Grit Grace Bianca Umali

We were setting up for the photo shoot when my phone rang. It was my contact from GMA Artist Center, informing me that Bianca Umali was already in the area looking for a spot to park her car. I dashed out of the home studio of our photographer, Doc Marlon Pecjo, to assist Bianca.

From across the street, I saw her maneuvering a white sedan into the available parking space. “You’re driving!” exclaimed Doc Marlon, who was standing beside me at the front door, while we watched Bianca step out of her ride and cross the road. He tried to recall the last time he saw Bianca, and wondered aloud if she’s already of legal age to drive. “I’m already 19 years old,” the young actress said with a laugh.

I was thinking the same thing. When did Bianca grow up and turn into a fine young woman? It seems only yesterday when she was a teenager who was captivating us with the way she portrayed her characters on TV.

But all that’s in the past. Bianca has indeed blossomed—and during our interview we tried to unravel the things and experiences that brought her to where she is now. It’s quite amazing, really, to know her story and discover who she is behind the scrutinizing lens of the camera and the public eye.

GIRL WITH GRIT

When asked if it’s always been her dream to become an actress, Bianca couldn’t really answer. It’s just that showbiz has always been there; she started appearing in commercials when she was two and had her first television show when she was nine.

The 19-year-old shares how she and her nanny would travel all the way from their Parañaque home to the GMA studio in Quezon City—via public transportation—to go on auditions. She was around seven years old then, and she’d line up along with other aspiring kid actors for hours.