Kylie Padilla wishes to keep her momentum going after Bolera

“The warm welcome (reception) from people is just the reward after, sobrang hindi ko ma-express yung happiness ko (I can’t find the words to express my happiness).”

That was Kylie Padilla reacting to the good showing and performance of her TV comeback project Bolera, during a recent virtual group interview, in the ratings game. The sports series, with Rayver Cruz and Jak Roberto as her leading men, airs its finale episode tonight after Lolong.

“When the project was given to me, I was happy. I felt really excited and grateful,” added she, whose showbiz career took a backseat and who had qualms of working on TV again because of the out-of-mind-out-of-sight reality.

“Papanoorin pa ba yung mga shows na gagawin ko (Would the audience still watch my shows?),” said she. “I’m really thankful to GMA and everybody, the cast and crew, our director, our producers. They really took care of me. They made sure na maganda yung comeback show ko. I’m really, really happy.”

Aside from the romance, the tale about a woman making a name for herself in a male-dominated field has captivated the viewers.

As Bolera is about to take its curtain call, its viewers will miss the lovable and resilient personality of Kylie’s Joni and the romantic and gentle sides of Rayver and Jak’s Miguel and Toypits, respectively.

“Both are different, personality-wise, magkaiba yung atake nila (and how they handle things is different) as a human being,” said Rayver. “At the end of the day, their love for Joni is 110 percent. They both love her. As to whom she ends up with, Joni is blessed to have these two guys in her life.” She is fortunate to have been given such special attention from her competitor-turned-admirer Miguel and childhood best friend Toypits.

What Toypits feels for Joni, and vice-versa, is an example of “mahal ko o mahal ako” (you know, choosing between the one I love or the one who loves me), as Jak put it.

“(My character) Toypits really loves Joni, while Joni loves Miguel,” said Jak, who, given the show’s ratings, thought that they, the lead stars, served their purpose to get the viewers engaged with the characters. Fans have even formed teams that rally behind Miguel and Toypits.

Although the actors are privy to the ending and the man who wins the heart of Joni, Kylie could only share that Toypits has been taking care of Joni from the start, and the actress added that she understands why Joni looks at him as best friend. With that, her character can possibly fall in love with Miguel.

Regardless of which guy the fans want for Joni, they surely agree that Kylie registers well with both Jak and Rayver on screen. Her chemistry with the latter is something known already through the film Dilim.

“Rayver and I have worked together for a movie before,” said she. “I know that we have chemistry. Nakakatuwa naman na hanggang ngayon meron pa rin, na lumabas kana Joni and Miguel.”

The two stars attributed their chemistry on Bolera to how director Dominic Zapata took care of Joni and Miguel scenes and the camera shots. “Nakaka-kilig para akong nanonood nang K-drama (I was feeling the romantic thrill and I felt like I was watching a Korean drama),” said Rayver.

Aside from the romance, the tale about a woman making a name for herself in a male-dominated field has also captivated the viewers.

“I’m really happy for the women who are playing it (the game) because they are given the chance to show their talent in billiards, to show that they can master it,” said Kylie.

“Masaya kasi nabigyan sila nang spotlight and they deserve it.”

After having a good run as Joni, Kylie will say goodbye to the character and miss every person she has worked with on the set — for now. Who knows? A book two might be in the pipeline.

“We have become family, naging close kaming lahat,” said she, who added that being comfortable with everybody helped Kylie a lot in her work. “I think talagang nakatulong siya for everyone, hindi lang naman sa akin, ‘coz yung bond talaga namin behind the scenes was real, walang halong showbiz,” added she. “Dahil naka-lock-in lahat, naging pamilya talaga (ang) lahat. I’m just grateful to be with them.”

What’s next for Kylie after Bolera? The actress wishes to keep herself busy with work.

“Pinag-uusapan pa (We’re talking about my next project),” said Kylie. “Ayokong mabakante, gusto kong mag-trabaho nang mag-trabaho, hintay lang, patience lang (I don’t want to have idle time. I just want to work and work. I’ll patiently wait). For sure, may darating yan.”

What fans can soon look forward to is her movie, Unravel, shot in Switzerland, with Gerald Anderson. Their character names are Lucy and Noah.

With her relationship status now, Kylie was also asked if the actress would be careful in courting controversy with her next screen partners. Recently, some have speculated that there’s something special between her and Gerald. Her answer was. “Oo… aalagaan natin (Yes, I have to be careful), but I don’t have control (over it), I mean ngayon nga may mga lumalabas, wala talaga akong control… na sobrang layo sa katotohanan.”

She went on saying, “Nag-uusap lang kami ng handler ko about it. You know we talk about it, kung kailangan naming magsalita o hindi. But out of this world na kasi yung iba, parang hindi ko na kailangan magsalita.”

For now, the Kapuso actress wants to focus on her career and keep the momentum going.