Barbie Forteza cannot pinpoint the exact moment she earned the title "Kapuso Primetime Princess."
"Hindi ko alam kung kailan siya nag-start. Pero I remember kung gaano ako kinilig nung una kong narinig na tinawag ako ng gano'n," Barbie tells the Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP.ph).
In the May 8, 2024 interview, in a Quezon City studio during an endorsement shoot, Barbie also says: "Para, di ba, siyempre i-recognize ka ng mother network mo as their 'Primetime Princess'?
"Sobrang honor yun para sa akin at nagbigay inspirasyon at motivation din yun para galingan ko pa lalo, di ba? Kung dati 100 per cent, ngayon 200 per cent na ang ibibigay natin."
From the Kapuso network's end, one thing is certain: There are hundreds of stars in its firmament. Thus, the title is not a hollow one bestowed upon Barbie on an easy pass or one given to expedite marketing and public relations work.
The title is proof of Barbie's dedication and talent as an actress, cultivated through years of hard work since she was a dreamy 12-year-old.
"GUSTO KONG MAKITA SA TV"
Barbie recalls being drawn to acting in front of the camera even earlier, at nine years of age.
"Hindi pa buo yung concept sa akin ng artista," she says, looking back. "Pero gusto kong makita sa TV, gusto kong mapanood ako sa TV."
The young Barbie looked up to Sharon Cuneta, picking the 1996 box-office hit, Madrasta, as her personal favorite among the Megastar's movies.
"Kasi I remember parang sinabi kakain ako ng burger," she says, where she was given the instruction, "'sarap na sarap ka sa burger.'"
"Tapos, nahiya ako. Hindi ko nagawa nang maayos."
Her family lived in Laguna, so it was not easy on anyone. "Lumuluwas kami ng Maynila. Hindi rin biro yung gastos. Kasi, at the time, hindi naman kami mayaman.
"Tricycle driver yung tatay ko, tapos housewife yung nanay ko. So, medyo pinagkagastusan namin yung VTR na yun, tapos hindi ako nakuha kasi nahiya ako."
She recalls vividly, "My parents sat down with me. Sinabi nila sa akin, 'Hindi biro yung naging gastos natin. Kung lagi kang mahihiya, sayang lang yung pera. Huwag na lang natin ituloy.'"
Their words affected Barbie very much. She acknowledges, "Kasi alam ko na pera namin yung nakataya. Yun yung naging motivation ko na galingan lagi.
"Pero dahil sinusuportahan ako ng family ko, full support sila sa dream ko talaga na gawin, pinaghusayan ko rin naman. Binigay ko rin yung best ko."
Eventually, Barbie became a familiar face in numerous commercials—endorsing products ranging from soft drinks to automobiles to a brand of carbonara sauce, and even starring in an infomercial for the Department of Health.
"Nagsunud-sunod na yung commercials ko... lahat talaga nagkaroon ako," beams Barbie. "I remember umabot sa point na sobrang kinilig ako, na nabasa ko may isang casting, ang nakalagay: 'PEG: Barbie Forteza.'
"So, alam mo yun, ako na yung naging peg."
NEXT STOP: ACTING
Barbie's move from commercial modeling to acting before the camera felt like the natural path for her to take.
But showbiz, as Barbie realized quickly, comes with its own set of challenges, often more demanding than those found in the world of commercials.
Barbie narrates, "So, nag-try ako sa lahat kasi gusto ko talaga, e. Gusto kong umarte, gusto kong maging artista. So, nag-try ako and nakailang auditions din ako. Hindi ako agad nakuha."
Barbie found that her shyness, which she thought she had overcome, resurfaces during auditions for television acting projects.
"Kasi dati nagpa-practice ako umiyak sa harap ng salamin, hindi sa harap ng camera. So, medyo bago sa akin yung concept pagka-camera [ang kaharap]. Tsaka mahihiyain kasi ako nung bata ako," admits Barbie.
She ribs PEP: "Hindi ka naniniwala? Mahiyain talaga ako, I swear! So, ano talaga siya, medyo big shocker siya sa family ko na artista yung gusto kong gawin."
As grueling as the auditions were, Barbie has fond memories of those days when she actually moved about young and carefree.
Musing, she says, "Para kasing na-enjoy ko rin naman yung pagpunta-punta, pagluwas-luwas. Feeling ko nakakapasyal din ako. Tapos, minsan, nasa starstruck ako. Marami akong mga child actors na kilala na kasamang nag-audition.
"Hindi siya naging personal masyado for me, yung rejection. Pero, pag nakukuha naman ako, sobrang ang saya ko talaga. Kasi parang 'yun yung validation na I did a good job."
Speaking of being starstruck, Barbie remembers seeing Luis Manzano and Anne Curtis in person when she auditioned for ABS-CBN.
Read: Luis Manzano cleared of cancer after head-lump detection
"E, nung time na yun, wala pa kaming camera. So, autograph pa yung nakuha ko nung time na yun kay Miss Anne Curtis tsaka kay Sir Luis Manzano."
BARBIE AS KAPUSO STAR
As fate would have it, Barbie's journey did not lead her to ABS-CBN; instead, it led her to rival network GMA-7, where she got the breaks.
Barbie was first seen doing bit roles in the Kapuso network's Darna, top-billed by Marian Rivera; and Lupin, top-billed by Richard Gutierrez, both of which aired in 2007.
Read:
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Richard Gutierrez and Barbie Imperial spotted in South Korea
Her first significant role was portraying the young Jodi Reyes in the 2009 Philippine adaptation of the South Korean drama series Stairway to Heaven starring Rhian Ramos and Dingdong Dantes.
Even in the early stages, there were signs that GMA-7, very likely recognizing her star potential, was already monitoring Barbie closely.
She tells the story of an out-of-town shoot for Stairway to Heaven where Lilybeth Rasonable — then the network's assistant vice president for drama and now senior vice president for the entertainment group — dropped by, traveling from Manila to Bulacan, to watch Barbie film a scene with veteran actor Jestoni Alarcon.
"Later on, na-realize ko, hindi pala normal yun na nagpupunta sa set ang boss. Pero pinanood niya po yung eksena ko," Barbie continues. "Then after nun, Artist Center asked if I want to sign with them."
The GMA Artist Center, now known as Sparkle, is GMA-7's talent management arm.
Soon, the network would find that it had made a sound bet on Barbie. It would see the young star deliver well in role after role, until management entrusted her with even bigger roles.
Some of the significant TV projects Barbie top-billed include Pilyang Kerubin, Reel Love Presents: Tween Hearts, Nita Negrita, The Half Sisters, and Anak ni Waray vs. Anak ni Biday.
The Kapuso management could see in her a real dedication to the craft, and she became a go-to actress for both supporting and lead roles. Meantime, Barbie's versatility as an actress, being a joy to watch, brought in fans in the thousands.
As it happens, Barbie belongs to the league of actors who possess the ability to switch emotions effortlessly and on cue.
"Yun nga kasi, ever since nagpa-practice na akong umiyak sa harap ng salamin," Barbie admits, "and na-happy ako pag nagagawa ko siya, pag nakakaiyak ako, ganyan.
"By the time na umiiyak na ako sa harap ng camera, medyo madali na siya for me kasi siguro na-practice ako sa harap ng salamin nung bata ako, ganyan."
She credits directors Andoy Ranay and Mark de la Cruz, plus her stint in the Sunday variety show Sunday Pinasaya, for helping develop her comedic timing.
"Sa romance, feeling ko malaking tulong kasi na malandi din ako, charot!" laughs Barbie.
"To put it in a better way, madali akong kiligin. Ayan, mabilis akong kiligin.
"At fan ako, big fan ako ng romance. Whether it be novels, films, series, kuwento ng mga kaibigan ko sa mga crush nila nung nag-aaral pa ako. So, madali akong kiligin."
Read: Barbie Forteza enjoys playing sophisticated and mature roles
In February 2023, the iconic starbuilder and Sparkle consultant Johnny Manahan mentioned Barbie as among the Kapuso talents he most admired.
"Barbie is a revelation for me. Dati akala ko ganoon lang siya, sayaw sayaw. Pero noong nagsimula 'yung Maria Clara, what a revelation," Manahan told Alden Richards in an interview for Sparkle GMA Artist Center's YouTube channel.
Manahan was referring to Maria Clara at Ibarra, the hit prime-time series of GMA-7 that aired from October 2022 to February 2023.
"Ang galing na artista. I'm falling in love with her. The way she looks, sakto siya doon sa period, e. Ang galing, parang Maricel Soriano."
BARBIE forteza enters new era
Indeed, the year 2022 witnessed Barbie embark on her most ambitious project to date: the historical fantasy series Maria Clara at Ibarra, a reimagining of the two novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, written by Filipino national hero Jose Rizal.
Barbie portrayed the lead role of María Clara "Klay" Infantes, a spirited and outspoken Gen Z nursing student who finds herself transported to the Philippine Spanish colonial era where Rizal's novels are set.
Read: "Noli yarn?" How GMA-7's hit teleserye Maria Clara at Ibarra came about
Maria Clara at Ibarra turned out to be a phenomenal hit, garnering impressive ratings and receiving acclaim for promoting history while infusing it with a fresh, contemporary touch, making it relatable to modern viewers.
Read: Maria Clara at Ibarra's X factor: great storytelling, stellar cast, big-budget production
In many ways, it's odd to call Maria Clara at Ibarra a breakthrough project for Barbie, since she was offered the project when she was already an established actress.
One can say instead that the series propelled Barbie to new heights, as the character of Klay and the narrative of Maria Clara at Ibarra demanded a more mature approach, clearly diverging from the teen-oriented and typical drama projects Barbie had mastered in the past.
Read: Most-talked about moments in Maria Clara at Ibarra
BARBIE FORTEZA and david licauco loveteam
In a strange twist, Maria Clara at Ibarra also gave birth to Barbie's successful love team with actor David Licauco, who portrayed the character of the sexist and classist Fidel de los Reyes Maglipol.
Their love team—first dubbed as "FiLay" to refer to their characters Fidel and Klay, and later "BarDa" to stand for Barbie and David—lured fans in and became among the hottest screen tandems during and after the run of Maria Clara at Ibarra.
Although no stranger to being in a love team, the emergence of FiLay or BarDa came at an unexpected juncture for both Barbie and David, who saw themselves as beyond the age typically associated with romantic on-screen pairings.
Even Barbie did not anticipate the success of her team-up with David.
She says candidly, "Kasi, to be honest, parang sa takbo ng karera ko bago mag Maria Clara at Ibarra, hindi ko na-imagine na babalik ako sa love team. Kasi nga sabi ko nanggaling na ako dun, so akala ko tapos na."
Barbie was, through the run of her career, paired with Joshua Dionisio, Derrick Monasterio, Ken Chan, and Andre Paras.
Read: Barbie Forteza's love-team partners through the years
She adds, "Pero ngayon, nakabalik ako doon and kinagat pa rin ng mga tao. So, parang it made me very proud of myself pa rin. Kasi, kung baga, kaya ko pa rin palang may love team, hindi ba? And yun, I feel like, overall, it's very good business."
Following Maria Clara at Ibarra, Barbie and David were seen in the limited-run series Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko: Lady and Luke and Maging Sino Ka Man.
They will soon be seen in the movie That Kind of Love and in another historical drama series, Pulang Araw.
Despite Barbie's familiarity with loveteams, the dynamics of being in one are not simple whoever the co-star may be.
Maintaining strong on-screen partnerships, much like maintaining real-life relationships, requires ongoing effort and collaboration between the partners so that their connection comes across to audiences as authentic.
It is no secret that Barbie and David's work relationship before Maria Clara at Ibarra did not begin smoothly.
While they had worked together in earlier projects, such as Heartful Cafe and Mano Po: The Family Fortune, Barbie was initially not very taken with David, minding his habit of arriving late to shoots.
This was a real source of annoyance for the actress, who prided herself on never being late for work commitments.
Barbie explains, "Ito po ay base sa experience ko in general, yung having the need to build a good working relationship with your on-screen partner and having to maintain it.
"Kasi, unfortunately, it's not all the time na you like the person right away.
"E, siyempre halos araw-araw kayong magkasama, hindi ba? So, may extra effort and extra work that you have to put in para talagang kilalanin yung tao, intindihin yung tao.
"I understand that very much now. Kasi mas naintindihan ko yung konsepto ng love team."
What is for Barbie the big challenge in being in a love team?
Barbie answers frankly, "Siguro how to divert the people's attention from my personal life, especially if it doesn't really concern the love team per se. By the way, I am speaking in general."
She speaks here of the reality of dealing with fans who may become intrusive and rude, frantically pushing for love-team partners to date in real life. Fortunately, not all fans are made that way.
Read: David Licauco to BarDa fans: "Iwasan lang ang hate."
"I'd like to think na nag-mature na rin ako," says Barbie. "So, ako naman, I'm always willing to do that extra work. Pero, siyempre, just as long as they don't disrespect me, my time, and my job."
Barbie is in a long-term relationship with Kapuso actor Jak Roberto.
Read: Barbie Forteza, Jak Roberto celebrate 7th anniversary
