Bianca King: It pays to be loyal

Bianca King is a kapuso at heart. Her two-and-a-half-year-old career can attest to that. In July 2005, Bianca switched channels after some soul searching. And voila! She was back at GMA 7, her mother network that cast Bianca in shows like Click, Love to Love Season 6 and 10, S.O.P. Gigsters and Mulawin. Since then, the half-Filipino, half-Canadian actress has stopped network hopping.

Bianca’s loyalty has recently been rewarded with shows like Love to Love Musicale and Atlantika.

"My roles in Mulawin and Atlantika are similar," says Bianca of the half-bird, half-human Aviona and female soldier Xena she is playing.

"Both involve acting and fight scenes. Atlantika has underwater cinematography which requires us (actors) to be trained divers. It’s more challenging."

The role is tailor fit for her. Bianca is a water baby. Her parents are divers and diving is one of her passions. She considers it a form of escape from responsibilities, priorities and worries.

Early this year, she trained under Scuba World in Boracay for free and became a certified advanced open water diver which allows her to scuba dive anywhere in the world. During summer, Bianca dives three to four times a day. That’s why she has no qualms about playing the centurion-protector of the fabled Atlantika.

From her neon leathered suit-clad Atlantika character, Bianca plays the mean girl Paris, torn between the characters of Lovi Poe and Cogie Domingo in Love to Love Musicale. This is Bianca’s third time in Love to Love. Bianca says her role makes the story exciting and as an actress, she collaborates with her director, Mark Reyes.

For her role as Paris, she doesn’t have to hurt the lead character physically. All she needs to do is look the kontrabida part. She thinks there are other ways to play her role effectively.

Bianca has also explored the movies. She has appeared in Birhen sa Manaoag, Mulawin the Movie, Ako Legal Wife and I Will Always Love You. She just finished shooting Regal Films’ Gigil, the launching movie of fellow Kapuso star and StarStruck graduate Katrina Halili. In the movie, Bianca will not go sexy nor show some skin as she did when she graced the cover of FHM. Besides, her stint in the magazine was done in good taste and got the attention of producers and executives.

As for her personal life, the 20-year-old lass is enjoying the joys of single-blessedness. She and former boyfriend for three years, Patrick Garcia, talk regularly and have worked together in some GMA shows.

Bianca also finds time for her studies. She is an Arts Management student at the De La Salle University-St. Benilde College. After college, she plans to land a job that requires her to conceptualize shows.

After some twists and turns on her professional life, Bianca has finally found balance.

"I feel that I’m finally at peace with myself after the gulo I experienced in showbiz," she beams.