Yen Santos says despite all the unfortunate events in her character Jacky Montefalco’s life on the phenomenal teleserye Halik, she would always see a silver lining in delicate matters regarding relationships.

“Naniniwala pa rin naman ako na talagang merong true love,” Yen told Entertainment.ABS-CBN.com, emphasizing that there is still that person who’ll stay with you “for keeps.”

While she said all that happened to Jacky in the series made her feel jittery when it comes to settling down, it is still a no-brainer for her to stick with the man she would truly love.

“Ang dami kong realizations dito. Maski ako sa sarili ko, parang… my gosh, nakakatakot nang mag-asawa,” Yen stressed. “Kasi akala mo okay kayo eh, akala mo perfect, akala mo walang nagiging problema. Hindi naman niya pinaramdam na meron ‘pag kasama niya ‘ko, okay naman kami, mahal naman namin ang isa’t isa. Pero sa ilalim pala no’n may ibang nangyayari.”

No perfect relationship

But Yen emphasized that there is no relationship, especially a marriage, you can’t work out.

“Wala namang perfect ‘e, pero merong relationship na alam mong for keeps and alam mong siya ‘yong talagang para sa’yo,” she noted.

Even if they would encounter rough patches throughout their union, she said, it is still worth fighting for.

“Minsan kahit parang gusto mo na lang sumuko dahil sa lahat ng sakit, alam mong lahat ng ito may magiging kapalit. Alam mo na hindi agad natatapos ang buhay, magiging masaya ka pa rin. Ikaw lang ang magiging superhero ng sarili mo. Kahit na ilang beses kang bumagsak, ikaw pa rin ang mag-aangat ng sarili mo,” Yen pointed out.

Second chance
 

And this includes even forgiving the man she truly loves who might fall into infidelity.

“Siguro kung sobrang mahal ko ‘yong tao, pwedeng bigyan ng second chance lalo na kung married,” she declared.

“Kung kasal na kami tapos may nangyaring gano’n, baka mamaya naligaw lang siya ng landas nang konti pero hindi ibig sabihin no’n na dapat mo nang i-give up ‘yong pinangako mo kay Lord. Sabi nga, ‘pag ganiyan, lalabanan n’yo ‘yan kasi ‘yan ‘yong pinangako n’yo ‘eh. Ginusto n’yo ‘yan. ’Wag n’yong kakalimutan na mahal n’yo ang isa’t isa. Walang perfect relationship. May mga ganiyan na maling nagagawa pero dapat handa ka sa pagpapatawad. Hindi man agad agad, may tamang panahon para mag-heal ‘yong sugat,” Yen said.

Yen, however, admits that such transgressions from a partner is something she has never experienced before.

“Well, unang-una hindi naman ako napagtaksilan. Wala naman akong asawa. Ang layo, ang layo ng Yen kay Jacky pagdating sa gano’ng sitwasyon,” she said.

Challenging role

And this became quite a challenge for her in portraying Jacky in Halik.

“Eto ‘yong character na sobrang nando’n ‘yong challenge talaga dahil ito ‘yong pinaka-mature na nagawa ko,” Yen reveals. “Before kasi nasanay ako na sobrang lapit ‘yong character sa totoong buhay, sa personality ko. ‘Eto married ako dito eh, tapos siyempre wala naman akong asawa. Tapos hindi ko pa rin naman na-experience kung anong feeling ng na-betray sa mga past relationships ko. So ang hirap, mahirap siya talaga.”

This would even lead to exasperation and weariness, given that it is her biggest primetime role to date.

“Merong gano’n eh, ‘yong parang feeling mo sa sarilli mo hindi mo naibigay ‘yong best mo do’n sa isang scene, kasi parang hindi mo alam kung saan mo siya huhugutin kasi hindi naman ‘yon nangyari sa’yo…So, lahat, sobrang dami ng pinagdaanan ko. Hindi lang si Jacky kung hindi ako mismo do’n sa character,” she said

Immense popularity
 

Yet this is all worth it she says, given how the ordinary woman relates to her Halik character, leading to its immense popularity.

“Lahat ‘yon naging worth it dahil sa pagtanggap ng mga tao,” Yen continued.  “Nagulat ako na sa lahat ng pinagdaanan, ‘yong simpatya ng sambayanan nando’n. Sinasabi nila na: laban lang Jacky! Siguro dahil siyempre, talaga namang maraming legal wife. Ako para sa’kin, ako ‘yong nagtatayo ng bandera ng mga totoong asawa. [Feeling ko] lahat ng mga nagtatanggol, legal wife ‘yon, same kami ng pinagdadaanan sa buhay mag-asawa.”

Above all, this finally gave her the opportunity to prove her acting skills, given how far off her character is from her real self.

“Kasi ang mature niya, ang layo ko. Ako kasi hindi pa ‘ko umaabot sa gano’n. ‘Etong character [ay] kasal, pinagtaksilan ng asawa, may third party… Sabi ko, baka ‘eto na rin talaga ‘yong time para mag-level up. Ito na ‘yong time para masabing “aktres,”” she disclosed.

Different from other “legal wives”

How did she pull it off, distancing her portrayal from other “legal wives” in film and TV? Jacky divulged that having the character “so close to her heart” takes her depiction above the conventional treatment.

“Ako kasi sobrang mapagmahal ako eh. Lahat gagawin ko rin for my family, ‘pag nagmahal ako sobra din ‘e. So minsan, siguro talagang nagre-reflect din. Minsan natural na lumalabas siya, nararamdaman mo ‘yong character,” Yen said.

What are her key learnings from Jacky that she can use in real life? Again, it’s about finding the key to a lasting relationship.

Don’t love too much

“Si Jacky, almost perfect wife ‘di ba. Mabait, matalino, hindi naman siya pangit pero bakit pa siya nagagawang lokohin ng asawa niya? So siguro, hindi ka dapat nagmamahal nang sobra, dapat ‘yong sapat lang. Sabi nga nila, “too much love will kill you”. Nakakamatay kung gaano kasakit kapag niloko ka ng taong binigyan mo ng sobrang pagmamahal,” Yen underscored.

Watch Yen inspire us more as Jacky in the upcoming episodes of Halik, weeknights after The General’s Daughter on Primetime Bida.