Kylie Padilla returns to the small screen as billiards prodigy

MANILA, Philippines — She has essayed different faces and facets of a woman on screen. After a three-year break from free TV work, Kylie Padilla has resumed her acting career and is adding Joni, a billiards prodigy, to her collection of characters.

Her role that challenges gender norms seems the centerpiece of the GMA 7 primetime series, Bolera, which premieres tonight after First Lady.

“I think it is connected to it because billiards parang it’s more known for males to play it,” said Kylie of the women-empowerment theme, presented by her character, in a recent virtual press conference. “She loves the game, she’s really talented. Why she’s fighting her fight, it’s because of what has happened to her and to her family. It’s about billiards, it’s in the world of billiards, (at) yung puso ng show ay napaka-yaman, everybody is fighting for something. Yung roots dun, for all the characters, is their family.”

Kylie’s Joni, gifted with visual and spatial intelligence, based on the information given to this writer, does not back down from life challenges and finds inspiration in them. Viewers will see the character’s resilience as she deals with physical and mental actions, brought about by her chosen sport.

Given her enthusiasm in martial arts like Muay Thai, Kylie finds her way into her character’s world. Bolera is the closest project she can get to do an action series, which also piques her interest.

“Kasi sports din ang billiards and I mean the work,” said she, who can see the similarities between her and Joni’s games. “Lumaban din ako. You have to be present in your mind, in your heart, in your body.” The actress drew her inspiration to play Joni from her experiences as a Muay Thai practitioner in understanding her character’s context, “How it’s like to compete, how it’s like to train napaka-hirap (which is very challenging),” said Kylie, who added that Bolera, also described as a sports-oriented series, “was shot like an action series, very complicated, maraming shots talaga ‘to.”

Since Bolera was her first GMA assignment after her stint in the drama-rom-com series, TODA One I Love, in 2019, Kylie was not spared from having jitters.

“I think kung wala, dun ka kakabahan,” said she. “Kung wala kang jitters ibig sabihin you really don’t care for what you’re doing.” Part of her process was to study the script and memorize the lines. She did her homework. “I trusted everybody, directors Dom and Jorron, my co-actors, I trusted my trainers, binigay ko yung makakaya ko (I just gave what I could).” Dominic Zapata and Jorron Lee Monroy direct the series.

Kylie with leading men Jak Roberto (left) and Rayver Cruz.

With that, Kylie was able to play the part even if she is not into billiards.

“I think my background in martial arts did help,” she reflected. “I have really good coordination naman. When they said that Joni is left-handed, I took the challenge and I said, ‘OK, let’s go, let’s try.’ It was difficult at first because obviously I’m a right-handed person. Yung ibang muscles sa left hand ko (were) not trained to handle the stick, but my coaches had given me exercises and they told me what to correct.” Aside from delivering the right emotions, the actress had to provide the right look and form when Joni was in the game. “Sina direk din tumulong sa akin, siyempre si direk alam niya yung angulo niya, kung paano niya i-sho-shoot,” said she. “So, I took everything into account and then I trusted na kaya natin ito.”

While taping and hopping from one scene to another, Kylie felt good and could attest to how happy the set was.

“Sobrang minahal ko talaga lahat, the cast and crew, the story, I fell in love with everybody,” said she. “I’m so happy that this became my comeback show.”

As for working with actors such as leading men Jak Roberto and Rayver Cruz, and Jaclyn Jose, Kylie had this to say: “I don’t know if luck played a part of it or we all just jibed. Everyone on set really jibed. Pag binibigyan ako ng trabaho, ang pinaka-una kong pinag-darasal ay yung makaka-trabaho ko ay magiging mga kaibigan at magiging pamilya ko din. True enough nangyari sa set na ito.” She worked with Rayver in the film, Dilim, and veteran actress Jaclyn in the drama-thriller series The Cure. Bolera is Kylie and Jak’s first project but both attended workshops together. “As soon as you got to know each other, tapos, yun magkakasama kami araw-araw, we became all friends. Hindi na kami nahihiya sa isa’t-isa.”

Asked if Bolera is the perfect TV series to get started her small-screen acting again, Kylie answered, “Ito talaga yun. There were few offers to me (before), but they didn’t feel right. Nung i-noffer sa akin ito, na-imagine ko na siya ka agad, pumasok na agad ako sa mundo ng Bolera, outline pa lang, wala pang full script (When it was offered to me, I already imagined it and entered into its world, solely based on an outline and sans a full script). I said, ‘Yeah, I can do this. I’m gonna commit.’ Kasi na-i-imagine ko na siya. (It felt like) I was already in (that) world and already knew Joni, offer pa lang. Sabi ko, ‘Ito na yun, ito na yung hinihintay ko (I told myself that this is the project that I’ve been waiting for).’”

Completing the ensemble cast are Al Tantay, Gardo Versoza, Joey Marquez, David Remo, Via Veloso, Sue Prado, Ge Villamil and Luri Nalus.