Andrea Brillantes: From child star to confident, empowered woman
Andrea Brillantes: People have watched me grow up and now they’re seeing me as a woman. I’m more sure of myself, more intentional with the things I do and more confident to take control of my career. It’s no longer about proving anything.
MANILA, Philippines — From “Goin’ Bulilit” to “Kadenang Ginto,” viewers have seen how Andrea Brillantes evolved from being a child actress into the empowered woman that she is today.
As she entered her “Iconic Era,” she felt more confident and ready to take on mature roles, coinciding with her unveiling as Tanduay’s 2026 Cover Girl.
The actress, who recently signed up with the Kapatid network, was “shocked” and initially in disbelief when she learned she had been tapped as the liquor brand’s newest muse.
“I was like, ‘Me? Talaga ba? Oh my gosh. Wait, am I ready? Are my mom and grandmother ready? Are my fans ready?’ Because I grew up on screen and they saw me na very bagets pa. So it got me thinking, ‘Are they ready?’” she mused during the media event held at The Elements at Eton Centris.
“But then I got super excited because I knew that this was something that I could do and that I also wanted to do. I knew that I was ready and I’m really happy to be here. This is such an honor and, of course, this is such a huge milestone for me.”
It “definitely feels empowering” for Andrea to be celebrating her womanhood at 22.
“But sometimes it kinda feels weird,” she admitted. “Because they saw me na bagets ako and then they see na I’m like this now. But in a way, it feels empowering for me because I like to surprise people, I like to keep them guessing what my next step would be.
“So yeah it feels amazing, it feels good that they watched me grow up and they’re seeing me as a woman. I’m more sure of myself, more intentional with the things I do and more confident to take control of my career. It’s no longer about proving anything. It’s about enjoying where I am and celebrating how far I’ve come.”
For Andrea, being a Tanduay Calendar Girl is about “being real and confident.”
“You have to embrace who you are, including your flaws, strengths, everything. Whether I’m soft, strong, playful or fierce. That’s all me and I’m proud of that,” she explained.
The Kapatid actress also underscored the importance of speaking up for her generation.
“For me, it’s more of my generation that inspires and voices out, to speak out for our future,” she stressed, noting that politics is a very crucial topic everyone should engage with.
“But let’s be honest, it can cause a lot of arguments, a lot of bashing but with what’s happening in our country now, it’s really hard for me to just stay silent. So I think that inspires my fire to speak up about our future, our country.”
Moreover, being a public figure like herself also means knowing where to draw the line between work and personal life, according to Andrea.
“I’ve said this before. First of all, I’m an artist, judge my work, not my personal life. In my opinion, I think as a public figure kasi of course kasama yun yung pag-sacrifice ng privacy, but then again I think you can judge it when I post it and share about it when I put it out there for you guys to see to talk about.
“But when you see an artist being lowkey about something then I think we should respect that. We should respect that boundary.”
She hoped that more people would recognize that public figures are human too. “But we are not obligated to share everything and explain everything,” she stressed.
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