Kylie goes ‘bigger, better and bolder’ in latest starrer

That was how beauty queen-turned-actress Kylie Verzosa’s latest film role in the director Mac Alejandre’s romance-drama, My Husband, My Lover, was described by her co-star, Marco Gumabao.

This year, Kylie was given solo projects by Viva Films, like director Roman Perez’s The Housemaid, which clearly upped the ante in her sexiness. While she admitted that being sexy is not a requirement when she accepts a role, My Husband, My Lover is really a challenging project for her.

“Kailangan may justification ang character,” Kylie explains. “Hindi naman nude ang scene. It really depends on the story, director and cast, which are your basis for accepting the project. My Husband, My Lover is one of the physically demanding roles that I did. It was really a challenge for me. I had to think twice kung tatanggapin ko pa ang role because of the requirements, dahil talagang sexy siya. But I was able to display my acting.”

Kylie had jitters before she started filming and even after she first saw the trailer. The reason she accepted the role, her director gave her the assurance that scenes would be executed tastefully.

“Direk Mac said, ‘Hindi ako tatanggap ng sexy lang for the sake of being sexy, too. I think of sex as sacred at hindi ko kayo babastusin dito,’” she recalls. “For me, sex is also a sacred thing. It’s about love. That was when I fully trusted my director.”

Kylie and Cyndi Miranda were especially handpicked by Viva’s Boss Vic del Rosario for My Husband, My Lover, that will start streaming on Vivamax on Nov. 26.

It helped Kylie when her co-star, Marco, politely talked to her boyfriend Jake Cuenca and got the latter’s blessing, before engaging into love scenes with Kylie. The two actors became friends after they worked together in ABS-CBN’s afternoon drama series, Los Bastardos, shown in 2018.

Kylie said it meant a lot to her when Marco even called up Jake before doing the love scenes with her. “Sobrang na-appreciate ko ‘yun with Marco,” Kylie shares. “Even Jake said tama ang ginawa ni Marco and Jake was grateful. He was the one who told me that Marco called him up. I always appreciate it that Jake supports my decisions in my career.”

Working with Marco anew is a breeze for Kylie. My Husband, My Lover is their sixth project together. They essayed a variety of roles in the past, from siblings to sweethearts, ex-lovers and now, married couple.

“Nag-upgrade na kami ni Marco, mag-asawa na kami in this movie,” Kylie offers. “In Los Bastardos, mga bata pa kami noon. Marco and I are very comfortable with each other now. The chemistry was already there when we started doing our love scenes for this movie.

“With Adrian, he was initially very quiet,” she shares. “The first few days, when we filmed the love scenes, we were not talking to each other after our scenes. Magkalayo agad kami. But it was work. As the days went by, nag-open up na siya and we started talking. He’s very nice and sweet. Ang dami niyang wisdom whenever I talked to him. Very calm, very wise.”

What Kylie loves about being an actor is she can constantly hone her craft. “Yes, I started being a beauty queen, but I can show a different side of me by being an actor,” she reasons out. “I fell in love with acting. I fell in love with the craft.”

“I fell in love with expressing myself, which I didn’t get to do before,” she adds. “I fell in love with the whole process of acting. Ang sarap niyang gawin. It’s such a good feeling to be in someone else’s shoes, experience someone else’s experiences without technically experiencing them yourself. I really enjoy acting.”

Admittedly, Kylie is her “worst” self-critic whenever she watches her films again. “Sobra akong hard sa sarili ko. When I watch the film again, ang dami kong comments sa sarili ko. I would tell myself, ‘I could have done that scene better,’” she says.

“I’m never fully a hundred percent satisfied with my acting. Feeling ko, I can always do more. As an actor, ang dami ko pang gustong matutunan at kaya kong matutunan in terms of acting. I am just always grateful to Viva and Boss Vic for always giving me an opportunity to act.”

Kylie also wrapped up her Brillante Mendoza film, Sisid, where she is joined by Paolo Gumabao, Vince Rillon and Mayton Eugenio. The film will be released next year.