Barbie is black beauty

MANILA, Philippines - Barbie Forteza came in character during the Nita Negrita’s presscon recently. The press barely recognized her when she showed up as a dark-skinned girl, a far cry from the fair-complexioned teener everyone knows her to be. 

According to program manager Regine Alba, they have to exaggerate Barbie’s dark skin (in the story) to emphasize that she’s of African-American descent.

Barbie says it takes them one-and-a-half hours to finish applying the makeup. And she has to take a bath twice to fully remove all traces of it.

“At first, nailang ako kasi all of them stare at me or get amused by my appearance. At the same time it’s a new feeling being different from other individuals.”

Nita Negrita is Barbie’s second title role after Pilyang Kerubin and, so far, the most dramatic and biggest break in her career.

In her first afternoon drama series, Barbie is Antoinette or Nita Negrita who was raised in an orphanage after being separated from her mother at an early age. Having been born to a Filipina mother and an Afro-American father, the kind-hearted Nita is often taunted because of her complexion. The series will see Nita Negrita facing her struggles and overcoming obstacles that surround her.

 “I’m so happy, nervous but excited at nakakapanibago,” says Barbie of how she felt when she got the project. “Ngayon ko masasabi na challenging role ang gagampanan ko, na dati ko pa gustong magawa,” she adds.

Barbie is paired again with Joshua Dionisio, who plays Prince in the series. Lexi Fernandez is her nemesis. 

The 13-year-old tween admits feeling the pressure over the audience’s high expectations of her. Barbie knows fellow Tween star Louise delos Reyes got the the viewers’ nod in her first starrer, Alakdana, which has started airing two weeks ago, also in the afternoon block.

“Kaya kinakabahan ako kung kakagatin ng tao yung istorya, kulay at itsura ko.”

 “I’m happy for Louise. I’m proud of her.” Barbie relates while denying that there’s rivalry between them.

“Like I always said, we stay in the same network kaya kumbaga walang away-away at dapat magtutulungan kami sa isa’t isa.”

Meanwhile, Barbie dispels rumors that she and Joshua are already having attitude problems. “It’s not true,” she says firmly. “I believe that if there’s negative write-up against you and it’s not true, you’re not affected at all, dedma na lang ako.” Like Barbie, Joshua belies accusations against them.

He insists people should not judge them “kasi hindi naman nila kami nakakasama nang matagal.”

Barbie also denied the rumor that her mom and Joshua are behind fellow Tween star Kristoffer Martin’s removal from the cast early on. In the first place, she is not even aware of the issue adding, “Hindi naman po kami ganun kalakas para mangyari yun at hindi din po namin kayang gawin yun.”

With or without intrigues, Barbie says she’s ready to face them from the time she entered show business. “Siguro hangga’t hindi ako nawawala sa showbiz puro intriga nalang. But as long as there are people who support and believe in me, I’ll be okay. And I’m still young to take them (intrigues) seriously.”

Nita Negrita, directed by Gil Tejada, also stars Nova Villa, Lotlot de Leon, Zoren Legaspi, Lollie Mara, Diana Zubiri, Bubbles Paraiso and Rachelle Ann Go. It will premiere today on GMA 7’s Dramarama sa Hapon after Alakdana.