That Chynna girl
By Dez Z. LuceroPublished in Chic Magazine (08/19/2002)
The girl has everything it takes to be a fashion model. She knows how to drop her shoulders, pose her body, pout and smile on cue, turn in just the right angle at the right time --- we even told her pretty mom that she has it. (Mom agrees; apparently we were not the first ones to notice this.) Truth is, the only thing not going for Chynna is her height, 5'4". But then, when you consider that as a child, she was mistaken for a boy, looking fashion-model-like is something indeed.
Chynna did model when she was 14, and knows what people think of her modeling abilities. So how does she pull it off? "No idea. I guess I just get it from magazines. When I see those (fashion) pictures sometimes, parang 'Ah! I can do this.'"
Posing ala supermodel is not the only thing that Chynna Ortaleza knows how to do. Her resume in fact, is impressive: stint as a reporter in the children's show 5 & Up, the text addict in the famous Sprite series of commercials ("Kitikitext"), and now two regular shows on GMA, both of whom are high-raters. All these, and she's not even 20! So who is Chynna Ortaleza?
CHYNNA CHAT Let's begin with her name. It's spelled as you see it here; promounced as "Cheena" (like in cheetah), and you never add an H to her surname. "Originally there was an H," Chynna says. "It's just that my grandfather removed it and made it 'Ortaleza.' Actually it should have been 'Hortaleza' with a silent H kaya lang sa Filipino, "Hortaleza"." She is candid, facile in both Filipino and English, is model-slim and mestiza-pretty, and we're fairly certain that behind her unassuming teenager facade lurks a very intelligent girl who holds firm opinions about some things. She balances showbiz work with studies --- she is a Communication arts major at UST. She is the youngest of 3 children, with 2 older brothers. Dad, who runs an advertising agency and works as a consultant on the side, allowed her to join the mad world of show business as long as her mother chaperones her to tapings, appearances and the like. Chynna doesn't mind this. She says she is actually more comfortable with mom around, that she feels everything would be all right as long as her mom is present.
She loves to dance, so therefore she relishes her guest spots on SOP because that's when she can show off her terpsichorean skills. On the downtime, you're likely to catch her hanging out with buddies, or seeing a movie and eating out. If acting has not claimed her, she would have been an ordinary student. "My ambition before was to become a broadcaster, 'coz that's my training na in 5 & Up. I guess it's my destiny to be in media, kasi that has always been my calling ever since I was a kid. People have asked me which do I prefer: being in front of the cameras or working behind it. As of now, I think, in front of the camera. But eventually, I want to work behind it too, 'coz I want to become a director."
That ambition vies with another dream. "Gusto ko talaga maging VJ. When I was 12 I actually announced, 'You know what? I wanna be a VJ.' They said, 'O you go!' I was like, 'Yeah when the next VJ hunt comes around I'm going to audition.' But it never happened. But I really want to become a VJ."
Chynna will be the first to tell you that she does not fit to a T the typical attributes of a Sagittarius. "It's weird. You know how a Sagittarian is normally described: athletic, optimistic, blah blah. I don't know what happened to the stars when I was born, but I just don't fit. We had a book before, I read it, December 6, 1982. The description there was so me. I used to be pessimistic, especially as a child. And I don't like sports --- I'd rather do cheerleading. On the plus side, I am flexible and persistent. There are times when I tell myself I'm good at something, even though others might go 'No, you're not.' I don't let that discourage me. Push ko talaga na, 'Kaya mo yan,' until they believe in me."
FIRST CLICK Nowadays, Chynna is famous for her roles in Click and Ikaw Lang Ang Mamahalin. It is a long story about how she ended up in these 2 prime programs, so I let her do the talking.
"After 5 & Up I did some commercial modeling. During senior year in high school I started doing VTR's for commercials. The first one I did was for Cloud 9, and then after two months I got the Sprite ad, ung 'Kitikitext.' That's where our production unit manager, Miss Gigi Santiago, spotted me. Miss Gigi used to be a producer at Probe Productions (producer of 5 & Up among other award-winning shows) when I was a reporter there. So when she saw me, she was like, 'Is that Chynna?' I swear if you see my before pictures, I looked so different. (Back then) I looked like a boy. It reached a point where people mistook me for a boy and call out, 'Boy, boy!.' My hair was very short, like a boy's cut, then I was scrawny, and I was like always wearing jeans, long t-shirts, sneakers --- really boyish! So when Miss Gigi saw me in the Sprite ad she was like 'Oh my God, dalaga na si Chynna! Ang laki laki na nya.' It just so happened that that was also the time they were creating a character similar to Roxanne's (Barcelo) character Toni, pero mas exaggerated lang. I was supposed to be the third party in the Roxanne-James Blanco love team and I did play that for a while, but eventually that disappeared. The original plan was I was just gonna be a guest for a couple of episodes. They decided to make me a regular, so I'm just really, really lucky."
"After 4 months I got into the soap opera. And then, I don't know, maybe I was just lucky 'coz my story line was nice and it's a protagonist part. Plus I was paired off with Cogie (Domingo), and we all know how popular Cogie is. At least they know my name, but it took a long time (for this to happen)." Chynna naturally went through the requisite fame adjustment period. "At first it was difficult. During 5 & Up I was recognized, but not as widely recognized as now. Especially during mall tours --- the crowd would just go wild! I would be like, 'Why are you doing that? It's just me.' So I couldn't cope, before, but now sanay na! I'm used to the excitement, to getting pinched. It's not that they want to hurt you, but they're just excited and they want to touch you."
While all that attention and adulation has not entered her head, Chynna appreciates them just the same. "When you get praised, it seems all the hard work is worth it. It feels like I have achieved something, and someone recognized my efforts. That keeps me going."
MIMI & MELANIE Perhaps you know Chynna better by either of her alter egos' names, Click's Mimi and ILAM's Melanie. The two are as different as night and day. Mimi is what the actress calls a very kikay girl, someone who is very much into fashion. Unlike the stereotypical fashion-conscious girl, Mimi does have a serious side and is able to contribute something significant to conversations when necessary. Her love interest is Enzo played by Richard Gutierrez.
Her other screen persona moves in another, darker world, as befits the telenovela she is in. Melanie was introduced as one of the alleged daughters of Amara Fuentebella, along with Melanie's sister Cassandra. Chynna's first love team mate in ILAM was Cogie Domingo, who eventually moved to another soap series, Kung Mawawala Ka. Richard Gutierrez, who plays Inigo in the soap, then became her new love interest. In the convoluted world of ILAM, Melanie and Cassandra were discovered to be not Amara's daugters, that Amara only used them to get her hands on the Fuentebella wealth. Amara's real child turned out to be none other than Inigo. And the dramatic, exciting, storied world of ILAM goes on.
Chynna by now has managed to reconcile herself with her disparate characters, one being a normal teen-ager, the other a perennial victim. "At first i thought, 'Oh my God, it's so hard.' Mimi is a teen-ager while Melanie is about 20. Melanie is always kawawa because all sorts of bad things happen to her. If ever a good thing happens to her, it's followed by something bad. Abused child pa siya. With Melanie I mature myself a bit because this is a serious role, while with Mimi I go light. Actually, I'm not as kikay as she is. Others think i am a tomboy. I explain that I'm merely boyish, mainly because of my training in 5 & Up. Ngayon ngayon na lang I'm getting into fashion."
Neither Melanie nor Mimi reflects the real Chynna. "I'm not kikay like Mimi, and definitely I'm not victimized like Melanie, although now, with Melanie rebelling against what's happening to her, I am able to input some of my real life qualities into her. Ordinarily I don't take things super seriously. But I am not the type who cries when somebody steps on me. Usually I do fight back."
Perhaps ILAM can benefit from the light, zany antics that happen on the Click set. Chynna describes the current cast as one big barkada, with Tricia Roman being her best friend there.
One time when they had Janno Gibbs as guest, "I think it was about 3 a.m. and Janno was shushing us cuz we were really noisy." recalls Chynna. "We were just laughing our heads off over nothing. If you could just see us --- me, Dyan and Angel --- you'd see how makulit we are. When we are together, maingay talaga."
Hmmm, sounds like your regular tight teen-age clique.
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