Kylie Verzosa
“Beauty queen ka lang. Maganda ka lang. Sexy ka lang.”
These were just some of the comments Kylie Verzosa got when she first ventured into acting. And she would be lying if she said that the criticisms didn’t have her questioning herself. “I feel like I had to prove to people that I can also act. I did a lot of introspection. I asked myself, ‘Kaya ko ba talaga ‘to?’” she told the Inquirer at a recent press conference for her new movie, the romantic comedy “Baby Boy, Baby Girl,” which is now showing in cinemas.
But with “a lot of hard work” and support from the people around her, the 2016 Miss International winner started to believe there was more to her than being a beauty queen. Last November, Kylie was hailed best actress at the Distinctive International Arab Festivals Awards in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for her performance in the psychological drama “The Housemaid.”
“When I won the award, it was so surreal. It’s a dream come true. I’m so grateful,” she said. “And I’m so lucky to have people who mentored and supported me. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Always on the go
While the recognition relieved some of the pressure she put on herself, Kylie isn’t about to rest on her laurels.
“No relaxing. You have to continue improving yourself, because now, more people will be critiquing you. But it’s a positive kind of pressure, the kind that makes you go, ‘I will do better next time,’” she said.
“There’s a sigh of relief, but I’m always eager to grow, learn more and continue proving other people wrong,” Kylie added. “And I still want more. I never stop and I don’t get content easily. I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing, but I’m always on the go.”
Directed by Jason Paul Laxamana, “Baby Boy, Baby Girl” follows Josie (Kylie), a failed entrepreneur trying to keep herself afloat by doing online selling and resorting to various side hustles. She crosses paths with her ex-boyfriend, Seb (Marco Gumabao), who has risen from rags to riches in a short span of time.
Intrigued, Josie asks Seb about the secret behind his newfound and sudden success. As it turns out, Seb is a sugar baby—someone who provides companionship to old wealthy clients in exchange for financial and material benefits. Josie asks Seb to prepare her for sugar dating. But along the way, old feelings start creeping up on Josie. While she doesn’t personally know any sugar babies, Kylie hears about sugar dating from friends of friends. Doing the movie, she said, helped her become more understanding of people who engage in the said practice. “‘Why do people pay for companionship? How do sugar babies get into it in the first place? The movie explores questions like that,” she said.
Verzosa with Marco Gumabao
Creating her character
The movie is the 31-year-old actor’s first foray into romantic comedy. She couldn’t be more thrilled. “I started out with drama and heavier stuff. I have always wanted to try doing a rom-com because I feel like it can be an avenue for me to showcase a different side of me,” she said. “I wanted to see if I could pull it off and be good at it.”
The challenge for Kylie was letting her guard down in the film’s more lighthearted scenes. “When I meet people for the first time, I put up a wall. I’m wary about opening up, because I’m worried people may not like me. But once I’m comfortable enough with you, the walls disappear and I can be myself fully,” she said.
And this is the best thing about doing romantic comedies, she pointed out. “When you do drama films, it’s more about creating your character. But in rom-coms, I get to inject a bit of my personality.” Kylie admitted to dating Marco in the past, but now they know they’re better off as friends. “Marco and I have been friends for six years now, and we have worked on various projects in the past… It’s easy for us to work together and support each other,” she said.