Some of us probably knew Kaila Estrada from Viral Scandal or from her exceptional performance in her Maalala Mo Kaya episode in 2022. But for most people, Kaila's roles in Linlang and Can't Buy Me Love appear to have gained their sympathy for the martyr and love-blind figure both roles have shown.
In an exclusive chat with Cosmopolitan, Kaila reveals her thoughts on love, relationships, and especially on being Sylvia Lualhati of Linlang, and Bettina Tiu of Can't Buy Me Love. For the promising actress, both her roles are martyrs and absolute submissives when it comes to their love partners—which, she said, are quite the opposite of Kaila in real life.
Looking into Sylvia and Bettina
Kaila described Sylvia's character as a loving and devoted wife to Alex (portrayed by JM De Guzman). During the recent Linlang episodes, it was revealed that Sylvia and Alex are facing infertility issues, aside from the part that Alex has been cheating on her with his brother's wife, Juliana (played by Kim Chiu).
Kaila's character remained kind and faithful amid the cruelty around her, and this portrayal captured people's sympathy. Perhaps, the audience was looking forward to the moment she would learn to fight back. "She's a good person. But even good people have their limits," she said in what seemed to be a low-key spoiler on how Sylvia would evolve throughout the show.
Almost similar to Sylvia, Bettina of Can't Buy Me Love is poised to be a very prim and proper lady according to Kaila. Bettina is in an abusive relationship with her fiancé, Edward Liao (played by Enzo Pineda).
Despite the abusive traits of her boyfriend, Bettina chose to stay. "I would say she’s afraid of becoming a failure, however, she defines it to be. Whether it be in her future marriage or in her family," Kaila said about Bettina.
How Kaila would navigate through relationships
With how her characters turned out to be, are they in any way similar to Kaila? The actress answered, "I would say probably before, I had a tendency to become a martyr. But, I feel like I've grown from that and learned a lot from my experiences."
A hopeless romantic at 27, Kaila admitted that she was once willing to give her 100 percent for her partner, even barely leaving anything for herself. But if faced with the same circumstances as Sylvia or Bettina, Kaila wouldn't even think twice about leaving for her own good.
"Honestly, I would choose to break up. Life is too short to settle for someone who won’t choose you or clearly doesn’t want to be with you," she declared.
That's why for her one of the major green flags in a relationship would be a partner who respects and supports her. Plus, she thinks that someone who knows how to care for other people, especially their loved ones, is a major boost in character!
Meanwhile, contrary to Sylvia and Bettina, Kaila's ultimate deal-breakers are cheating and physical abuse. She thinks that cheating will forever be unjustifiable in any way. "Cheating for me is inexcusable. If you don't want to be with that person anymore, let them know and set each other free," Kaila remarked.
On having back-to-back projects
It was only in 2020 when Kaila decided to enter showbiz, and it took almost a year after her first audition before she got her first role in Viral Scandal. Now, she openly expresses her gratitude and excitement towards consecutive projects with distinguished celebrities in the industry.
Being part of Linlang was something she was nervous about at first. Kaila knew how challenging it would be to play Sylvia's part. But of course, she knew that she could not miss the opportunity to work with such a powerhouse cast that includes Maricel Soriano, Kim Chiu, Paulo Avelino, and JM De Guzman.
"I feel truly honored to have worked with them and to have been part of such a great project. I really learned a lot," Kaila expressed.
It was a totally different take for Can't Buy Me Love. According to Kaila, it was a dream come true for her to work with one of the most sought-after love teams at present, DonBelle. "I was super excited because I expressed in the past that I wanted to work with DonBelle and now it's happening! I'm so grateful to be part of it and very happy to be working with everyone," said Kaila.
Pieces of love advice, not from Sylvia and Bettina, but from Kaila herself
We asked Kaila if there are any love and relationship tips she would like to impart to the viewers of Linlang and Can't Buy Me Love. Giving it so much thought, Kaila heartily left us with these three things to remember about love:
- Love is a choice. Be with someone who will choose you as much as you would choose them.
- Don't settle for less than you deserve.
- Love yourself enough so you don't depend on someone else to make you happy.
Well said, Kaila! We're excited to see you grow in this industry.
