Isabel: I'm fine with supporting roles

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — When it comes to work, expect Isabel Oli to do good in whatever project is given her. Proof of this are the roles that led her to become a familiar face on TV — from a teenage mom whose miseries can break anybody’s heart to a young lady with extraordinary power to fight against the forces of evil to a scheming woman obsessed with her man.

But why does Isabel seem to be confined in playing supporting roles? Is the lead role too elusive for the Cebuana whose charming and bubbly personality can be so infuriating when she’s playing a contravida?

This doesn’t bother Isabel at all. In fact, she even agreed to have a special participation in GMA 7’s Rosalinda as Rica, one of the former girlfriends of Geoff Eigenmann’s character.

“It’s okay whatever (role) there is for me as long as I have work,” Isabel says. “Besides, maganda naman yung break na binibigay sa akin so why not?”

And no matter how she longed to play villain in Darna, Isabel had no choice but to back out from playing Babaeng Tuod. This is not because she won’t be comfy working in the same show with former flame Paolo Contis, who is also in the cast. Her dad, George So, was in the ICU due to Cerebellar Degeneration weeks before taping for the fantaserye started and Isabel had to fly to Singapore, where her family is based, pronto.

“My dad is stable now. That’s why I’m back to work again,” Isabel offers.

Work for Isabel means playing a role the best way she knows how. Never mind if it’s often closely similar to something she has already done.

“It’s good that we are undergoing workshops before the shoot actually starts. I also do research to find a different approach to a certain character,” she relates.

Yet personally, Isabel wishes for something that would really define her as an actress which will perhaps serve as an avenue to having her own show.

“I’m dreaming of having my own show and since this is (support role) what is given me right now then it’s just fine.”

Besides, she has no time to sulk. She enjoys going on a nationwide tour as endorser of PLDT MyDSL which holds different activities to promote the telecommunications firm’s latest offering to its clients the way it did in the country’s durian capital recently. Isabel paid a courtesy call to Davao City government officials and Vice Mayor Sara Duterte before heading to different venues like Killerbee radio station and Riverwalk at Crocodile Farm for interviews.

Isabel’s ready smile and warm gestures elicited oohs and aahs from the delighted crowd while cameras kept on clicking and flashing. She, too, shared in the moments of fun touring the bars (E-Vibe, Club 183 and Promenade) and holding car drifting exhibitions with drift champ Alex Perez and Wave 89.1’s DJ Jimmy Muna.

“We have reached an increase of more than 40 percent DSL subscribers in Davao. That’s why we are here to say thank you and at the same time introduce the latest innovations like the QIK Install kit,” PLDT MyDSL head Gary Dujali says. “We are also here to announce our newest breakthrough for on-line users — the Watchpad (due on the market in September) where a DSL subscriber can watch TV shows, movies and play games while on-line.”

Its Speedster bus has also started roving the streets of Davao with Isabel gracing its opening. It’s equipped with a number of computers complete with Internet access useful for research or simply surfing the Net.

PLDT MyDSL is also producing original shows and music videos to be exclusively seen on myDSL Watchpad.