Katya Santos: Another bold step for stardom

Add one more name to the endless procession of nubile young things who elect to go bold in their bid for celluloid stardom and instant recognition.

The name is Katya Santos and thank you very much, but the accent is on the first syllable–stop pronouncing her name like it’s some fabric. It is her real family pet name and it stems from an uncle who once worked in Russia. In one of the TV shows (a soap opera, where she played the contrabida) which marked her early career in show business, she was in a cast where there were no less than three Katrinas (her given name) and so, just to distinguish her from the others, they used her nickname, Katya.

It is an early afternoon at the Dish, Power Plant, Rockwell, and thanks to the unofficial P6 million opening day grosses of her launching movie Sukdulan, and the publicity machine that characterizes our movie industry, she is eliciting stares and knowing glances from a host of people, especially the men-folk.

"I guess it means that in some way, I am capturing the imagination of the public, which never seems to get tired of finding some new sexy star to ogle at," she laughs at the observation. "Before, when I was working in the soap, there’d be people who’d come up to me, but the comments were more along the lines of expressing how mataray I was or why couldn’t I be nicer to their heroine. Now, all of a sudden, the majority who come up to me are men. They seek autographs or request that I pose for a photo with them."

A contract star of Viva Films, Katya knows only too well just how many are being given the chance to ride on the "bold" wagon. After her launching film, the next project to see the light of day will come very soon after. On the 11th of February, a VCD called "Viva’s Hot Babes" will be launched.

"We have a party to celebrate the VCD, in conjunction with FHM, the following night. It’s eight Viva girls, all given a chance to strut our stuff in one special VCD. The ones who are more established, Maui (Taylor), Andrea (del Rosario) and myself, have special sections. The other five (Hazel Cabrera, Gwen Garci, Myles Hernandez, Kristine Jaca and Jennifer Rosendahl) will also be launched in time, and for now they’re getting supporting roles in the Viva films being produced." It does drive home the point that the public will be inundated with a bevy of starlets, all more than willing to see how far disrobing will take them.

For those who still haven’t seen the film that was duly condemned by the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines, thereby giving the film the imprimatur needed to gain notoriety and box office success (a "Bad Housekeeping Seal of Approval", so to speak), Katya had this to say, "It’s directed by Mac Alejandre and while better known as a director of youth-oriented films, he really went all-out to make this film quite different from your formula sexy films. People ask me about how experienced I really am to be portraying this kind of role. Well, obviously, that is a private question. What I can say is that Mac really had a lot of input, showing me how to react, how to place my body in certain positions, what facial expressions to use, and so on. I’m really grateful to him for being so patient and instructive." And it is a departure for director Alejandre, who was known more for those Viva films that featured love teams and teen-age angst.

A member of the now defunct Ang TV show which showcased young and aspiring talents in musical skits, Katya has seen her career shift to high gear with this move to sexier roles.

"The funny thing is I was offered to do this kind of role back when I was 16, four years ago. Then, my parents would hear nothing about it. I also felt I wasn’t ready and it was something that would regularly be mentioned but not taken seriously. I know it sounds like a cliché, but late last year, for some reason, I thought I was ready and the way I looked at it, if it could jumpstart my career, why not?"

Why not indeed. Katya goes on, "It still is acting, which I do believe I have the talent for. If the offer is right and I’m comfortable with the acting, who is to decide for me but myself. Sure, it’s a career move, but it’s also much more than that. The important thing for me is that I know this is an opportunity that one can seize, but it’s not security for the future. Every few months, some new sexy star will be launched and you’ll never be certain of how long your star will shine. It’s not my only plan for the future; I still believe one has to have a profession or business to fall back on. I’m a partner with some friends in an events management group and the dream is to eventually put up a restaurant or bar with my mother. We both love Italian food and I can see us putting up something together when we have the capital. I love the work in the movies and it’s my career, but I’ve seen so many depend on it with no other options planned out, and I know that’s a big mistake."

Observing that a trend nowadays is to have these sexy stars segue into recording careers, Katya joked cryptically, "Sometimes all it takes to sing is a body!" She goes on to assess her singing abilities with surprising honesty: "While I did have singing lessons with Ryan Cayabyab during my Ang TV days, I don’t see myself as a singer. I can carry a tune and for me, that’s enough. I guess it has to do with the stars being invited for various functions or events. If one just dances, there’s only so much contact with the audience that can be created. With singing, you can call someone from the audience, have more of a bond with the people watching you–you joke with them, you have them sing to you or you dedicate one song to that person. To do that during my live appearances is no problem, but I don’t think I have a serious enough singing voice to contemplate embarking on a recording career."

Dubbed "Materyales Fuertes" thanks to the all-natural assets she’s endowed with, Katya also has educational attainments to speak of. "Along with my parents, I felt that it was still important to have a degree. While I was in the midst of my showbiz career, we made it a point to finish my education. I have a degree in Business Management from I/AME. It gave me tools to use whenever that restaurant or bar becomes reality. In the meantime, it’s a proud achievement, as so many in the industry put education on hold while their career is flourishing."

For someone like Katya it still helps to look up to someone also in the industry. Whether as role models, or just as an admirer of their career paths and accomplishments in the world she’s also elected to enter, it’s Rosanna Roces and Angelina Jolie who are tops in Katya’s book.

That the public (especially the men) has embraced Katya and may proclaim her the first new star of 2003 is something Viva and Katya are banking on. While it is a road well traveled, one can see how publications like FHM and other similarly minded career moves have enjoyed great success.

Some of us may gripe about the quality, morality and what-have-you of such films and career directions, but the inescapable facts are that for as long as the public is willing to part with their hard earned pesos and that these films are relatively low risk/low budget projects, the assembly line of "Katyas" will continue to roll.

It’s fortunate to find that through it all, some do, as in Katya’s case, maintain a level perspective of all the hoopla. That she continues to think long range and does not see this career move as the be-all and end-all of her life, are prudent and wise posi-tions for her to take.