Megan’s reign

MANILA, Philippines - For almost a year and a half, it’s almost as if Megan Young, the actress, has vanished off the face of the earth.

The gap in her filmography is several months without a film or a TV show, something that could have easily buried her career if it wasn’t for a new Megan Young that emerged. Instead of a budding starlet, there was Megan Young, Miss World title holder. She has spent her reign visiting over 30 countries doing humanitarian work. In a way, it wasn’t surprising for Young to have ended up in this path, a righteous full circle after a disastrous try at a beauty pageant when she was 11, a fresh transplant from the southeastern state of Virginia, USA (she ran off stage after she only understood the words bakit and ikaw during the question-and-answer portion).

There was no problem envisioning Young as someone who would occupy a throne. Her stance, regal and elegant, even before her Miss World days. Fame, though, wasn’t kind enough. Prior to her Miss World win, it’s almost been a decade after she got an acting break from a reality talent search when she was just 15. Her jump from one network to another hasn’t also helped push her in the right direction. There were little parts here and there — another reality TV show (Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition), a few films (including two Eraserheads-related projects The Reunion and Bang Bang Alley), and a couple of teleseryes — hinting at the makings of a legitimate actress. Her turn as a pageant monarch then seemed like a good opportunity to take on a different route, one that could set her off to a prestigious streak.

Essentially, her win as Miss World placed Young at a rightful distance from show business. Her reign as Miss World made her shed the unnecessary trappings that actresses her age pick up when they’re playing the game showbiz wants them to play. “It showed me a whole different light to things, to life — and for me it’s been a really great experience because I have a deeper thought process towards a lot of different things, and a deeper understanding when it comes to people,” she told Rogue late last year.

Now that she’s relinquished her crown, she’s geared for a laser-focused return to acting. Earlier this year, she signed an exclusive contract with GMA 7, reuniting her with her first love.

You could say Young has come back with a blow of retribution, backed by a force ready to break through as an actress. What better way to stage this career shift than a place in the primetime races, headlining a much-anticipated return of a beloved telenovela heroine (no, not the one you inject for a chemical high). Seven years after Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes’ Marimar, Young returns as the sultry island girl with Tom Rodriguez as the man candy dangling on her arms. Though we’ve entered a cycle of reboots and remakes, Young insists that the new Marimar is a sobered and modernized take on the vengeful Mexican telenovela, and less sexy, too. Young’s character isn’t necessarily a return to form after her absence on TV, it’s a reshaping of a character, linked with a smart perspective apt for someone like Young who has spent the last year representing the modern woman.

“When you watch the series, you will see how big of a difference they have made to the show. The Marimar now is more palaban, she fights for her dreams and what she believes in. She’s not going to step back and let other people shine ahead. She’ll make sure that other people will shine along with her. The only people she’ll step back for are her family kasi they’re number one. That’s the big difference eh, palaban talaga siya.”

Young admits that her acting has rusted a bit, owing to her hiatus. But a slew of acting workshops, and working with a dedicated actor such as Rodriguez has put her back on track. Taking on the role of Marimar, who is a pearl diver this time around, has had Young face some of her deepest fears.

“I’m scaredy cat. I’m scared of a lot of things,” she explains. “I’m scared of the dark, I’m scared of horses, I’m scared of open water, I’m scared of heights. It just so happens that horses and open water are all part of the show. We haven’t shot our underwater scenes yet, but the fact that I have to train in a 12-foot pool was kind of like...freaky (laughs). It was challenging and I guess in the end I learned to enjoy it na rin. Kasi may mga games na pinapagawa sa akin yung teacher ko. Meron siyang tinatapon na little squids and I have to get them one by one by holding my breath. You really have to go through these things. In a way, I’m happy because it made me face my fears.”

Young is more excited than nervous with this tall heap of expectations placed on her plate, a testimony to the hardwired persona that she’s amassed over the years. More than anything else, the grueling work in Marimar has only fuelled her drive to pursue her craft even more. Spending days surrounded by some of the most hardworking people in the business has got her in some form of natural high, relishing the fortuitous moments of learning on set — she’s actually a TV and film production student at the De La Salle College of Saint Benilde — appreciating the nitty-gritty of production, from lighting to makeup.

“I still want to finish school. I probably have a year to go. I want to finish, it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do,” Young shares. “I think I’ll be in the industry for the rest of my life but who knows what part of the industry. There’s so much to do. You can be an actor, director, writer. It’s making me want to make my own short films, hopefully a feature film in the future. Me and my sister Lauren talk about it all the time. We throw ideas at each other and write them down. When we have time, we just [want to] sit down and write a screenplay already. Hopefully after this, there will be more time and we’ll be able to do that. I have a good feeling about it.”

Photo by BJ Pascual

Produced by David Milan

Makeup by Anthea Bueno

for MAC Cosmetics

Hair by Mong Amado

Dress by Martin Bautista