An Eager Learner

Some celebrities go to school for fallback, in case their careers don’t work out for them. And then there are those who go to school because they want to feel normal. Bianca King goes to school for both reasons—and then some. Text by Jason John S. Lim. Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio. Bianca King’s reason for going to school is to keep herself ‘normal,’ to have something to fall back on, and to have something to do while in between scenes. “Sometimes we have really long breaks in between scenes,” the actress explains. “Usually, ang activities ng mga artista [is] mag-DVD, mag-PSP, [or] matulog. Ako, I use that time to read handouts, answer homework, something like that. It keeps my mind sharp; it keeps me thinking all the time.” She adds that being seen as someone with a glamorous job, school helps to keep her grounded: “It gives me a strong sense of normalcy to be dealing with other people [around] my age. And just to be able to do normal menial things, like walking the streets of Taft by myself. Basta, I just feel like there’s this whole other side of me disconnected to my job as an actress, which keeps me sane.” Bianca says that in school, no one really gives her any special attention because of her profession. “Maybe because it’s the school I go to rin,” she says. “Some of the people there kasi are really well-off, hindi nanunuod ng local TV. People say naman they know who I am—but no one makes me feel like I’m any different.” The pretty actress does admit that she sometimes gets the occasional passerby who would ask for a picture with her, but no embarrassing moments from fans that would keep her out of school. She thinks that this might be one of the reasons why most of today’s young celebrities don’t feel like going to school: “Feeling nila na tatratuhin sila na hindi na sila normal.” She thinks otherwise, though; she actually feels more normal when she’s at school. Besides, Bianca adds, school also goes hand in hand with her work as an actress. “What I learn from the experience being on the set, nagagamit ko din siya sa school; and things that I learn from school, also inspire me to carry on with my work,” she says. But she doesn’t attribute everything to traditional studying: “I think in general, just reading and learning things makes you a well-rounded person. Even if it’s not handouts for school, if you just enrich your mind with reading, it’ll help you understand life—and it’ll help you to understand the human being more. [That] gives you more insight in how to portray a character.” Her education, she explains, is still more for her future in the industry. “I want to focus on one thing,” she shares. “Like maybe I’ll take a short course in producing or scriptwriting, or something like that. Kasi that’s what I want to do.” The young star also reveals that she doesn’t want to direct, that she’s more of a producer—but her plans, when they do come true, are still in the faraway future. Bianca then tells iGMA about her application for a scholarship abroad to take her masters degree on filmmaking: “Well, if I can save up enough and if I’m granted a scholarship. That’s probably within the next three years na. I’m [currently] under-loading, so I have a long way to go.” It’s back to school for everyone, even Bianca! Talk about the actress or your school stories at the iGMA Forum Tambayan! Registration is easy! Want more school stories from Bianca herself? Feel the fun through Fanatxt by texting BIANCA to 4627! (Each Fanatxt message costs PhP2.50 for GLOBE, SMART, and TALK 'N TEXT, and PhP2.00 for Sun subscribers. This service is exclusive to the Philippines.) And don’t forget to catch Bianca as the beautifully devious Betty in Mars Ravelo’s Dyesebel, airing every weeknight after Carlo J. Caparas’ Joaquin Bordado.