Playing kontrabida is just for show

MANILA, Philippines - “I want to play good characters,” wishes Alessandra de Rossi, a versatile actress who has essayed inspiring characters on the big screen but has done a myriad of kontrabida roles on the small screen. Her Magkano Ba Ang Pag-ibig? character named Gigi is the newest addition to the latter.

“I had a scene where my character was fuming mad,” recalls Alessandra. “I vomited after (the take) because I never get angry in real life. I did because of the emotion.”

Alessandra says playing bad girl characters is fine when one is young because of teenage angst. But perhaps it’s different when one has matured and has become accepting of the shortcomings of some.

“It’s been a long time since I got angry in real life,” shares Alessandra. “When I’m mad, I take a deep breath.”

That’s why when Alessandra felt that she had had enough of kontrabida roles in her hands, the actress asked for a breather.

“It was also the reason why my character has turned this way,” says Alessandra of her character in Magkano Ba Ang Pag-ibig?. “Hiningi ko (ito) kasi nahihirapan talaga ako minsan.”

It was a struggle on her part to make her concerns known to the people who could grant her favor.

“At first, I was (keeping it) to myself and telling my concerns to my friends,” says the actress. “Then when I was on the verge of retiring, I went up and told my struggle as a person. As an actress, I have no issue because I’m thankful that there’s work for me. As a person who wants to inspire, I struggle. Whenever televiewers see me onscreen, I feel nakakainit lang ako ng ulo (they feel bad). It’s a negative emotion. I was frustrated then. I felt that there was nothing good I had contributed to the viewers because of my kontrabida roles. It’s a negative energy. Pinapasa mo pa rin siya. Sometimes, I think if I can speak to God directly, and He asks me, ‘Are you using your talents well? You’re always giving people bad ideas, all the time.’ I have reached that point. If that’s the case, I will retire.” The management had given Alessandra the breather she was looking for. She is now happy with her Magkano Ba Ang Pag-ibig? role because it will not just have a redeeming value towards the end but it has a back story explaining the character’s personality and motivation.

“(There’s no) gray (character) and what we have are black and white (characters) in soap operas,” says Alessandra. “Yung masama, pag-gising pa lang niya, masama na siyang tao. Every day is a bad day. Yung bida naman, kahit anong gawin mo sa kanya, napakabait pa rin niya sa’yo. Nginudngud mo na sa putik, tomorrow, friend ka niya ulit.”

Alessandra is simply an artist who wants to tell inspiring tales. Examples are her films such as Mga Munting Tinig, Azucena and Woman of the Ruins (entry to the recent Cinema One Originals). It is also the same reason why Alessandra is not doing horror movies. “I feel you don’t need fear. For me, fear is an emotion you don’t need at all in your life.”  

In her showbiz circle of friends that includes Heart Evangelista and Lovi Poe, Alessandra is the one who is loveless. But friends seek her advice in their romantic affairs. “I tell them, ‘I have no credibility because I have no love life,’” she says. “What I can give are words of wisdom. No one is courting me because I’m not going out. I’m just homebound.”

In Magkano Ba Ang Pag-ibig?, Alessandra’s Gigi will not give in to Margot’s (played by Katrina Halili) wishes, says executive producer Joseph Aleta. Margot has become greedy. In fact, Gigi will help Eloisa (Heart) escape. This is not surprising since she is always on the side of Eloisa. If she did support Margot’s plans then, it was because of their common interest to get a piece of inheritance from Hilaria (Celia Rodriguez). The truth is family members will not get anything from the matriarch, except Bobby (Dominic Roco). This was discovered by Lualhati (Ana Capri). Manang Rosing (Luz Valdez) will be the guardian of Bobby.

With that, one can say that Alessandra’s body of work in film and on TV promises one a roller-coaster ride of emotions. If ever she is believable as kontrabida, it is definitely for show and not for real life.

(GMA 7’s Magkano Ba Ang Pag-ibig? airs weekdays after Villa Quintana on GMA Afternoon Prime.)