Three months ago, Sparkle, GMA 7’s talent management group, introduced 17 new faces known as Sparkada. After being welcomed into Sparkle’s fold, the up-and-coming talents have attended workshops to discover and hone their skills, while others have put in practice their learnings.
Caitlyn Stave, Kirsten Gonzales, Tanya Ramos and Cheska Fausto will be seen in the upcoming Allen Ansay and Sofia Pablo-starrer, Luv is: Caught in His Arms. Roxie Smith, on the other hand, graces the small screen through the GTV sitcom, Tols, and the GMA morning show, Unang Hirit.
With that, these Sparkada girls know what it’s like to be in front of the camera or in the limelight.
“I was really nervous,” recalled the budding influencer Caitlyn of her first taping day on the Luv is: Caught in His Arms set, in a recent virtual press conference that was also attended by fellow Sparkada talents. The series is a TV adaptation of the hit Wattpad novel, Caught in His Arms.
“It’s my first time acting and my first show. I was really nervous and at the same time, thankful. I had absolutely no idea what to expect.”
Kirsten, described by the Sparkle team as a “shorthaired charmer and good dancer,” could also relate to Caitlyn, sharing that “parang na-pre-pressure ako since I (didn’t) know what to expect.” Being with fellow Sparkada artists on set, she felt relieved and enjoyed their company. “Super ganda nung mga locations (We have beautiful locations). I can’t wait for you, guys (viewers), to watch it (the series),” added she.
As for Tanya, she was confronted by the thought of properly playing the part being assigned to her. “Paano ko po malalabas yung ganitong character, paano ko i-po-portray yung role ko (How would I flesh out or portray the character?),” said the teen daughter of Wendell Ramos. It’s safe to say that Tanya found her way because the production people gave her an environment where she could explore and deliver. “It’s really nice working with them, ang pinararamdam nila sa amin ay comfort,” added she.
Content creator and influencer Cheska, for her part, was excited taping scenes for Luv is: Caught in His Arms. “I feel like I love what I’m doing, genuinely. Kahit straight taping days, about 19 to 22 sequences per day, parang wala lang, I love what I’m doing,” said she. “The prod (production team) has helped us a lot, they’re very understanding… This is something I will always treasure forever.”
Caitlyn, Kirsten, Tanya and Cheska survived their first day and enjoyed the creative process of doing a series because the Luv is: Caught in His Arms team was easy to work with and understood their being new in acting. Lead stars Allen and Sofia also made them feel welcome.
With the work and insights experienced and gained from the series, the Sparkada girls thought that they have grown together and hope to act again in more shows with more fellow Sparkada talents in the future.
Asked what their dream projects are, Caitlyn, Kirsten, Tanya and Cheska gave varied answers, which revealed their interests in specific acting genres.
“My dream project would probably be a rom-com,” said Caitlyn, “pa-cute-cute, kilig moments and I would love to do that.”
“(Mine) would be a horror or thriller movie,” answered Kirsten, who wants to essay an antagonist character or a victim role. She added that she’s fond of the horror genre.
Same with Caitlyn, Tanya likes rom-com. “I think it suits our age, as teenagers,” said she.
With Cheska, she shared, “I want to do movies and more teleseryes (TV series).”
Among the Sparkada boys, Caitlyn, Kirsten and Tanya, with the help of Sparkle, can choose their possible onscreen partners. But the three said, “Kahit sino naman (Anyone of them)” because they are comfortable with the Sparkada boys and find them very supportive and easy to work with. However, Cheska chose Raheel Bhyria, who has the makings of a heartthrob.
Given her feats such as winning the Miss Earth 2020 title, Roxie is well-acquainted with working before an audience.
“It’s really fun and I’m happy that my first acting project was a sitcom,” said Roxie of her acting stint in Tols, where she played the girlfriend character to Kelvin Miranda’s Uno, “and Rufa Mae (Quinto, whose character is Uno’s mother) was there, I was fangirling, that was so much fun.”
What’s next for her is a GMA series, shared Roxie and added that she’s already preparing for it. She would like to share the screen with Alden Richards and Bea Alonzo.
At this point in her career, she is lucky to act in a series and host a segment.
Nevertheless, Roxie really wants to pursue a career in acting. “But I’ve also fallen in love with hosting,” added she. “They have been giving me segments, mostly related to animals… It’s a lot of fun. I feel like it’s something that I’m genuine about kaya every day’s a surprise kasi malalaman ko lang yung segment in the morning itself, when I read the script… and it’s something new.”
With that, some Sparkada talents have fun learning the ropes of acting. As for others, they are on their way to make a splash in showbiz.