Why Bela Padilla is already thinking about her legacy

In case you didn’t know, the first Metro Manila Summer Film Festival has already started and there are eight Filipino movies showing until April 18 across Philippine cinemas. One of them is Yung Libro sa Napanood Ko, produced by Viva Communications, Inc. with Bela Padilla as its lead star, writer and director. Korean actor Yoo Min-Gon plays the leading man role in the romance drama movie.

Bela revealed that she wanted to change the movie title to If because its theme song is the Rivermaya ditty titled If. “But Boss Vic (del Rosario) called me up and he said, ‘No, we’re keeping the title Yung Libro sa Napanood Ko,’ and I trust Boss Vic because for me, he’s been in the industry for so long and, so, when he figures something out that it will work for your film, you have to trust that instinct. So, I said, ‘Okay po.’”

Bela is now London-based after she decided to relocate there in 2021. She has built a film company in the United Kingdom but she comes home to the Philippines every time she needs to complete a film project under Viva, the film outfit she is under contract with.

The Fil-Brit actress recently sat down for a one-on-one interview with us for Batalk Channel’s The Interviewer Presents on YouTube. Get to know more about Bela through her answers in The What Interview. Below are excerpts.

What are you when you’re alone?

“I realized that I’m turning into a proper introvert now.”

What does a proper introvert mean?

“Parang feeling ko, Tito Boy, I’m so comfortable now with just being with myself. I’m enjoying the quiet life, the quiet time.”

What makes you happy now?

“Honestly, right now, what would make me happy now is to finish my scripts.”

What hurts you?

“When I can’t achieve something (that) I really want.”

What do you know about love?

“(Love) is all around us. It’s really the most present thing.”

What can’t you forgive and what can’t you forget?

“I think I can forgive anything but I can’t forget when a person is not remorseful so I can’t forget situations where I feel like there was no learning experience on both sides.”

What is it that you want right now, aside from finishing the scripts?

“I want my film company to be like a huge film company that people from HBO or Amazon or whatever big streaming platform can trust with and want to get content from.”

What is it that you need?

“I need to calm down (kasi) parang I’m in a hurry at the moment, parang I’m trying to rush the process of getting where I want to go.”

Don’t you want to slow down a bit?

“Actually, it’s not me but the people around me, especially Norman (Bay, her Swiss boyfriend), he always tells me not to beat myself up for the thoughts that I have or when I’m not achieving the milestone I want to achieve right away.”

I was about to ask, what does Norman do to you?

“He treats me well.”

And he slows you down.

“Yeah, he does, like he paces my life well.”

What is it like to be you?

“I wanna say interesting. Interesting kasi can mean it’s fun, it can mean it’s serious, it can mean that things can go wrong sometimes but you try to find a stable ground all the time. That’s why I use (the word) interesting.”

What is it like to win?

“I would like to think I’m only starting out in my life. So, the little things or maybe that’s what’s wrong with me, parang the things I could already celebrate as achievements, I think of them as, ‘I should’ve really done that so it’s okay.’ Parang, I don’t pat myself on the back, you know. So, maybe I should start thinking of my wins.”

What is it like to lose?

“For me, it’s devastating. I can’t accept losses too much because I feel like I put so much of myself into everything like when I work, I’m not just an actress on set. I’m there for pre-prod, I write the scripts, I’m there in all the pre-prod meetings. Now, I even direct the film so I’m also there at the post-prod. I approve every part of the movie so; I feel like every inch of my being is now part of my films. I think of my films as having like my DNA so when I lose or when I feel like it didn’t do what I wanted it to do, I take it so badly.

“To be fair naman, I move on quickly from bad stuff. I will allow myself to be sad for a day or to wallow and then, I eat something yummy. I also really try to spot where I made mistakes.”

What is the best thing about Bela?

“Right now, Bela is comfortable in her skin. I don’t try to impress too much or I don’t try to be who I’m not.”

What means to you the most at this moment?

“What means to me right now is how I put my work out, how I present myself in my films. Like I’ve said, I feel like my DNA is now in my films so, I’m thinking now (of) what do I leave behind? What is my legacy? I know, I’m thinking too far ahead but this is me I always think like 10, 20 years ahead. So, I’m already trying to figure out what I can leave behind if I do get blessed with children one day — what can they remember me by or what can they speak about me.”

What is your love language?

“I love giving gifts but I think, also, a little bit of service — I like cooking.”