Kathryn Bernardo

How did you prepare for the role?

We arrived there (at the Hong Kong location) in the morning/noon, director Cathy immediately told us to prepare to go to Lan Kwai Fong (a popular nightlife zone) where we would be actually working in bar as a bartender and a waitress. The OFWS taught us the tricks of the trade, so that’s how we prepared for our roles. We completely immersed ourselves into our characters. During the entire time we were shooting there, we were not Kathryn and Alden, but Joy and Ethan.

What did you learn from the experience?

I am proud of our OFWS. No matter how hard their life is overseas, they still find a way to be happy. Though they are away from their families, you will see them happy whenever they get together (with other OFWS). They really know how to take care of each other (when they are abroad). At the same time, I feel a bit sad for them because of the hardships they have to endure. Though there are wonderful employment opportunities abroad, there are umpteen jobs available in our country too. Some OFWS are lucky to take their families along with them, but that’s not the case with everyone. It’s not so easy to live abroad, I experienced it for a month, and I can say that it is not for me. When you go abroad, you do it because it is something you voluntarily want to do. You don’t want to find yourself saying, ‘okay, I went abroad because I need to’. In reality, you are sad about it. Life there (abroad) is really hard, so ask yourself first if is it worth the sacrifice and if you really want to go. You may suffer but you will be able to save (money).

How was it working with Kathryn, who is from your rival network?

At first, I had a lot of apprehensions. I thought I might have a hard time because everyone is from Star Cinema (ABS-CBN) – from Kathryn to the staff and crew. But I’m not a difficult person to get along with. When I work with people, I know how to adjust with them. It wasn’t difficult