Kris Bernal has been much talked about over the past few weeks, and for good reason. The Kapuso actress is the May cover girl of FHM magazine and has likewise been posting sexy photos of herself online, as if to tell the whole world that she is through with her sugary-sweet wholesome image.
She has also been promoting her upcoming show, “Impostora,” where she plays both the heroine and the villainess.
In an interview with InterAksyon during Cosmopolitan Philippines’ 20th anniversary celebration, Kris shared why she accepted the above-mentioned projects. “Maybe for me, I just didn’t wanna get stuck doing sweet roles. Being in the industry for 10 years, feeling ko, dun na nag-stick yung mga tao eh.”
“So the reason why I posed for FHM, and why I accepted my new project, ‘Impostora,’ is because it’s something mature. It’s something different from the last one I did, which is ‘Little Nanay.’ Di ba bata ako dun, may intellectual disability.”
“Gusto ko mag-move on yung mga tao and show them na I can do meatier roles as well,” she said.
Kris also confirmed that her family has been very supportive of her recent decisions. “Sinabi naman nila sa akin na, ‘you’re already 28. Hindi ka na naman bata na kailangan sumusunod ka pa rin sa amin. Kumbaga, you’re in the age of getting married, of having a family. So you can decide on your own. You can live with your own decisions, you can plan your own journey. Kasi, you’re not getting any younger.’”
“Imagine, in two years, nasa 30s na ako,” she added.
Her statement on settling down spawned a follow-up question, to which she hastily replied, “I’m not seeing someone right now, but I’m entertaining some guys. The problem is I’m very picky so pagdating talaga sa dating, hindi talaga ako nag-eentertain masyado.”
However, her face lit up when she was asked regarding the qualities she wishes to find in her ideal man. Kris shares, “Simple lang. Gusto ko, three things lang yan eh: maalaga, mahal yung pamilya ko, and lastly, mahilig magdasal or malakas yung faith kay Lord.”
Kris also talked about her role in “Impostora,” a remake of the 2007 drama series starring Sunshine Dizon and Iza Calzado. Kris thinks the project is intense and truly challenging.
“In ‘Impostora’ I’m playing two roles. So yung isang character, she’s Nympha, she’s born na hindi maganda. Nilalait-lait siya mga tao, yun yung everyday struggle niya. But her goal naman talaga is to make a living for her family and matulungan niya lang yung pamilya niya.”
“Si Rosette naman, the kontrabida one, she’s self-centered, very classy, and talagang matapang siya. So makikita nila kung sino talaga yung impostora.”
“It’s very challenging kasi it’s first time for me to play a kontrabida role. First time ko mag-kontrabida eh. Sanay ako umiiyak ako, or ako yung inaapi. So ngayon, ang hirap pala maging matapang, na strong ka. Pero since I’m doing two characters, I’m doing both. I’m doing the mabait, I’m doing the kontrabida.”
With a leaner physique that she tries to further improve with a weight-gain program and a controlled diet, Kris hopes that she will eventually land more roles outside her comfort zone. One of her dreams is to play a superhero, which she doesn’t see as a near possibility.
“I’ve always dreamed of having a superhero role, but since I have short legs, baka it’s impossible (laughs). Baka mas malaki pa sa akin yung mga kalaban ko, magmukha akong mini, mini superhero,” she said good-naturedly.
She’s been hooked on Koreanovelas as of late and wishes to be cast in a project with a similar structure—a love story with an unusual twist.
Kris admitted that she has garnered a handful of bashers ever since the FHM issue came out. Her most criticized online photos are from the magazine shoot, with netizens bashing her for her petite figure.
She appeals to critics, saying, “Don’t judge me by the photos you see, ‘cause you don’t get to be with me every single minute. You don’t know what I eat. You don’t know my effort to gain weight.”
“Tanggapin na lang natin kung sino talaga ako, na ganito talaga yung build ko. No matter how much I eat, I still look thin and I still look small,” she said.
