Why Herlene Budol deserves to be leading lady

Social media influencer, beauty queen, comedienne and host Herlene Budol shows her talent and tenacity in handling dramatic scenes in her first lead  upcoming GMA Afternoon Prime series, Magandang Dilag.

Premiering on June 26, it is in fact her launching pad in this acting genre and her first leading role in a series. Herlene did deliver the goods based on her fellow creatives’ thoughts shared during the show’s recent press conference.

“Nabigla din ho ako… kung hindi dahil sa kanila, hindi ko po magagawa ang lahat ng yun (I was even surprised. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to do what I had to do.),” said Herlene, a contestant in the 2023 Miss Grand Philippines and the 2022 Bb. Pilipinas first runner-up, about doing an afternoon drama and playing her character Gigi in the same group interview.

Gigi is described as someone plain-looking with the most optimistic attitude in life. “Tinulungan nila po akong lahat. They guided me and I thank you all,” she said, referring to the director as well as to the actors, who supported her in this endeavor.

Apart from essaying the role, Herlene had to hurdle the challenge of memorizing Gigi’s dialogues and the real trouper in her got by.

“Nakwento ko nga dati na parang hirap po ako sa script talaga (Like what I have said before, I have difficulty memorizing lines from the script),” said she. “Nung college nga ako hindi ako pumapasok ‘pag may recitation (I remember back in college I would skip attending any scheduled recitation). Now, since it’s my obligation, I try my best to fulfill it.”

Herlene has also devised a way in doing so. That is to write her lines as well as those of other actors’ one by one in a yellow pad. She could attest to its effectivity in recalling dialogues.

“Ayun po yung adjustment ko (That was an adjustment on my part), yung isusulat, di matutulog, tapos kakabisaduhin, napapanaginipan ko na nga po, eh (I would write them down, devote extra time for it and memorize. Sometimes, I dream about them.)”

That spoke of her commitment and dedication to the work presented to her by headlining Magandang Dilag.

According to the executives, the show was conceptualized for Herlene and no other actresses were ever considered for it. The bases for such were her performances in Magpakailanman episodes and False Positive, which did well in the ratings game. From these outings, they saw her potential in acting.

The people behind the show added that Herlene’s charm lies on her relatability. For an instance, everyone can relate to her aspiration to succeed for her loved ones, if one may say.

As for Herlene’s foray into drama, director Don Michael Perez said, “For a relative newcomer for drama, I’m very impressed with her acting skills.”

With that, she was ready for the role — and for the challenge in making a transition from doing light and fun scenes to tearjerker ones.

Herlene also earned the respect of her fellow cast members like leading men Benjamin Alves and Rob Gomez, who saw her knack for acting and work ethics. They found her easy to work with and fun to be around.

Seasoned actresses Chanda Romero and Sandy Andolong had only good words to say for Herlene, like she knows that acting is a craft, respects her colleagues, shows she’s eager to learn and comes on time and prepared.

All this is a pat on the back of Herlene, who has started her footing in acting and will further discover and develop it.

The conversations also revealed that what Herlene has to work on is how to let strong emotions of her character go easily once the director says, “Cut!” and proceeds to film the next sequences.

Also joining Herlene in the series are Al Tantay, Adrian Alandy, Bianca Manalo, Maxine Medina, Angela Alarcon, Muriel Lomadilla, Prince Clemente and Jade Tecson.

At this point in her professional and personal life, Herlene has a lot on her plate. Thus, she was also asked how she strikes a balance and manages to juggle all these commitments.

“Tulong po ng mga taong na nakapaligid sa akin kagaya po nung manager ko na si sir Wilbert Tolentino (It boils down to the help and support provided by the people, like my manager Wilbert Tolentino, who are behind me), at yung team ko po,” said she.

“Hindi ko po talaga kayang mag-isa, kung hindi po dahil sa kanila, wala po siguro ako sa kung nasaan po ako ngayon (I can’t do all this alone. Without these people, I wouldn’t be able to reach where I am now). Kaya salamat sa mga taong nasa likod ko, ho. Thank you and I love you.”

Herlene is a picture of happiness and someone, whose heart is full of gratefulness.

(Watch Magandang Dilag weekdays at 3:20 p.m. on GMA Afternoon Prime and Pinoy Hits.)