How motherhood mellowed down Nathalie Hart
Nathalie Hart (left) with daughter Penelope
Raising a kid is a tall order, more so for single parents like Nathalie Hart. But if there’s one thing the actress is thankful for, it’s the “structure” that motherhood brings to her life.
“I now have more responsibilities. Back then, I could wake up whatever time I wanted when I didn’t have work. It’s different now. You have to plan your day. My life is more structured than before,” she told the Inquirer in a recent Zoom interview for the movie “Kunwari Mahal Kita,” which is now showing in cinemas.
Nathalie has a 4-year-old daughter, Penelope, with her nonshow biz ex-fiancé.
“I’m now healthier. I’m in a better place, mentally. [Motherhood] mellowed me. It slowed me down and gave me purpose. It made me a better person,” added Nathalie, who has also learned to be more patient. “It’s tough having a young child, who can’t express herself fully yet. As an adult, you have to be patient figuring out what they want to communicate, especially when they’re having tantrums.”
Society can be harsh on single mothers—sometimes they get blamed for being in the situation they’re in. But don’t let people get the best of you, Nathalie said.
“It’s not easy. I have a lot of respect for all the single mothers out there. If people say that it’s your fault, that your situation is your own doing—don’t mind them. Your child is going to look up to you one day. You’re going to make your child proud because you managed to deal with all the challenges,” she said.
The “StarStruck” season 5 alumna had to set acting aside for a while. But now that her daughter goes to school, Nathalie can now ease her way back into the grind.
More acting projects
“Penelope was my only focus then. Now, I can have some time for myself—I’m happy about that. While she’s in school, I go to the gym or take care of my business (a skin-care line). I can now take on more acting projects,” she said.
In “Kunwari”—produced by Viva Films and directed by Roderick Lindayag—Nathalie plays Cindy, a successful woman who has everything she could ever wish for except for one thing: an equally successful husband. When her husband, Greg (Joseph Marco), fails to live up to her expectations, she decides to call it quits with him.
To clear his mind, Greg goes on a trip and stays in a resort in La Union, where he meets the man-hating staff member Hydes (Ryza Cenon). While their first meeting turns out badly, they eventually hit it off. And just when their romance starts to blossom, Cindy shows up, asking for another chance.
Hart
“She’s a workaholic, she’s driven. And she’s disappointed with her artist husband who just stays at home. Cindy is a go-getter, the type who gets what she wants. But because she has grown frustrated with her husband, she asks for an annulment,” she said of her character. “But then, she realizes that she still has feelings for him and that she should have tried to sort things out.”
Nathalie is currently engaged to her Australian boyfriend, but there’s no rush to tie the knot. “We’re not in a hurry, and we’re still very busy. So we’re taking our time,” she said.
Keeping things private
Though Nathalie isn’t hiding her current relationship, she still makes sure to keep things private as much as possible. There was a time when she treated her love life like an open book. She learned her lesson the hard way.
“I was about to get married back then. But a week before the wedding date, it got canceled. I have learned so much from mistakes I made in the past. You don’t have to divulge everything. It’s not only embarrassing to the public, but to my family, too. So now, I have learned to take a step back and think that, ‘Kung para sa ‘yo ang tao, ‘yun talaga ang para sa ‘yo,’” she related.
The fact that she already has a child makes the prospect of getting married trickier. “I also have to think about my child’s feelings. Will she understand the idea of another person coming into my life?” she pointed out. “People think it’s easy to start over again, but it’s not, especially if you have a child. And you yourself have past traumas.” INQ
