Not ‘supporting’ for long

When the movie version of She’s Dating the Gangster hit the theaters, most of the publicity centered on lead stars Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla  understandably so. However, after people watched the film, they also came away impressed by the performance of one of its supporting players: Newcomer Sofia Andres who played Abigail Tizon, Kathryn’s onscreen rival.

The movie, based on the best-selling novel by author Bianca Bernardino, wasn’t the first project Sofia appeared in with Kathryn and Daniel. In 2012, Sofia was cast in the teleserye Princess and I as Dindi Maghirang, the youngest sister of Kathryn’s character Mikay. However, it’s interesting to note that Sofia wasn’t the first choice for the role. Another actress was originally slated to play Dindi, but for some reason she pulled out of the show after the look test — and so Sofia was brought in.

Before Princess and I, Sofia didn’t have a lot of experience acting on television. Not in teleseryes, anyway. Most of her exposure came from commercials. Sofia started commercial modeling when she was six years old and managed to book jobs straight away. She was winsome even as a young girl, with her doe-eyed gaze and heart-shaped face, so it was easy for her to win over casting directors. One of the earliest commercials she booked was for Angel evaporated milk, opposite none other than Judy Ann Santos.

Sofia and Kathryn also crossed paths back in their commercial modeling days. They would even audition for the same jobs from time to time. Sometimes the role would go to Sofia, sometimes it would go to Kathryn — and both girls were fine with that since there was plenty of work to go around. They didn’t fight about it. “I could still remember when we both audition for a KFC ad. I was still in braces at that time. And I was the one they picked,” she shares. “Si Julia Montes nakasabayan ko rin nung mga eight or nine years old ako.”

Sofia continued working as a model for a while, appearing in print ads and TVCs, until she met her former manager, the late Egay Cubelo. Egay, who passed away early this year, was also the manager of Sofia’s best friend, classmate and fellow fledgling model Michelle Vito. It was Egay who helped Sofia bag the role of Dindi in Princess and I. “One time, I was introduced to Tito Egay when I accompanied Michelle. He asked me if I wanted to be in showbiz. I said ‘yes’, kaya ayun, they gave me the role as Kathryn’s sister. That’s my very first acting assignment.”

In the teleserye, Sofia was given the chance to hone her skills under the tutelage of some of showbiz’s most respected directors like Dado Lumibao (Maalaala Mo Kaya, Must Be Love) and Rory Quintos (Ysabella, Dubai). However, since the teleserye’s story was mostly about Kathryn’s character, Sofia didn’t really have that many big moments in Princess and I.

The real test of her ability came when she was cast in a youth-oriented movie produced by Spring Films, the movie outfit behind the smash hit Kimmy Dora and its sequels. Titled Relaks It’s Just Pag-ibig, it stars Sofia as the female lead — a girl named Sari whom she describes as a “hopeless romantic who believes in the power of true love.” It was executive-produced by Piolo Pascual (whose 16-year-old son Iñigo appears in the movie as Sofia’s love interest) and Joyce Bernal.

Sofia learned so much from working on that movie — it is reportedly slated to hit theaters on Sept. 10 — and wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. “I was really nervous at first kasi siyempre sina direk Joyce at Piolo ang mga producers, so I know I should give my best, but the problem is I don’t have much experience when we we’re doing the movie back then. But they were there to help me. They taught me a lot about how to act especially on how to express through the eyes.”

It was that deeper knowledge of her craft that Sofia brought to the set of She’s Dating the Gangster, where she worked under Cathy Garcia-Molina. As a result, critics and fans alike commended Sofia for shining in her scenes despite her limited screen time. Some even said she almost stole the show at one point.

Sofia is currently riding high on the success of that movie but she is in no way resting on her laurels, what with a role in the Piolo-starrer teleserye Hawak Kamay and the theatrical run of Relaks It’s Just Pag-ibig ahead of her. Sofia may only be a newcomer, but by the way her career is going, she won’t stay a supporting player for much longer.