All in a day's work for glamour star Katrina Halili

By Yvette Tan, GMANews.TV Photos by Mitch Mauricio Being a sought-after actress is not just about popularity. For former Starstruck candidate Katrina Halili, it means long and erratic work hours, baring one's life to the public, and sometimes, dealing with overenthusiastic fans. Katrina Halili, one of today's hottest young stars, has come a long way from her teenybopper, Starstruck days, and now proudly holds her own in the chaotic world of show business. Halili is remembered for many things - as Black Darna, for her sexy image in a calendar published in a popular men's magazine, and soon, as the evil Juno in the much awaited telefantasiya, Majika. GMANews.TV joins Halili, Kat to friends and fans, as she goes through a day of work and fun. Kat's day starts with a hearty breakfast of fried eggs, rice, corned beef and dried, salted fish-a meal that defies the South Beach diet-before heading to the studio with cousin Vanny and her production assistant. It's 9 A.M. in the Halili's Tondo household and Kat is running a bit late for her SOP rehearsals. Since it's a Sunday morning and the usually busy Tondo streets are devoid of traffic, Kat has no trouble getting to GMA studios. In her early days as actress, neighborhood kids used to wait outside her house to catch a glimpse of her. They would call out her name and throw rocks at her car to catch her attention. "Sinigawan ko nga (I shouted at them)," she says, explaining that she wasn't being mean; she just didn't want the kids damaging her car. "Noon, sinasama pa sila ng PA ko sa Broadway (para panoorin ako)." (My production assistant used to bring them with us to watch me at Broadway.) Katrina's days are pretty free right now, as she waits to join the Majika taping. "Yung mga Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, nakablock-off na yun kasi kinuha nila ako (sa Majika). Pag walang ibang schedule, free ako. Pero sa Majika, nakablock talaga." (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays are blocked off for Majika tapings but because we are yet to shoot, these days are free for now.) Kat takes her job seriously. She records all the shows she has appeared in and watches them to find out how she can improve her performance. She also tries to research on her roles. For example, to help her get a feel of her character in Majika, a fantasy for kids, Kat bought some books and DVDs. Despite her late start, Kat gets to GMA with more than enough time to practice her dance moves for the noon time variety show SOP. While waiting for her instructor, she composes a text message for her Fanatxt fans. She diligently replies to their messages, not typical of many celebrities. She even used to drop by the Fanatxt offices to chat online with them when she had a less hectic schedule. Having come from Starstruck, she knows how to appreciate fans because they helped bring her where she is now. "Kahit pagod na ko pag-uwi ko ng bahay, pinipilit kong mag-open ng internet," she says. (Even if I'm tired when I get home, I still connect to the internet.) Some of her fans have even become her friends. Others have gone through great lengths to please their idol. Katrina's sweetest fan story is when her fans visited her at home on her 20th birthday in January 2004. They sought her house in Binondo, which is not easy to reach. They even waited for her until evening but she did not come as she was attending Starstruck director Lino Cayetano's birthday party in Alabang. Kat cuts her story short when her dance instructor arrives. They go through her SOP routine. Kat has no trouble picking up the steps. Soon, they finish and she heads for Studio 3, where parts of SOP will be taped. When she reaches the studio, Angel Locsin and Polo Ravales, two of her Majika co-stars, greet her. Seeing that all the dressing rooms are full, Kat retreats to the GMA cafeteria to do her make-up. She says she shuns make-up when at home. Kat resumes her storytelling. To keep fit, she says she has started going to the gym. She also cites her small appetite as reason for keeping her weight down, though she admits she is no stranger to crash diets. She didn't eat for two weeks to prepare for her calendar pictorial. Kat doesn't let her figure rule her life, though. She's not beyond enjoying a good meal, especially if it is celebrated with her loved ones. Once, when she went on vacation in Palawan, she gained weight after regularly eating three meals a day. It's noon and Kat hurries backstage to put on her costume. She has two appearances in SOP: a dance number with Ruffa Mae Quinto, and second, as part of the Majika cast. The crowd cheers the dance number with Quinto. Kat is happy about the response but has to rush backstage to get into her Majika costume. She joins the cast members as they are introduced live to the entire nation. Kat plays Juno, Sabina's (Angel Locsin) rival. She enters the studio with the very tanned Polo Ravales, looking every inch the beautiful villain. After their SOP stint, the entire cast is ushered onto two floats and they make the rounds of the metro, with stops at Fiesta Carnival, Marikina Riverbanks, and finally, the Markina Sports Complex, just in time for the Starstruck grand finals. Her Majika duties over, Kat settles down to watch the Starstruck grand finals as she waits for another special dance number. During the long wait, Kat alternates between watching the program, hanging out with her friends backstage, and talking on her cell phone. Who is she chatting with? She's not telling! Her Starstruck batch's dance number isn't until the end of the show, but everyone, despite being a little tired from the long wait, gives their all when the number came. It's almost 12 midnight but Kat still looks positively childlike as she smiles and dances onstage. Kat waits until the Starstruck grand Finals ends. She is happy when Jackie Rice and Marky Cielo (who was also named the Starstruck Ultimate Survivor) were announced winners. At 3 A.M., Kat finally gets home where she goes straight to bed. She has a full week ahead of her, starting with the Majika presscon later that day and a series of out-of-town tapings for Extra Challenge, which starts the day after that. It's easy to see that Katrina is doing one of the things she loves most - pleasing her fans. Be it as a sexy seductress or sweet teenybopper, she revels in her roles because she knows that somewhere, someone is entertained by her performance. Sometimes, she still thinks all these are but part of a big, beautiful dream.