Myrtle Sarrosa feels grateful to play a meaty role in ‘Makiling’

MANILA, Philippines — She may have established herself as a content creator, gamer, and streamer. But primarily, Myrtle Sarrosa is an actress.

Like veterans and newbies out there, she’s always on the lookout for meaty roles. Her most recent work is Portia in the recently-concluded hit GMA revenge drama “Makiling.”

The character belonged to the show’s Crazy 5, a group of students that stood in the way of the lead character Amira, played by Elle Villanueva.

Portia and her bully friends Seb, Ren, Oliver and Maxine have helped viewers appreciate the journey of Amira from being marginalized to becoming empowered.

“What I will miss about Portia is her personality, her being super go-getter,” said Myrtle in a virtual press conference. “I think I learned a lot from playing the character. There are so many things (about her) that are totally different from who I am.”

“By playing her, I learned so much in terms of really pushing my limit (as an actress),” added she. “What I will miss most about playing Portia is working with the entire cast, and all the relationships we built while doing the show. I’m so grateful.”

Looking back on the entire run of the show, one may consider that some of Portia’s scenes, from “being hung upside down from a crane,” as mentioned in a piece of information given to this paper, to running after and chasing with Amira, form part of the show’s collection of unforgettable scenes that have gotten the attention of audiences.

Asked about her thoughts on such scenes that contributed to the engagement and entertainment of netizens and viewers, Myrtle had this to say: “In these ‘Makiling’ scenes, we did really push the boundaries, but at the same time I really put my trust in the entire production team. I know all we wanted to do was to make something memorable and leave a mark in the GMA Afternoon Prime (timeslot).”

The “Makiling” cast and crew did well in presenting viewers a compelling narrative for TV.

“These are the scenes I would have never imagined that I would be able to do in my entire life,” shared Myrtle, who found her intense fighting scenes with Elle memorable. “I’m grateful for the trust the entire team has given me.”

During the said interview, Myrtle also had a brief walk down memory lane from the time she gave her nod in playing Portia.

“I told them that I would do my best and (I would) forget who is Myrtle to portray Portia,” said she. “Hindi ko iisipin yung lahat na sasabihin na masasama ng mga tao (because) at the end of the day, alam ko talaga na magagalit talaga sila kay Portia (I wouldn’t think and mind the bad comments people would make about Portia because given her characterization, I know viewers would get mad at her).”

“But I’m always grateful for the role they have given me,” emphasized Myrtle, who delivered an inspired portrayal of an antagonist. “I really owe it a lot to the GMA Public Affairs team for giving me their trust (to) play the role of Portia.”

Through her character, people further recognize her, which is a well-deserved pat on the back for any committed and working actor.

“Nakakatuwa siya (it feels good). Whenever people see me, they call me Portia, (and also) when I go to different places,” concluded Myrtle.