(From left) Jak Roberto, Barbie Forteza, David Licauco. Images: Twitter/@gmanetwork, Instagram/@sparklegmaartistcenter, Instagram/@niceprintphoto
Barbie Forteza has been in the industry for over a decade, but when she landed her breakout role in the television series “Maria Clara & Ibarra,” the 26-year-old actress was catapulted into a different stardom that had her personal life getting invaded.
Interviewed by Luis Manzano on “Luis Listens,” Forteza opened up about her struggle while experiencing heightened fame. She noted that even though she is grateful for the attention, it gets quite overwhelming for her.
“Nung una na-overwhelm ako to the point na kinailangan ko puntahan ‘yung kapatid ko sa Chicago kasi para sakin masyado naging overwhelming parang nakakalunod masyado,” said Forteza.
“I really like the attention and the recognition, but kasi syempre kasabay non parang ano, lahat naging critic. Parang kahit hindi na sa pag arte eh, ‘yung personal mong buhay, parang tinuturuan ka nila paano mabuhay eh,” she added.
After being in the industry for 15 years, Forteza admitted that she had her highs and lows in her career. Still, it was only when she starred in “Maria Clara & Ibarra” that people got so invested in her personal life, mainly the situation between her love life and on-screen partnership.
“Pero nung high times ko dati hindi naman ganitong level. Masaya. Hindi ganito na nanghihimasok sa personal kong buhay. Ibang level na kasi ngayon eh lalo na with social media. Parang lahat, they all have the power to say what they want,” the actress said.
Barbie Forteza. Image: Instagram/@niceprintphoto via @barbaraforteza
Love life and love team
The young star emphasized how saddened she feels that the focus on her personal life is too much and tends to overshadow her achievements as an actress.
“Sa career ko, ‘yan ang hindi ko inakala na mae-encounter ko na problema lalo na sa edad kong ‘to. I’d like to believe na nagmature na rin ako, so parang to go back to that, tapos parang nao-overshadow niya ‘yung achievements ko as a person, as an actress, nao-overshadow siya ng love life ko. Sayang lang.”
For the nth time, the young actress stated that her real-life partner Jak Roberto and on-screen love team David Licauco are on good terms as they handle the situation with maturity and professionalism.
Forteza and Licauco are set to star next on GMA’s upcoming Japanese-era war drama “Pulang Araw,” with an upcoming film titled “That Kind of Love” on the way.