Barbie Imperial’s character, Cai Veradona, just bid goodbye in Bagong Umaga, leaving everyone puzzled about her mystifying death. The young actress is currently enjoying her break before she begins working on a new movie. She said she’s starting to feel the ‘sepanx’ and she misses bonding with her co-stars.

The best thing about weeks-long of lock-in tapings is the friendship that develops among artists. Barbie likens the setup to her Pinoy Big Brother stint, sans the competition. The cast members are supportive and helpful to each other.

“Masasabi kong mas close ang mga artista kaysa noong wala pang pandemic kasi naka-lock in na kami. Kung may mga bagay o advice na kailangan ang isa’t isa, nandoon kami sa loob na parang pamilya,” she described the experience.

Talking more about the setup, Barbie is amazed by how the production turned a portion of ABS-CBN Compound into a small barangay community as taping location. It became the young stars’ favorite ‘tambayan’ as well.

Barbie’s ‘kontrabida’ prowess was highlighted in the series. She had a lot of golden moments on the show and on top of the list is the ‘goodbye’ scene with Yves Flores. It was their characters’ last conversation before Cai died.

“Medyo hindi na namin nasunod ‘yung plano ni Direk Carlo kasi sinasabi niya, ‘Gusto ko ganito lang ‘yung iyak mo.’ Pero hindi talaga nagsa-stop ‘yung pagtulo ng luha ko. Masakit talaga at alam kasi namin na last na eksena namin ‘yun na magksama, so parang nakakadala na rin,” shared Barbie.

Her top two would have to be her scenes with Rio Locsin playing her grandmother, Hilda. There’s something so moving in the actress’s voice and facial expression that Barbie could easily turn the waterworks on.

Third on the list is her ‘tarayan’ scene with Michelle Vito. They’re real-life buddies, so it was easier to adlib and execute their feisty encounters. Barbie knows that catfights, which she had with Michelle and Heaven Peralejo, can sometimes become too real. After all, they are just humans who can get carried away by emotions. That’s why she’d communicate with her co-star before taking on such scenes to avoid misunderstandings.

“Kapag mabigat na eksena kasi, nadadala ka na. So, importante sa akin na bago magsimula ‘yung eksena, ‘Uy, baka mahigpitan kita ng hawak o baka makapagsalita ako ng ganito, ah.’ Para alam niya pagkatapos ng eksena na hindi ko naman sinasadya..”

She also mentioned her heavy scenes with Tony Labrusca, “Sobrang memorable ng mg eksena namin na mabibigat kasi dapat hindi siya maaawa sa akin. Pero ‘pag umiiyak ako, naiiyak na din siya kaya kina-cut siya ni Direk.”

Asked how she resonates with her character, Barbie thought they are both brave. Their biggest difference, though, is Cai is hard to please. If she could talk to her character, she’d tell her to never be too demanding and instead be thankful for the amount of love she receives.

“Si Cai, ‘yung love na binibigay ng mga taong nakapaligid sa kanya, parang hindi niya tinatanggap kung ano lang ‘yung kayang ibigay. Gusto niya sobra-sobra. Ang message ko kay Cai, tanggapin niya lang ‘yung love na binibigay ko sa kanya kasi minsan ’yun lang talaga ang kayang ibigay ng mga taong nakapaligid sa kanya,” shared Barbie.

Don’t miss the nearing finale of Bagong Umaga, airing Monday to Friday, after It’s Showtime, on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z.