Eula Caballero: See her soar

CEBU, Philippines - Three years in the biz and living in what she describes as “chaotic” Manila have done much to transform Eula Caballero (full name: Lou Eula May Caballero Simo). From an unadorned Cebuana teener who was just among many bright-eyed hopefuls lining up for a chance to audition in TV5’s first reality talent search, she has blossomed into a camera-ready beauty and is now being built up as one of her network’s princesses.

The sudden change of fate definitely did not come easy for this Boljoon native who was used to the slow-paced lifestyle of her hometown, as she shared in an interview with The FREEMAN during a recent TV5-Cebu event held at Raphael’s Café and Sports Bar.

“At first, it was so hard to adjust because Manila is different. Others would say Cebu is just a small Manila, but it’s crazy out there. You know the feeling when your entire day was so toxic because so many things happen and there are so many people around you? That scenario multiplies especially when you’re in showbiz. Manila is chaotic in itself, and then the industry you’re in is even more chaotic. The adjustment was even more difficult because I started really raw. I wasn’t a model or celebrity here, so everything was new for me,” opened up Eula, a consistent articulate interviewee who displays admirable maturity beyond her years.

Eula was 15 when she tried out for TV5’s “Star Factor” back in 2010. Her audition at the Cebu Marriott Hotel would be one of the most memorable, because when casually asked by director Joey Reyes if she had a boyfriend, Eula weeped instead of answering. It would later be learned that her mom had just told her to break up with the boy, thus her sensitive state during screening.

For the jurors, the quick tears meant she had depth and had experience to draw genuine emotions from. She made it to the final 18, to the top four after weeks of intensive training and weekly eliminations, until finally emerging as the search’s grand winner.

While big breaks for Eula didn’t come as swiftly compared to other reality search winners, she slowly racked up TV and movie acting jobs opposite industry luminaries such as Nora Aunor, Lorna Tolentino, Maricel Soriano, Christopher de Leon and Eddie Garcia. A previous soap opera also saw her working alongside American Idol champ David Archuleta.

A Regal Films contract artist, Eula will star next in the flick “Raketeros” featuring comedy icons Ogie Alcasid, Herbert Bautista, Joey Marquez, Andrew E, Dennis Padilla, Long Mejia and Rufa Mae Quinto. She plays Herbert’s daughter in this riot act tentatively scheduled for a June release.

After being blessed with continuous shows and holding her own against acting veterans, Eula is now spreading her wings further and soaring higher than ever.

She’s now the main star of her very own superheroine series titled “Cassandra: Warrior Angel,” the second season of her former weekly horror series “Third Eye.”

The new series replaced Derek Ramsay’s “Kidlat” and premiered May 6th on TV5’s primetime slot.

“Compared to ‘Third Eye’, this requires more mature acting from me. This is also more visual and action-packed. There is something for the entire family, because we have a broad touch of drama and fantasy,” said Eula.

Cassandra’s story begins with a war in heaven where fallen angels are banished by St. Michael de Archangel. The twin angels, Azrael and Uriel (both played by Gabby Concepcion), are sent down to earth. Azrael sides with the demons while Uriel remains good, returns to God, but marries a mortal babaylan (Eula Valdes). Three kids with superpowers will be born out of the angel-mortal affair: a night crawler (Alwyn Uytingco) an aikido expert with super strength (Josh Stangeland) and Eula as the warrior angel.

As an earth-fallen savior, Eula will have three leading men helping her fight an epic battle between angels and evil forces: JC De Vera as the Angel Gabriel who becomes her protector, Victor Silayan as her missing boyfriend Adrian, Albie Casiño as a seminarian who gets involved with her and Daniel Matsunaga who is a loyal friend.

The rest of the cast include Pen Medina, William Martinez, Art Acuña, Vangie Labalan, Mercedes Cabral, Biboy Ramirez, Rocky Salumbides, Morrissette Amon and Joaqui Tupaz.

For the role’s physical requirements, Eula said she attended sessions in Muay Thai, Filipino karate, hand-defense and harness training.

“Even before ‘Cassandra,’ I was already into Muay Thai. So I had an easier time during training for the soap since I’ve been doing it for a long time. It was the harness training that proved challenging because you’re dealing with gravity. Other than that, everything has been smooth-sailing. I also train with my co-stars like JC and Alwyn, so it becomes fun and not much a burden. During times when the schedule becomes so hectic, having friends around makes the work more bearable,” she said.

When asked if she’s had unpleasant experiences in showbiz so far (like former fellow TV5 princess Alex Gonzaga, who reportedly moved back to ABS-CBN because she did not get along with some people in the network), Eula replied that one will only be treated badly if you allow them to. It’s in this aspect that she likens her tough screen alter ego Cassandra to how she is in real life.

“There are certainly many elements and factors inside showbiz that would sometimes discourage me and get me down. Of course, among the people you work with, not everyone will be nice to you. But then again, no one can really bully me because I’m a tough person. That’s one reason why I love my Cassandra project, because I am also quite the warrior in real life.”

She added, “If I know I’m not stepping on anyone’s toes, I will really fight for what is right. I believe you can’t be bullied if you don’t allow yourself to be bullied. There are people who start rumors about you and that really hurts, especially if these are your friends. You deal with a lot of personalities and sometimes you just learn how to turn your enemies into friends.”

Eula is the youngest of four kids. Her father has been an OFW for the past 30 years, while her mom is a local politician running for a position in the upcoming elections.

She will be celebrating her debut come May 23rd, but family plans of a grand 18th birthday bash aren’t certain yet since her dad is away and her mom is busy with the campaign.

While she chases her dreams in the big city, her mom and siblings remain based in Cebu, and they just visit her every now and then. The last time she went home to Boljoon was during the recent Holy Week.

These days, her typical routine begins by waking up at 5 a.m. and ends with her taping packing up by 4 a.m. the next day. She squeezes in her home-school duties in between her obligations as an actress.

“I’m completing my last year of high school. Unlike a normal school setting, being home-schooled has a different curriculum and it’s a non-graded system. That means you have to do it over and over again until you perfect a certain subject. If you get a mistake, then you re-take, which is why it takes longer to finish. We also have hands-on activities and it oftentimes becomes a problem for me to comply due to my schedule.”

If the opportunity to be a college gal comes, Eula said she’d love to enroll in a Culinary Arts course. “My whole family cooks and is also into baking, so it’s something I was constantly exposed to,” she quipped.

Young as she is, Eula has also remained level-headed when it comes to managing her hard-earned salary. “As an actress, it is part of your job to look good, so you can’t avoid spending for clothes, make-up --- and these don’t come cheap. Other than that, I save a lot. I’m not a shopaholic; I usually just buy what’s necessary.”

You’d be surprised to learn that her best pal in the industry doesn’t come from the Kapatid network, but from ABS-CBN instead. “I’m closest to Kiray now. We’ve worked before and our personalities just clicked. We go out for lunch or dinner, or watch movies. I also became close to her mom. So if it’s not me and Kiray hanging out, it would be me and her mom who by the way is also Bisaya. She’s from Pasil, actually.”

Perhaps it’s in bonding with a kababayan that helps remind Eula of her roots, and keeps her grounded in the process? That, and the deep-seated values taught by her folks, Eula said. “I have to give the credit to my parents. Even before I became an actress, we were always told that whatever we may achieve in life, we should always remember where we came from.”