She played the kick-ass, fashionista baddie in the sweeping primetime blockbuster Marimar. To say that the role catapulted her to contravida stardom is a bit polite, afterall, KATRINA HALILI has not only remained faithful to the Pinoy consciousness of the contravida mold—scheming, conniving, deliciously beautiful—but also offered more!
As the fiery, made-up Angelika, Kat—as she’s fondly called—made sure that Marimar suffered beyond the definition of suffering. She was loved to hate, and yet, admired at the same time.
And why not? Aside from her maldita streak, Angelika is almost always fashionably dressed, impeccably made-up, her biting dialogues are peppered with strips of comical relief, allowing the audience to appreciate the various facets that Katrina as an actress could offer.
As if to stress this point, GMA has entrusted to Katrina the remake of Magdusa Ka— a Dina Bonnevie starrer which has dented the drama era of the 80s. It currently banners the Kapuso Network’s Dramarama sa Hapon block, back-to-back with Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan.
Magdusa Ka saw a different Katrina out to conquer the audience. Yes, she remains to be on the lead but she gets more, a make-over of some sorts? Maybe, but the alteration goes beyond skin-deep as Katrina, together with leading man Dennis Trillo, breaks away from their respective molds.
Playing Kristine in the afternoon soap, Katrina, this time, gets all the slaps and the whacks and all the bodily harm that all poor, bleeding Marias get as protagonists; and Dennis deviates from his boy-next-door, goodie roles as he takes on the character of Rod—a rogue in love with Kristine.
Katrina did not disappoint as she successfully crossed over from being an antagonist to protagonist.
Double-digit ratings of Magdusa Ka and how it consistently leads in the battle of afternoon soaps prove that a good material coupled with an arresting cast further solidifies this observation.
Katrina Halili has indeed arrived—a far cry from the scheming, glossy, pouty-lipped antagonist character that propelled her to mass consciousness. She is slowly but surely carving her niche as one of the most versatile young stars on the rise.
So much so that this time around, the Starstruck alumna finds herself in another project that will test her acting skills anew.
Katrina is tasked to be the pilot artist for GMA Network’s newest weekly primetime drama series entitled OBRA.
OBRA will feature today’s most sought-after Kapuso stars in four remarkable stories about life, love and sacrifice. It is also set to gather the country’s first-rate production teams and multi-awarded directors to bring local drama to a whole new level.
Set to premier this Thursday, August 14, OBRA will unfold with Katrina taking centerstage together with four of the most-respected directors in the industry—Joel Lamangan, Maryo J. Delos Reyes, Bibeth Orteza and Jun Lana.
At the dinner press conference held for OBRA, the pilot team came in full force and was obviously excited with the newest Kapuso program that will debut this August.
Veteran director Joel Lamangan is the director for OBRA’s pilot episode which will see Katrina as a taong grasa; premiere screenwriter Jun Lana is at the helm of the second episode wherein viewers will see Kat in a dual role; Bibeth Orteza takes the directing chores for the third installment of OBRA; while Maryo J. Delos Reyes caps the drama series. Each one heaped praises for the central figure in their respective obras, even Orteza who has yet to start shooting her project.
“I haven’t started with my project, but I’ve already worked with Katrina in the QTV series Ganda Ng Lola Ko and I find no difficulty working with her,” Orteza commented.
Top director Maryo J. Delos Reyes has only but glowing remarks for the sexy actress.
“Si Katrina, she’s a doll. Masarap bihisan. Pwede mo siyang bigyan at pa-artehin ng iba’t-ibang role,” he noted.
As she takes the spotlight in OBRA, the audience will see Katrina essay various roles that will demand a gamut of emotions surely to challenge her acting skills.
“Nagpapasalamat talaga ako sa GMA, thank you. Thank you sa mga projects at sa pagtitiwalang ibinigay sa akin na ako ang maging unang featured actress dito sa OBRA,” she expressed.
Katrina added that while she is thrilled to be megged in a series that will highlight her dramatic prowess, she admitted that there is slight pressure. “Siyempre po, meron din. Pero ang lagi ko naman pong ginagawa is to follow my director and give it always my best,” she quipped.
OBRA will premiere on August 14, Thursday, right after Dalja’ Spring on GMA Network.
One artist will be featured every month in four episodes. OBRA will allow the viewers to witness the transformation of the featured artist as episodes vary from one genre to another, highlighting a facet that deserves to be underscored.
For GMA Network’s newest weekly primetime series’ premier, it’s Katrina Halili’s turn to raise the curtain for OBRA.