Yassi: Love on hold

MANILA, Philippines - After a failed romance last year, Yassi Pressman is setting aside her love life and devoting her time and energy to her showbiz career.

The Kapuso young actress had already overcome her heartache and is now making herself busy with acting, dancing and hosting projects.

“I am very thankful that my career is doing well. Despite what happened in my personal life, I am still thankful and I will consider that as a challenge — a challenge for me to do even better in other things in my life,” Yassi says. “Like right now po, I’m busy in both television and movies. Nakakatuwa because I’ve never been this busy. Kaya thank you kay God for all the blessings when 2014 came.”

Aside from being part of Sunday All Stars on GMA 7 and being one of the video jocks of Pinoy MTV and Especially 4 U under Viva Channel, Yassi is also busy promoting Viva Films’ big-screen adaptation of the best-selling teen novel Diary Ng Panget, where she co-stars with Nadine Lustre, James Reid and Andre Paras. The film will premiere on April 2.

Written by Denny a.k.a. HaveYouSeenThisGirl, Diary Ng Panget first became a phenomenal hit over the Internet via Wattpad.com.

Yassi plays the role of Lori, a Filipino-British girl who befriends the lead character, Eya (Nadine), because of her attraction to the campus heartthrob Cross (James).

Yassi underwent major changes for her role in Diary Ng Panget. Not just physically (she had her long hair cut for the role), but with her acting as well.

  “I want to do good in this movie. I want to prove to them that I am serious in acting and hindi lang pang-kontrabida ang kaya kong gawin like what I am doing in the teleseryes of GMA 7. I can also be funny, bubbly and wholesome.”

Diary Ng Panget is her fourth movie after Tween Academy: Class of 2012, Si Agimat, Si Enteng at si Ako and Kaleidoscope World.

“What’s good about this project is that the story is so relatable. A lot of teens can identify with our characters. Kaya hindi na kami nagulat that the story became a big hit with the teen market,” says Yassi. “And when they gave me the role of Lori, mabilis akong naka-relate sa role. First of all, I’m half-British in real life. Plus, all the quirks of Lori ay nakuha ko kaagad.

“We all had fun doing the movie. Naging close na nga kami nila Nadine, Andre and James. And direk Andoy Ranay is such a wonderful person to work with.”

  Though Yassi has moved on from her failed relationship, she admits that she hasn’t communicated again with her ex-boyfriend, fellow Kapuso Sef Cadayona, since their romance fizzled out right before 2013 ended.

But Yassi claims that she and her ex are good friends. “Sef and I are doing our own thing now. He’s making a name for himself as a comedian. Happy naman ako para sa kanya. And I know that he’s happy for me as well because of what I’m doing now.”

Yassi has imposed on herself a “no-lovelife” rule for now. “Tama na muna iyon at magtrabaho muna tayo,” she says.

“I don’t want to let any opportunity pass. I want to be busy and do good with what I have right now,” ends Yassi who will also be in the cast of GMA’s soon-to-start primetime series Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real to be topbilled by Maricel Soriano, Lovi Poe and Dingdong Dantes.