Bianca King's creative pursuits

MANILA, Philippines - The past years have seen Kapuso stars going around the archipelago to meet regional fans. It seems that almost all festivals in the country won’t be complete without a Kapuso Night as a kick-off or culminating event. This has made the TV regional playing field a hotly-contested one.

“The requests from partners (mostly local government units for festival participation and malls for regular mall shows) to organize Kapuso events are overwhelming,” offers Oliver Amoroso, AVP for sales and marketing of GMA Regional TV. “The number of invitations we have received this year has tripled compared to previous years… The energy in (Kapuso) events is always high. The vibe is amazing (and) that everyone is just having a good time.”

The most recent Kapuso invasion was felt at the Kapuso Sublian Festival in Batangas City where Bianca King, Dingdong Dantes, Rochelle Pangilinan, Mark Herras, Heart Evangelista, Sam Pinto and La Diva staged a mini-Party Pilipinas at the Batangas City Sports Coliseum. Every Kapuso Night also allows GMA 7 artists like Bianca to update the press about their careers.

“Since I follow the Luna character, I tried to watch Jillian (Ward) as often as I could,” Bianca shares the nitty-gritty of preparing for the adult Luna character in the primetime series Luna Blanca. “So I will know how the character grows and where she is coming from. But I haven’t watched Bea (Binene) yet.”

Being cast in the Luna Blanca’s finale chapter proves that Bianca can also be effective in playing lead roles, following the success of Broken Vow. According to her, taking the serious dramatic actress path is “a conscious effort on my part to veer away from stereotypes (and being cast in the same projects and doing the same roles).” It’s also a good thing that the “stars and the planets” seem to have conspired and aligned to Bianca’s career plans. She thinks that nowadays being mestiza doesn’t hinder one from landing starring roles. Take Carla Abellana, Marian Rivera, Kylie Padilla and Jackie Rice as examples, she adds.  

With a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Filmmaking degree tucked under her belt, the De La Salle-College of St. Benilde alumna also sees herself directing commercials.

“I did a music video before,” she recalls. “For the long run, I plan to direct commercials. I’ve been in talks with some people from the advertising industry. They’re just waiting for me when I’ll have the time. Right now, they know that I’m set to do (Luna Blanca). After that, there might be another one. I have to allot time for it.”

Bianca has also written short stories and scripts with death and mysticism as themes and psychological thriller as genre. For her college thesis, she wrote a full-length script in Tagalog, which was inspired by a Filipino romantic comedy.

Asked if she has appreciated more the TV-movie work after earning a film degree, Bianca answered, “Definitely, I have a big understanding and patience… I think my directors can easily work with me (especially) when they communicate using film language. They can speak to me in technical terms and I can understand what they want to happen.”

Although she can do documentary and, perhaps, experimental films, Bianca is a “linear-narrative storyteller” with easy-to-grasp stories. She likes the works of Oliver Stone, Darren Aronofsky and Michel Gondry. Mike de Leon tops her Filipino directors’ list. Bianca shares that watching Mike’s masterpieces such as Kung Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising, Kakabakaba Ka Ba?, Itim and Batch ’81 was an enriching experience.

If she decides to direct full-time, Bianca will be a welcome addition to tinseltown’s lady filmmakers like Laurice Guillen, Olivia Lamasan, Bb. Joyce Bernal, Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Rory Quintos and Cathy Garcia-Molina and to the female actor-directors circle of Laurice and Gina Alajar.

Bianca performs regularly in Party Pilipinas and attends acting and dance workshops. She is also set to shoot Coño Problems, a Metro Manila Film Festival entry. The movie is a parody of Philippine social classes revolving around the intertwined lives of four girls who are hooked on Twitter.

“I’m still establishing myself as a serious actress,” concludes Bianca, who believes that digital-independent filmmaking gives everyone the chance to share his stories. “For TV, I have to keep going down this path. For movies, however, I want to do edgy and villain roles.”