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Melissa Avelino shares why she gets a kick out of playing the bad girl. And her character in Carlo J. Caparas’ Joaquin Bordado is just that.
While being prepped for another kontrabida portrayal a few weeks after her role in “Zaido,” Melissa Avelino shared with us why she gets a kick out of playing the bad girl. But as it turns out, being bad isn’t the only thing she likes to do. Text by Jillian Q. Gatcheco. Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio. Playing Andeng Melissa is introduced in Carlo J. Caparas’ Joaquin Bordado as Andeng, Cecille’s (Ryza Cenon) friend who is, at first, a gray character. This means that she is neither bad nor good, but will eventually take a “side” as the story proceeds. “Mabait pa ako [sa umpisa]. I don’t know how they will go about it, though,” says Melissa. Before she was given the role, however, Andeng was described to her as a “kontrabida character.” She loves a challenge If you think that Melissa is getting tired of her antagonist roles, think again. “Mas challenging yun, e, rather than being the good one,” she says. “Another thing is it’s a character role, and you’re always in need of kontrabidas, right? So once you do good in it, and I’m continuing to try my best to be good in it para mapansin—para makuha lagi.” She adds, “I hope may mga tough roles pa, kasi for me, challenging roles can make me a better actress.” But this doesn’t mean she has anything against the protagonists. She explains, “Pag good naman kasi, okay din—I’ve tried that when I was younger. Pero siguro, ewan ko ba, bakit ba ako laging binibigyan ng kontrabida role? So far, if you let me choose, I’d go for the kontrabida. But the kontrabida na bumabait din sa huli, ha!” She says that she’d want her evil roles to turn good mainly for the viewers’ benefit. “Naku, alam mo naman when they watch, sometimes they get carried away! Minsan, they begin to hate you! So sana, whatever kontrabida role I get, babait ako in the end.” She narrates the time when she was still in Super Twins and she went to McDonald’s for a snack. “Noong nag-order ako, my God, talagang tinatarayan din ako! Kasi ang role ko doon, nananapak ako ng mga bata, e. Sabi ko, ‘Oh m God! Mabait po ako!’ Sabi sa akin, the way na pinapalo ko daw mga bata, totoong-totoo [kasi]. But sometimes, it’s hard to explain to the viewers, [na make-believe lang lahat yun].” In hindsight, Melissa says that her encounter at McDonald’s felt good. “’Cos that means na-portray ko nang tama yung role ko. So far, wala namang mas grabe doon. Wag naman sana akong [sapakin!] Usually kasi, yung ganoon, yung main kontrabida na. Siguro, if I’m given a [major kontrabida role], [it might happen to me]. [Kasi] di ba like before, if you’re the main [antagonist] in a TV show or movie, people would always see you in a negative manner right away.” Her dream role Melissa shares that the toughest role she portrayed was “Amasonang Rosas” in Zaido. The reason? “Because hindi naman ako action star! Hahaha! ‘Toughest’ in the sense na ang daming martial arts at fight scenes—pero for me, it was the most fun to do as well. Kasi, pumapayat ka na, natututo ka pa ng konting martial arts!” She’s already had her share of mean characters, but what else would she like to do? “Heavy drama,” she imparts. “Siguro, someone who has a disability—I haven’t done that. [It doesn’t matter if it’s] physical or mental. For me, that would be challenging. Kasi I’ve done a rape scene and a boyish role na when I was young.” If ever she would be given a dramatic role, Melissa would love to be paired with veteran actress Maricel Soriano. She explains, “Don’t get me wrong—anyone naman. It’s just that ever since, especially with Ms. Maricel, I don’t know why, pero I idolize her. She’s one of the actresses that I know who can portray any role, so far, with what I’ve seen. May it be comedy, drama, or horror, she’s very effective for me. She’s one of the many actors I’d want to work with in the future.” Talk about Melissa as Andeng in the Joaquin Bordado Forum thread!