Singer Krissha Viaje on unexpected shift to acting

Krissha Viaje —ALVIN CHUA/ KRISSHA FACEBOOK

All Krissha Viaje wanted was to become a recording artist. She first tried her luck in show biz at the age of 12, entering the singing contest “Little Big Star” Season 2, where she finished second. In 2017, she was launched as part of the pop group GirlTrends. In the same year, she represented the Philippines and Asia in Nippon TV’s “I Can Sing in Japanese,” a contest for non-Japanese singers held in Tokyo.

Krissha was also part of Team Philippine All-Stars, which won the top prize at the 2018 “Nodojiman: The World” competition in Japan.

Needless to say, Krissha thought she would continue down that same path when she signed with Viva Artists Agency two years ago. But the company’s big boss Vic del Rosario Jr. had other plans.

“I wanted to pursue singing or performing, but Boss Vic had a different vision. He gave me acting projects and roles. So, I couldn’t help but ask, ‘Why?’ But the people around me said, ‘Because Boss Vic sees something in you. I’m so thankful for that. Now I have to take acting more seriously,” she told the Inquirer at a press conference for “Safe Skies, Archer.”

The series, which streams soon on Viva One, is Krissha’s first lead role and her biggest break yet as an actress.

“I’m giving acting my all now, so that I don’t get boxed in as just a singer and dancer. I’m a singer who can act. Or you can say an actress who can sing,” said Krissha, who also joined contests like “Tawag ng Tanghalan” and “Idol Philippines.”

For Krissha, who has played minor roles in past Viva shows and films, like Nadine Lustre’s “Greed,” acting is as challenging as it is fulfilling.

“It’s super challenging. I find crying scenes challenging, because I’m used to crying alone. It’s hard for me to shed tears and express sadness in front of others. But obviously, you can’t just keep your emotions to yourself in acting. You have to show them … That’s what I have been learning from workshops,” she said.

Challenge accepted

“But I also enjoy it… I have realized that, in life, you’re presented with things that you don’t notice because you’re looking or are focused elsewhere. But Boss Vic made me realize that I can act as well,” she added. “And I accepted that challenge.”

“Safe Skies, Archer” is the second installment of writer Gwy Saludes’ popular “University Series,” which has 610 million reads on the fiction writing and reading platform Wattpad.

The story follows Yanna (Krissha), a “sexually empowered tourism student,” and Hiro (Jerome Ponce), a dashing young pilot and mechanical engineering student. Their relationship starts off with no strings attached, but things eventually become complicated as Yanna starts to develop feelings for Hiro—this despite her knowing that he will leave her anyway to pursue his dreams abroad. Five years later, they meet again and realize that they’re not yet over each other. “I didn’t have a hard time working with Jerome; he was very generous as an actor. He helped me with some of our scenes, too,” Krissha said.

‘A little bit nervous’

While the series—directed by Gino Santos— is mostly youth-oriented, there will be a smattering of mature, more intimate scenes. “I was able to prepare myself ahead; I knew that there would be scenes like that. But Jerome had no idea, so he was a little bit nervous in one of our early takes. We did it on our second taping day and he was still shy to hold me,” Krissha related. But the more time they spent together, the more comfortable they became with each other. “We’re just starting out, so we’re trying to enjoy each other’s company. We hang out so we can strengthen our connection. We’re not rushing anything,” she said. In the books, Yanna’s character is half-American, fair-skinned and brown-eyed. That’s why Krissha who is a morena beauty ended up receiving online hate from some fans.

“I got bashed … I didn’t think I could play Yanna at first. I’m an anime fan myself and I watch live-action adaptations. I also express things I don’t like, so I do understand them,” she pointed out.

But thanks to the trust of her management and people who believe in her, Krissha was able to imbibe her character. “They made sure to tell me that I could do this. ‘Ikaw na ‘yan,’ they reassured me,” she said, adding that, with the help of Direk Gino and Gwy, she was able to stick to the essence of Yanna’s character. “I asked about my character’s background, where she’s coming from.”

Besides, it’s about time she started taking risks in her career. “This project made me realize that I have to start a new chapter … My choices in the past were mostly safe. I was afraid to take risks. But now, I finally did,” she said.