Barbie Forteza: Pinoy, Chinoy, Indian or Brit?

CEBU, Philippines - In the GMA-7 primetime series “Meant To Be,” Barbie Forteza’s Billy is wooed by not one, not two, but four heartthrobs! This is one problem we’d be happy to have.

The four guys have their own endearing qualities and also have different nationalities. Jak Roberto’s Macoy is pure Filipino, Ken Chan’s Yuan Lee is Chinese-Filipino, Ivan Dorschner’s Ethan is British, while Addy Raj’s Jai is Indian.

In real life,  who does Barbie see herself more likely to get along romantically with? A Pinoy or a foreigner?

“Basta gusto ko yung nagkakaintindihan kami kasi mahirap eh . Baka kung nag-away kami, nag-iisip pa lang ako ng isasagot,  eh nakaalis na siya,” the bubbly actress chuckles.

Seriously now, Barbie says, “Mahalaga sa akin, gusto ko kahit papano, merong pusong Pinoy. Yung may pagsusuyo sa magulang, yung punctual...”

GMA-7’s anointed Drama Sweetheart has been enjoying favorable feedback of her light-hearted series and of her performance. But in an interview with the Cebu press, the petite “Sunday PinaSaya” cast member said she’d rather do away with titles. Despite her recent Best Actress wins, she also hopes people would dial down their expectations – lest they forget she’s still a young girl at 19.

“Kahit maraming nangyayari sa buhay ko, bata pa rin naman ako,” Barbie reminds. “Kalma lang naman tayo sa expectations.”

Snatching awards, she says, isn’t the main motivating factor for her to do a great job.

“Lagi kong binibigay ang best ko. Para sa akin, walang big or small project. Kasi malay natin…example, doon sa ‘Mariquina,’ young role lang ako doon,” says Barbie of the 2014 Cinemalaya entry where she played the teen version of Mylene Dizon’s character.  “I just gave my best, at ang ending, nanalo pa ako ng Best Supporting Actress.”

For her brief yet memorable appearance in “Mariquina,” Barbie also nabbed another Best Supporting Actress trophy the following year from the Gawad  Urian Awards.

“Pero hindi ko ginagalingan para manalo ako ng award.  Gusto ko lang na ginagalingan ko para masabi ko sa sarili ko na ginagawa ko ng tama yung trabaho ko, na tama na nandito ako,” adds Barbie. Her other acting citations include a 2010 PMPC New Movie Actress of the Year award, a 2016 Fantasporto International Film Festival Best Actress award and an Ani ng Dangal Award given this year.

When not executing her scenes for “Meant To Be,” Barbie is likely poring over textbooks on set, as she’s also in her freshman year as a Forensic Psychology (the intersection between Psychology and the justice system) student.

“Mahilig ako sa forensic. Eh walang Forensic Science dito sa Pilipinas. The closest course would be Criminology, kaya lang meron siyang physical training. Eh lampa po ako,” explains Barbie, whose favorite TV shows are “How to Get Away with Murder,” “CSI,” and “Criminal Minds.”–(FREEMAN)