Bea giggles her way to stardom

MANILA, Philippines - It takes a pretty young face and an infectious giggle to fit into the role of Alice Bungisngis. No problem, tween star Bea Binene (photo) got them both, along with a charisma that has placed her among the top of today’s young celebrities.

From the time Kapuso viewers got a glimpse of the giggling Bea as teaser to the drama-fantasy series Alice Bungisngis and Her Wonder Walis, they easily fell under her spell. The anticipated primetime adventure showed strong showing rating-wise after airing its pilot episode last Feb. 6. Critics immediately gave a nod of approval as ratings began posting high numbers.

Directed by Mark Reyes, the series boasts of a bunch of other tween stars playing support to Bea’s title role act. All three, Jake Vargas, Derrick Monasterio and Lexi Fernandez have been doing their homework as key players, allowing Bea to do her main star job well with natural ease. Other role players are Jean Garcia, Janno Gibbs, Sheena Halili, Ana Roces and Buboy Garovillo..

The GMA Artist Center talent has proven her worth following her work on last year’s Ang Panday 2 and Tween Academy: Class of 2012 and 2010’s Si Agimat at Si Enteng Kabisote. On TV, she has appeared quite a number of times for the Saturday morning teen flick Maynila, all to good viewers’ response.

She previously displayed her good acting skills in various teleseryes, especially for her portrayal of Berna Cortez in Pahiram ng Isang Ina and Misha Balangge in Captain Barbell.

Alice Bungisngis and Her Wonder Walis tells the story of Alice, a good-natured witch’s granddaughter who experiences challenges and trials along the way and eventually makes use of her power to save her loved ones. Her friendship with Ace, played by Jake, is a plot to watch out for.

First appearing in public consciousness when she became a finalist in StarStruck Kids, 14-year-old Bea gained a fan base when she played the role of Natalie Dimaculangan in the TV series First Time. In 2005, she was tapped as one of the Junior Child Ambassadors for the Haribon Foundation.