Andrea Torres made sure to protect Sisa's character, so viewers won't just see her as 'baliw'

Andrea Torres has earned some much-deserved praise for her role as Sisa in “Maria Clara at Ibarra.”

The Kapuso actress was lauded for her tragic scenes and portrayal of a mother’s pain and love for her sons who went missing.

Her iconic monologue was even unplanned and done in one long 15-minute take.

In her cover story for Cosmopolitan Philippines, Andrea said that she studied the character and took workshops, and that she gained confidence after her preparations.

An important part for the actress was to give Sisa a human side.

“There's always that pressure because it's an iconic scene and an iconic line, pero doon ko na lang kinuha yung confidence ko that I prepared. ‘Yun ang pinaka naging hugot ko, everything that I researched about her," she said.

“Sobrang traumatized [ni Sisa], one traumatizing event after another. I was affected by that, and I felt that she wasn't protected in the story. So it's my duty to protect her image to the people who will watch her won't make fun of her,” she added.

Sisa was portrayed many times before, but Andrea made sure to not treat her like a joke and go beyond how people only see her as a “baliw.”

“Parang always joke [si Sisa]. So sabi ko, ‘Parang meron siyang motherly side e,’ and there's always a reason behind everyone's actions. At least magkaroon man lang ng ganoong realization ['yung viewers] na, ‘Ah, hindi lang siya baliw. It’s reasonable why she's acting that way,’” she said.

“Baka hindi siya baliw, baka she's just reacting to what's happening. Kung ikaw naman yung nandoon sa situation na yun as a mom, hindi mo na rin alam, tsaka wala kang tulog, wala kang kain for days kaya ganun yung emotions mo,” she added.

In her cover story, Andrea also talked more about how sexiness comes from within, the rejections and hard work in her showbiz career, her past relationships, self-love, and motivation. —Nika Roque/JCB, GMA Integrated News