Kaila Estrada did it again, enthralling viewers with her natural acting prowess opposite Jake Cuenca in a recent episode of Viral Scandal. Even Jake was so drawn to her talent. He shared the clip on his Instagram page and called it one of his favorite scenes of them together.
Kaila is likewise in love with that scene wherein Raven and Mayor Troy shared a heart-to-heart conversation after the latter’s shocking decision to go public about his other daughter, Rica (Charlie Dizon). The tandem delivered a pure and solid father-daughter moment, which Kaila credits to their closeness off-cam.
“Napaka-organic ng emotions kasi sobrang bonded na talaga kami. Parang feeling namin pamilya na kami. So ang bilis namin nag-connect,” she said in this episode of Kapamilya Chat, adding that everything went smoothly.
She has been consistent in calling Jake, as well as Maxene Magalona, the best on-screen parents. She admires how Jake transforms from her ‘kuya’ to Mayor Troy without neglecting his co-actors’ needs. He’s a very generous guy who loves to share advice and guide his fellow artists, especially newbies like her.
She had nothing but loving words for her Ramones family. She said Maxene is a real ‘ate’ to her. They’re roommates, so they were able to get to know each other deeper. She witnessed how Maxene stays committed to her routine. In the ‘bukingan’ portion later, she would express admiration for Maxene’s discipline to wake up at 4am to start her workout and meditation.
Markus Paterson playing her cousin Jigs Ramones has also become her ‘barkada,’ so much so they now call each other by their characters’ pet names. She’s happy knowing they can count on each other. Even Jong Cuenco as her strict grandpa Alberto Ramones was her father-figure on the set, “In real life, Tito Jong is such a sweet person. Para ko talaga siyang lolo. Lagi niya akong sinasabihan na ‘Apo, kumain ka na ba?’”
Kaila went on to talk about her onscreen nemesis Charlie Dizon, whom she had several confrontations and physical scenes with. She said one of her favorite scenes with her is the intense fight at Balai Arkitektura. They were nervous before the take but managed to perfect the scene. The secret, according to Kaila, is still their genuine bond. Their closeness helps in pulling off their intense squabble moments.
“Kasi napag-usapan namin ‘yung scene, parang sa gabi pinupuntahan ko siya tapos nagre-read kami. Talagang pinaghandaan namin ‘yung scene, of course with the guidance of Direk Dado Lumibao. Kaya naging ganun ‘yung result kasi I feel sobrang bonded kami,” she recalled.
She added that they were very careful not to hurt each other, “It was a very technical scene kasi may sabunutan pa, itutulak niya ako. Lagi kami nagwo-worry na baka magkasakitan kami.” But then again, their connection goes beyond the reels. Besides, Charlie is easy to work with, “She’s such a bright person. Ang gaan nIya kasama. Sobra niyang saya palagi at nakakahawa din ‘yung paging ganun niya.”
Even Dimples Romana, whom she rarely had scenes with, also became her ‘ate.’ The seniors have different styles in giving advice. For Dimples, she makes it sound casual but real. “Sobrang honest and she’s such a genuine person din kaya sobrang naging close kami ni ate.”
Kaila also revealed trivia bits about her Ramones family, starting off with Maxene’s habit of waking up at 4am to exercise and meditate. She said Jake drinks three cups of black coffee in the morning. On Charlie, she mentioned the latter has stocks of food on the set.
Get to know the stars of Viral Scandal through Kaila in this video!