Alyssa Muhlach postpones pageant bid for KathNiel

CEBU, Philippines —  Alyssa Muhlach, crowned Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas in 2018, is placing pageantry in the backseat for now as she grabs the opportunity of a lifetime to act alongside her showbiz idols.

While the 26-year-old was earmarked to join another Philippine pageant, a call from ABS-CBN thwarted her plans.

The daughter of actress Almira Muhlach and former PBA player Bong Alvarez said she had long dreamt of working with the popular tandem of Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, and was thus

overjoyed to  be offered the role of Jill in KathNiel’s comeback series “2 Good 2 Be True”.

During the series’ grand press in May, Alyssa had quipped, “Next time na ang korona, KathNiel muna!”

In a recent virtual call with regional press, Alyssa shared how she feels blessed to have worked with young and veteran actors alike, who she described as quite generous in imparting lessons to the entire cast.

“That is one of the things that I am so grateful for because sometimes there’s wisdom that you can only gain through experience which they willingly and generously share with us,” said Alyssa.

“Sobrang nagpapasalamat kami doon. Lahat kami sa cast, we all learn from each other.”

Alyssa found it interesting that even the elder actors, especially veteran Romnick Sarmenta, would sometimes ask the younger about their scenes.

“Nakakatawa lang kasi iisipin mo for sure wala na silang (veteran actors) male-learn pero natutuwa din sila because there are also new knowledge or wisdom na nashe-share namin sa isa’t-isa,” she added.

She’s been having a blast with the cast on set, to the point that they have to make an effort to stay away from each other so they can fully internalize a scene.

“Kapag nag-a-actor’s cue, kailangan talaga umalis ako sa standby area kasi sobrang close namin, ang hirap mag-focus sa mga malulungkot na eksena o yung mga galit na eksena kapag masyadong masaya.”

Casted as Emilia in the 2019 horror film “Clarita,” Alyssa said that she’d love to star in a romantic-comedy film next.

“Dream ko talaga na I’ll be able to be part of a movie na rom-com. Since ito [2 Good 2 Be True) teleserye kasi na rom-com. Siguro movie na rom-com na naman since aside from favorite ko siyang panoorin, dream ko rin siya na maging part of na project,” she said.

When asked about her next steps pageant-wise, Alyssa shared that she is still mulling it over. She said, “Pinag-iisipan ko po kasi if ever, next year will be my last viable year.”

She also expressed misgivings about putting a pause on her acting career while she pursues another crown. “Sa showbiz, importanteng maalala palagi,” she mused. “Kapag nawala ka lang for a few months or like one year, parang times five siya minsan. Also the study of acting, it’s a process kaya kailangan pinapraktis mo siya palagi.”

In the meantime, Alyssa is keen to give her all in “2 Good 2 To Be True.”

“Kasi hindi natin alam, malay niyo baka ma extend pa. Alam mo naman kung gaano katagal dadaloy ang kwento so this is really my priority now. Yun talaga ang laman ng utak ko,” said Alyssa.