THERE is no doubt that Barbie Forteza is the brightest TV star of this season.
She is the main reason why a new GMA series is lording it over the rest of the local TV shows on the evening primetime block. Forteza plays the lead female character in the series Maria Clara at Ibarra, described as a historical portal fantasy series. Gratitude is a trait innate in Forteza.
“I was extremely happy when I first learned that the network was going to entrust me this amazing role. When the good news started to sink in, the realization that the big role comes with a huge responsibility dawned on me—but instead of being scared, I was motivated to prepare and be ready for the monumental task ahead. I also did research on my own and I am so lucky that the creative group of GMA got my back every step of the way. I am simply thankful for this milestone in my career.”
Forteza’s career has now spanned 15 years. It started when the doll-like child actress played the young Roxanne Guinoo in an episode of the horror flick Shake, Rattle & Roll (ninth installment), which incidentally had Dennis Trillo—Forteza’s leading man in the ongoing Maria Clara series—playing the leading man of Guinoo.
Over the years, Forteza had been cast in mostly romance, comedy or horror flicks, where her star shone as she took on one role after another. She eventually caught our attention in the Milo Sogueco Cinemalaya film Mariquina, where Forteza delivered one seamless and powerful performance as the teenage version of the lead character Imelda, played by Mylene Dizon. Up to this day, many still think that Dizon, a replacement of the original actress Judy Ann Santos, was miscast as the older version of Forteza. It was in this movie that the then 17-year-old Forteza bagged her first major acting plum, the festival’s best supporting actress award.
Many would compare her with Maricel Soriano when Soriano was Forteza’s age, reckoning that both actors had the spunk, humor, depth and charisma in their choice of roles and projects. “That is very flattering and humbling at the same time. [Maricel] is way up there, an icon. I am still learning the ropes, a few good career choices do not make me a great actor. I still have a long way to go,” she said, in an almost whispering tone.
In 2016, Forteza scored another victory as an actor, when she was hailed as Best Actress at the Fantasporto International Film Festival in Portugal for the movie Laut, where Forteza played a sea gypsy.
Loyalty is another thing that Forteza values. She has been with GMA since 2009, when she was cast in the local TV adaptation of the Korean hit series Stairway to Heaven. “The network has taken very good care of me and my career all these years. I feel very secure with GMA. The people who run the network saw my potential early on, they invested in me and gave me breakthrough roles. I literally grew up with the network and I knew no other family outside home. The network allows me to explore the outside world through the movie projects that continue to hone me into the actor that I want to become, and for that alone I am grateful.”
On the love front, Forteza has been in a romantic relationship for more than five years with actor Jak Roberto. She describes Roberto as the man with the biggest heart that accepts everything about her—both the good and the flaws. “He is the man I never expected but the one I have always needed. He constantly makes me become the best version of myself.”
Barbie Forteza is now highly regarded as an A-lister among GMA artists. She has certainly evolved from a dollish young star to a delightfully divine actress.