Isabelle now more at ease with acting

MANILA, Philippines - Since she moved to ABS-CBN several months ago, Isabelle Daza has become a familiar sight on the big and small screens pitting acting talents with young and veteran dramatic stars. In the primetime soap Nathaniel, her first TV series with the Kapamilya network, Isabelle proves that she can truly make good in the acting department with her portrayal of lawyer Martha Amante.

“I wouldn’t say comfortable but I would say that I’m (now) more at ease with acting,” says Isabelle. “I guess because when you work with directors and assistant directors for long hours, you’ll likely (able to) get their rhythm.”

No wonder, Isabelle’s Martha can easily make televiewers grit their teeth over her scheming ways in one scene then earn empathy as a supportive girlfriend in another. But she admits about having a hard time transitioning from bad to good and vice versa whenever she is required to “because the character is a bit complex and has many layers. Martha has goodness inside her but she was always brainwashed to seek revenge so I need to really feel her emotions and exert an effort to make her personality visible onscreen.”

Add to that the pressure she places on herself as soon as the cameras start grinding to capture her emotionally-charged scenes either with co-stars Gerald Anderson or Shaina Magdayao. “Yeah, I definitely pressure myself to be as good as them s’yempre kasi ayoko magpahuli; ang galing-galing nila Coney Reyes, Gerald and Shaina so I need to level up or step up which I tried my best to do.”

Asked how she feels everytime her effort is being recognized, Isabelle says she feels like floating on Cloud 9 and adds, “But then, I also do not like to get it to my head because by thinking that way then I wouldn’t want to improve. My mom (Gloria Diaz) always says that you’re only as good as your last scene so kailangan galingan mo ‘yan at ang hirap nun na so many people say that you’re good then that’s a great thing but I don’t want it to be the end of it (naman) di ba.”

Besides, Isabelle knows she still has to work on delivering her lines “especially in this one (Nathaniel) because a lot of the lines are very technical. (Sa) Tagalog dun ako medyo nahirapan. I want to attend (acting) workshops, I just don’t have enough time but I will; I need it.”

Meanwhile, Nathaniel is wrapping up on Friday, Sept. 25, but not without leaving its audience a heart-tugging message of hope, happiness, contentment and stronger faith. Its final episode, dubbed Ang Abot Langit na Pagtatapos, is the ultimate battle between good and evil where the lead character AVL, played by Coney Reyes, will be put to a test by Gustavo (Baron Geisler) and therefore, she has to come up with a right verdict. Will Nathaniel (Marco Masa) be able to succeed in his mission to restore the faith of humanity in God?

Although the cast members are still mum on how the faith-serye will end, director Francis Xavier Pasion promises the final episode will have big and emotional scenes. “We have prepared a magnificent finale week because this is our way of thanking the viewers for supporting us since the show started airing in April, so we’re promising very emotional scenes with the family of Nathaniel. Find out if Paul and Rachel will reconcile in the end at kung sino ang makakatalo kay Gustavo.”

Televiewers, he adds, will certainly pick a lesson or two from the show. Even the cast members admit to having learned a lesson through their characters. On her part, Isabelle has totally realized that seeking revenge will do no good.

Does she believe in angels?

“Yes, in fact, I think that my grandmother and my Tita Rio are my two guardian angels.”

These days, Isabelle is also busy working on the horror movie Resureksyon under Regal Entertainment and Reality Entertainment.

Isabelle with Resureksyon co-star Raikko Mateo