Kai Montinola admitted that she initially felt intimidated working on her first television series, Roja.
During the show’s finale media conference, Kai shared that she was surprised to be cast in an action-packed project, which was far from the kind of roles she initially imagined for herself.
“I’ve had a few acting bits before Roja pero Roja is my first full-blown show and I was a bit surprised to be a part of Roja kase nga, as Ate May (Entrata) said, it’s action packed. So parang, ‘Talaga ba? Kai Montinola, mag a-action din?’ So parang, at first, I was intimidated,” former Pinoy Big Brother Gen 11 housemate expressed.
However, stepping into the role of Ice Mercado, an influencer who travels to La Playa Roja and finds herself caught in an unexpected hostage situation, eventually turned into a valuable learning experience for the young actress.
“As I got to know my role, Ice Mercado, I’m an influencer with AC (Bonifacio), sila Emilio (Daez), I was like, ‘Okay. Let’s see.’ And honestly, I had fun and I wouldn't have so much fun if it weren’t for the cast, honestly, and the whole team, Dreamscape team, they really welcomed me into my very first show so I’m very grateful that they’re here to guide me as a baguhan,” she added.
For Kai, being part of the series from beginning to end allowed her to experience a wide range of emotions, which she believes viewers also felt while watching the show.
“Ang dami kong natutunan, ang dami kong na-experience, at andami kong naramdaman and to be able to feel that in real life, tells so much about the show itself. So kung papanoorin niyo yung Roja mismo, dun mo din mararamdaman ang sobrang daming emotions,” she expressed.
After taking part in Roja, Kai also said she would be open to exploring more roles outside what people might typically expect from her.
“For another action? Syempre (I’ll do it), bakit hindi, ‘di ba? I mean, siguro it’s not like the first thought na would come into your mind about Kai Montinola na magaction. Parang wala kasi siya sa first impression, pero why not, 'di ba to explore,” she stated.
In a previous interview with PUSH ABS-CBN, Kai also described how overwhelming yet exciting the experience was, especially considering the scale of the cast and the intensity of the production for her first series.
“Well, first of all, I’ll be honest – it was quite overwhelming. Especially nung una kong nalaman na ang dami pala namin na cast. But nung nagstart na yung first cycle, siyempre we were locked-in in a small island and we were able to know each other and everyone. Surprisingly and expectedly, na-enjoy ko yung stay ko kasi siyempre kasi they are all experienced, but also they are also very warm,” she said.
Kai also recalled one of the most memorable moments for her during filming, which was an intense panic scene where their characters were taken hostage at the resort.
READ: EXCLUSIVE: Kai Montinola shares her experience working with the cast of 'ROJA'
Meanwhile, her co-star Kyle Echarri said he would gladly work with Kai again in future projects. The two previously appeared together in an episode of Maalaala Mo Kaya.
“Oo naman for sure. I would love to work with her again. Since Day 1 na we have to work in MMK. Nakabuo kami ng chemistry when it comes to working together, It doesn't feel like work whenever we have scenes together,” Kyle said.
Catch the finale week of Roja weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, and ALLTV, as well as via Kapamilya Online Live and iWant. The series is also available for streaming on Netflix.