Nathalie Tomada - The Philippine Star
January 20, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Bea Alonzo just wrapped up her first-ever murder-mystery series, GMA 7’s “Widows’ War,” where she took on the complex role of Sam Castillo-Palacios.
In an interview on the sidelines of GMA Regional TV’s activities for this year’s Sinulog festival in Cebu City, Bea looked back on her experience of portraying for the very first time a character without a clear love interest, talked about her evolving career choices, and even offered a glimpse into the status of her love life.
Bea admitted that playing Sam, a woman driven by the search for truth about her father’s murder, was both challenging and enlightening.
“When I do a character, hindi ka naman laging nag-a-agree dun, but you always have to make it work. You have to justify kung ano yung thought process ng character? Because you have to believe it in order for your audience to believe it,” she explained.
The actress as Sam Castillo-Palacios in one of the most intense scenes of the primetime murder-mystery series.
Further sharing her takeaway from her role, she said, “What I realized from doing this series is that sometimes, it’s better to focus on being a good person than being right. Because with Sam, she was always looking for the truth. She wanted to be right. She wanted her hunch to be right. She wanted her suspicion to be correct about who killed her father.
“And in the process, ang daming naaapektuhan, ang daming namamatay and sunod-sunod yung kamalasan niya just because she wanted to know the truth. There’s nothing wrong with that but sometimes, it’s better to trust the universe or trust God to reveal or unravel the truth eventually (because) maybe, it’s not yet the right time for you to know the truth. That’s my personal learning.”
Widows’ War” was a visible shift in Bea’s acting choices. The murder-mystery genre was a first for her on television, and it was a “conscious decision” to veer away from the romantic lead roles Bea had long been known for.
In retrospect, she believes it was a “good decision” to accept the primetime series that also starred Carla Abellana, Timmy Cruz and Jean Garcia, etc.
“I just wanted to test my range as an actress,” she told The STAR. “(Because) maybe 90 percent of my career, love stories yung ginagawa ko.”
As a fan of murder-mystery dramas herself, she fully embraced the “Widows’ War” challenge but stressing that in terms of difficulty, it was the same level as doing romance-themed projects. And despite the dark material of the drama, Bea said she never let the character overwhelm her.
“Akala ko magiging mahirap, mahihirapan ako, baka madala ko, not the character, I’ve never experienced that, but the emotion of the character. Sometimes, nadadala mo siya sa totoong buhay,” she said.
“Surprisingly, doing this teleserye became my escape. It was like therapy. Especially when you do the heavy scenes, you’re able to release your (pent-up) emotions. I’m not saying mas dark yung nangyayari sa totoong buhay ko, hahaha, but it really became my escape,” she shared.
Bea now looks forward to pursuing this direction — more diverse roles and genres — in future projects. “So, right now, I want to focus on projects that don’t include a love interest. I want to focus on projects that would allow me to explore different characters, such as grey and more complex characters.”
“Ayoko rin naman ikulong yung sarili ko... Honestly, yung script or yung project is like love that kapag may spark the moment I touch it or I see myself doing it, if I know it will impact me or it will impact others, I’ll say yes. If I know it will impact me and make an impact on others, then I’ll do it,” she added.
As for projects in the offing, the Kapuso star confirmed a series for streaming with director Erik Matti, a new movie and another GMA soap opera.
Aside from acting, Bea has been actively exploring new business ventures. Her travel accessories brand, Bash, is set to launch another collection, and she hinted at another entrepreneurial endeavor this 2025.
“It’s nice to be able to wear a different hat sometimes. (What I have learned from doing business) is you should be 100-percent hands-on. Although I’ve been busy, I make sure that I’m still very much involved (in my business),” she said.
When asked about her love life, Bea admitted she remains open but not in a rush.
She shared, “I’m not closing my doors but wala pa naman so far. I’m not closing my doors 100 percent. But I’ve read something recently about the power of waiting. There’s good in waiting. Sometimes, you don’t need to look for love. Love will find you, and I believe in the power of waiting.”
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