Acting, gaming worlds align for Myrtle Sarrosa

Myrtle Sarrosa

Though she has been thriving as a gamer and online streamer in the past couple of years, Myrtle Sarrosa’s acting career had seemingly taken a backseat.

Her previous television drama series, “Nagbabagang Luha,” ran in 2021. There was time, she admitted, when she thought she would no longer receive offers as good as that one. But then came the opportunity to play a contravida role in GMA Public Affairs’ revenge-thriller series, “Makiling.”

The character requires her to sow terror and do all sorts of wicked deeds onscreen. It was a challenge. She would probably end up getting hated by viewers. But Myrtle, who had been raring to return to the teleserye grind, took on this “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“From the very start, I told the team that I would do my best to separate the character from myself. I will forget about Myrtle. I let go of my inhibitions. I wouldn’t mind the people’s hate or whatever they say about me. At the end of the day, they will get angry at my character,” she told the Inquirer in a Zoom conference.

As it turned out, it wasn’t just her character, Portia, that was intense. The set pieces and fight scenes she had were just as over the top, like in an episode where she was hung upside-down from a crane.

“I pushed my boundaries and put my trust in the entire production, because we all wanted to put out something memorable,” she said. “There was the crane scene, swimming in a pool with cockroaches, intense fight scenes and chases in the mountains—things I never imagined I would do.”

Most difficult scene

However, the most difficult scene for her involved not elaborate setups or physically demanding stunts, but a bed.

“It’s not what people are expecting—it’s the bed scene (with Alex Medina, who plays Neil)!” Myrtle said, laughing. “I arrived on the set, I was surprised that I had to do one … Naiiyak ako. I told our director (Rado Peru), ‘Direk, ‘di ako ready, wala man lang akong dalang panloob!’”

“I asked if pwedeng dayain na lang ‘yung bed scene. But I’m thankful that they allowed me to be in my comfort zone. I told them, I wasn’t confident with my body going into that scene. They also explained to me the importance of that scene for Portia,” added Myrtle, who, in collaboration with the writers, incorporated her real-life experiences with bullying into the show.

“I experienced being bullied, being excluded by other kids. They threw sand at me … That’s why I preferred to stay at home, play games or watch anime at home back then. We used some of those experiences,” she said. “We wanted a character that incites fear, but at the same time, still be realistic.”

And now that the show is winding to a close, all Myrtle could wish for is to fulfill the promise she made herself. “Your next project isn’t promised. You have to do your best with what you have now,” said Myrtle, who’s also known for her work as a cosplayer.

As her acting career regains momentum, Myrtle’s continues to make inroads in the gaming industry. Last month, she was hailed as the Content Streamer of the Year 2023 at the Philippine E-sports Awards. Guest speaker

“Gaming has always been my passion and sharing it with my community every day whenever I go live on stream, has always been a dream come true. But this is beyond anything I could have imagined,” Kapuso actress said in her victory message. Last year, Myrtle was invited as guest speaker at the Game Developers Conference 2023 in San Francisco, United States. Her song “In the Zone”—cowritten with Brian Lotho and Rangel Fernandez—was also chosen as a featured song for the fourth anniversary of “Call of Duty Mobile,” the biggest mobile first-person shooter video game in the Philippines.

The song, which was played in “Call of Duty” servers globally, was performed by Myrtle herself along with other popular Filipina gamers, including actress Sharlene San Pedro, Patricia Reyes and Doc Z. At the moment, she has 9.3 million followers across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. The 29-year-old celebrity couldn’t be more grateful to be able to juggle her different passions in life. And it’s heartening to see, she said, that her fans from acting and gaming are getting exposed to her different facets as an entertainer.

“Sometimes, people do a double-take. Some think that Portia is just being played by an actress who looks like me. Because of the show, it seems like I’m playing two people. It’s fun whenever people call me Portia when I go to different places,” said Myrtle, who also won the TikTok Award for Gaming in 2022.

“I didn’t really expect for everything to align the way it has,” Myrtle said.