami mag-artista—unless it’s action or a movie like ‘Charlie’s Angels.’”
“But it’s fine because we were raised like boys, anyway. We were sent to Thailand to train in Muay Thai. I really wanted to do that. I wanted to become an action star,” she added. “I’m happy because I will finally be able to apply all the things I trained for, like Muay Thai, sword fighting, etc.”
After what she and her loved ones went through during the pandemic, the Kapuso actress just wants something fun to do, onscreen and off. “I’m friends with almost everyone in the production. I want a good project, but also something that’s fun behind the scenes. That’s also important to me … creating memories,” she said.
“After COVID, we looked for things that are worth our time and won’t regret doing,” Kylie added.