Breaking Up the Girl: Kristine Hermosa

"Lovely to look at, nice to hold, but if you drop it, consider it sold."

You thought that those words couldn’t be any truer when they’re found as blaring warnings in figurine stores. Then again, when you finally get the chance to meet Kristine Hermosa, that worn-out cliché takes on another life. For far beyond her finest beauty of exceptional china, her smile of expensive porcelain, or just the innocent fragility of her laugh that puts the clearest crystal to shame, is a girl that is as rare as she is sincere—a novelty in any lady, much more than a soap-sudsy celebrity. Dare we break this lady fair?

Without further ado, we decided to take on the smash. Question is, are you ready to pay the price?

"I’m a very undecided person. I’m sometimes emotional but I’m more of a fighter than a martyr. Compared to Ina, I have a stronger personality."

It is perhaps an everyday scene, seeing Kristine Hermosa with swollen lids and bucketfuls of tears. But when I finally met her, I found perhaps the loveliest face in the country…all smiles. And was it a sight to behold: her delicately flawless skin creasing up, gathering around her tamed-puppy eyes. More than that, it became the first signal that I would be meeting a warm-blooded human being and not some big-headed celebrity who has perhaps cried too much that she completely lost her vision of humanity. No, she wasn’t showbiz at all, no need to avoid her like the plague. Rather, you get drawn even more.

"I’m not really fond of interviews, so go easy on me, okay," was the hello I received from her. Good enough, I guess, as I saw her slouch on the make-up lounge and have a round of touch-up (like she even needed one). It was a good start, so I didn’t intend to waste it with showbiz as a question mark. And luckily, I learned more about Kristine Hermosa in an hour instead of having to watch almost two years worth of Ina Moratas, Tita Amors, Madam Claudias, and other names alienating to the Filipino ear.

So, who is Kristine Hermosa? Or, was.

Kristine grew up with her sisters sharing the doting attention of her parents. Yes, she was cursed with the middle child syndrome, which could be held responsible for her sudden rise to public attention. And we all know that the meaty middle makes the sandwich.

And it’s not really hard to see why Kristine rose to fame faster than one could imagine. She has the tamed beauty of innocence, the virginal smile, the clean-cut wholesome image. She has the Midas touch, from sardines to toothpaste, cologne to business school ads, not to mention her power-rating soaps and movies. That face isn’t really too far from her real self.

"I’d like to say I’m sweet, bubbly, kalog, sincere and friendly," she went on describing herself, sounding off like the newest recipe for a good cocktail: intoxicating, but having its certain share of hangover as well. "Although sometimes, I tend to be moody. I am extremist, I’d be happy one time and be completely irritated the next. I’m a bit transparent which sometimes becomes a negative thing. In this business, it is discouraged to be transparent. You have to put up a good face all the time. But I don’t know, I never really learned to do that."

"When it’s work, it’s work…but I never go overboard."

And to think, everything she had to learn, she picked up in Showbiz 101. After her all-too public debut last year, she offered herself to society. In true debutante fashion, it was her coming out year, her first taste of independence, living alone in a condo unit near her second home, ABS-CBN. Also during that year, her first ever starring movie, "Forever" raked in box-office bucks, yet another boost for the Echo-Tin-Tin love team.

And now, barely 19, her first soap, the primetime slot that made her a household fixture, was wrapped after almost 2 years in the #1 rating slot. "I think that I’m going to rest for a while, probably for a year, and start another soap next year. I really need the rest, because my health is really suffering. You see, I developed weak lungs and I’d get fatigue from stress often." She decided to drop the curtain like that, with a vacation she so desperately needs. Mind you, it’ll be her first holiday in 5 years.

A resident pink-lover in all Clueless-tradition, a shiny black mane, standing tall at 5’5", and a toothy smile was the first image of Kristine Hermosa caught on the boob tube. She’d throw out giggles and other bloopers whenever she hears the eternal lines, "Esmyuski, Kristine…" and of course, the corny joke that followed. She was launched just like every sudsy superstar, in the catapult called Ang TV! And soon after, at age 13, she found herself a slot in the Star Circle Batch 4, alongside the man who’ll share historical pages with her.

And ever since then, as we all know too well, she had never left transmission, and it seems like she’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

"I understand, they’re all part of my job as public property, so I just take those detractors as challenges for me to become a better actress, or even a better person."

We are reminded time and time again that being a celebrity has its ups and downs. All the while, it only took one person to get it all ironed out.

Kristine isn’t slow to admit that she has seen her share of perks in the business. She wasn’t too adamant to disclose that her paycheck had seen the best digits, nor does she deny her privileges. And just as we were getting along pretty well in the subject of perks, our interview was interrupted by a phone call. "Yes, this is Kristine Hermosa. What? Really?" And the phone call ended with a loud shriek. Apparently, she was asked by a makeup company for sponsorship, and for a girl who’s a self-professed kikay machine, it was more like giving candy to a baby.

But at the opposing end, the low tide, let’s just say she has been a battered and bruised punching bag, particularly because of gossip. From parental issues to pre-marital sex, you name it, the tabloids have published it with her name blazing in big bold scarlet letters. "But the worst was the one when they wrote that I was living in with a married man—a top ABS-CBN honcho—to get all the good projects. I just don’t think that is fair. I mean, I have been working so hard just to make a name for myself and they’re accusing me of using someone else just to be famous?" Definitely a low blow, thank goodness she’s the type who handles it well. "I just ignored it, besides, how could I deny something that was too far from being a possibility. After a while, they grew tired of it, maybe because they didn’t get anything from me." And with that, justice was served.

Sadly, gossip isn’t the only thing that bothers her. Misconceptions about her happen every time, and it’s no laughing matter. "When people see me and I fail to put on a smile, they go on thinking that I’m mataray or the limelight got to my head. But like I said, I’m very transparent, I can’t be expected to put on a happy face all the time. And more than that, I really can’t pull a fake smile." True, Kristine is also a girl, and she does get her time of the month or her hormone blows that take more than Midol to cure. And she also does get her share of late night shooting hours, and one would know well that a catnap isn’t as comfy as forty winks.

Are the fans really asking too much by making her seem like the mannequin they see on TV 365 days a year? "In fairness to my fans, I really love them dearly. They’re the ones who helped me get to where I am now, and more than anything, they are the ones who stand by me through good times and bad. But they have to understand that as I respect them, they have to learn to respect me to. That’s why I really appreciate some of my fans who approach me with concern or compassion, and not just for the sake of meeting me. They’d ask me if I’m feeling okay, how I am."

Another thing Kristine misses is a little privacy. Honestly, it’s never really easy to shop in a mall with an entourage of fans asking for your autograph, or to sit in a restaurant with all eyes on you as you down your buffet. But Kristine’s scenarios are a little overboard. "Sometimes, there will be press waiting outside my house and see who comes in and goes out during the most ungodly hours. I understand that artistas are public property and you lose your privacy once you become one. But there are times when you just miss it, or look for it. I think to a certain degree, artistas should be respected too." Not really a tall order; perhaps just a little space. The lack of it is what killed Princess Di and rooted many lawsuits, when all along it’s just as easy as drawing the line from reel to real.

And what exactly is "Real Life" for this star? "Real life" is when Kristine is sleeping, eating, and talking without a script. As for "Reel life", this is when Kristine is melting under the klieg lights and strutting in front of the camera. Yet, come to think of it, Kristine is reeled in 24/7!

So goes another celebrity pet peeve, lack of time.

"I have missed a lot of things in my life that I usually end up regretting due to lack of time. But now, I’ve learned to spare some time for myself. I believe that it’s a must for an actress to have her time away from work so that she won’t suffer from burn-out." And as it goes, she has three-day out-of-town vacations whenever she gets the time, Saturdays are reserved for her salon, spa and shopping sessions, while Sundays are strictly for family and Church. As a devout Christian, Kristine never fails to fit religion into her everyday life. "I believe that God blessed me with this line of work for a bigger mission than entertaining. That’s why I would never do anything to compromise that mission."

Time surely isn’t on her side, nor is her privacy, but she does get the luxury of keeping many addictions…

"I don’t know, I just have a lot of obsessions! Sometimes I feel like I’m going overboard!"

You read it right. I did say addictions. And yes, they’re oftentimes expensive, but don’t call the rehab hotline just yet. Kristine Hermosa gets high with the scent of brand new leather bags, the sight and sound of the newest cellphones, the taste of street food, and the feel of fur. Call her a bag lady, a technophile, a glutton or the local Cruella De Ville and she wouldn’t do anything more than bat an eyelash.

For the record, she has over 200 bags…not really a small fete. "It really takes up so much space in my room! Sometimes, there are some in my bed and I end up sleeping beside them. When they get to be a little too much, I just give them away." I wouldn’t take it against her, since she’s practically seen all of 365 days on TV, she needs a different bag to complement her look every time. In that regard, she’s not very excessive, she’s actually 165 bags short. Let’s just say that she’s the counterpart of Imelda Marcos, should she wish to trade her Manolos for Fendis.

And what does one find in her bag? Her cellular phone! "I really love cellular phones that I end up buying one whenever a new model comes out," she confesses. People collect stamps, others keep old coins, but isn’t it a little too expensive? "I end up giving them to my mom, anyway." But of course, the ultimate defense!

Chances are, you’ve heard about her Hepatitis scare some months ago, and she found herself having a hard time denying. No, she didn’t have Hepa, but she’s a sucker for its ultimate carrier, street food. "I really love isaw! I don’t know why, but I end up eating a lot when I get the chance. But now that the rumors are going on, I think that I’d rather not. It might just come true." So she ends up shifting to her ultimate pet peeve… seafood. "That’s one thing about me, I eat a lot. I eat everything, except for raw food and Japanese dishes." Can’t believe she’s missing all that sushi.

She could also be held in her municipal office for putting up a mini-zoo in her house without the Mayor’s permit! She’s growing a long list of feathery, furry, and scaly friends in her house. "I have two rabbits, two lovebirds that Echo gave me, fishes, two turtles, a poodle named Feather and a Labrador named Sam." Put them together and what do you get? A house that had seen more animals than the Manila Zoo.

When Kristine’s not busy getting the bags out of the way, or munching on isaw, or texting and calling on her new 8310, or having a feeding frenzy with Feather and Sam, she finds herself pulling off a different talent. "When I get the time, I plan to finish high school and take up Interior Design or Fine Arts in college." But now that her black book is brimmed, her artistic passions take on a faster form. She shares the shutter with another photo enthusiast Jericho, making muses out of each other, as if they haven’t had enough cheese yet. "Oh, and I also love to paint, but because I have no time, I just apply it to my face. I love makeup! That’s why I’m planning to put up my own salon in Cebu."

Should you get the chance, you might want to drop by, but do watch out as she might just be the one to do your face, and if you can get any luckier, you might end up looking just like her. Oh, but that’s impossible, right?

"Echo is a "very special person" in my life. Let’s just put it that way." Let’s face it, Pangako Sa ‘Yo became the mother of all love clichés since it dazzled viewers quite some time ago. The love-conquers-all-rich-versus-poor set-up has been tried and tested time and time again. And amidst countless twists and turns that stretched for over a year, we all knew there would be a happy ending. Then again, it wasn’t really hard to see why people turn into zombies as soon as the clock struck 7:30pm. Nor was it hard to understand why there was a mysterious shortage of Kleenex, and how talks about Madam Claudia and Edel-what’s-her-name would permeate at the height of lunch hour. It became a lifestyle, and they became the icons.

Come to think of it, it’s actually an easy mathematical equation. Poor girl plus rich boy divided by interesting (but obviously fictional) villains equals a permanent number one on primetime. But it comes clear, more than anything, more than the plot or the fashion forecasts of Amor Powers, that it is the Tin-tin-Echo tandem that puts the icing on the cake.

And why not? They make a snug pair in the world of happy endings. Coffee and Cream. Hunk and Babe. Damsel in Distress and Knight in Shining Armor. Romeo and Juliet. The clichés just don’t stop.

"I don’t want to have a boyfriend yet, but if ever I decide to have one, it’ll definitely be Echo," Kristine confesses. So Jericho could just as well stamp a "Reserved" sign on his forehead. "He’s really sweet, he’s so malambing. Sometimes, he’s KSP, nagpapapansin pag di mo pinapansin. Or sometimes he’ll go dramatic on you. But it’s just how he makes lambing. And we see eye to eye on a lot of things. That’s why we quickly became comfortable with each other. I don’t know, I just think he’s the perfect guy for me."

And what do you know? He might just feel the same way.