Butterflies filled the air with the presence of the young and talented actresses of “What Lies Beneath,” Mutya Orquia (who plays Louisa Mae Soria) and Kolette Madelo (who portrays the young Liezel Basa), in the January 16 episode of Kapamilya Chat.
Fans had long anticipated Mutya and Kolette’s appearance on Kapamilya Chat, especially after their trending on-screen sapphic pairing. In the interview, they spoke candidly about fully immersing themselves in the lives of two teenage girls in love navigating a town’s prejudice—forced to play it safe rather than to freely love one another.
Both actresses were equally surprised by the rush of recognition for their roles—especially Kolette, experiencing her first viral teleserye moment and first GL tandem with former child star Mutya.
Shortly after noticing the buzz, Mutya messaged Kolette to celebrate the widespread appreciation for their meaningful acting partnership.
When asked if they knew their characters’ connection in advance, Mutya recalled that the directors had mentioned it but didn’t realize it would be highlighted on a larger scale. Kolette, on the other hand, learned about it on set—specifically during a scene shot in Pangasinan, when Direk Dado Lumibao told her.
Speaking about her beginnings in acting, Kolette admitted she was initially nervous about the women-love-women storyline but was eager to explore diverse roles. Her excitement grew even more when she learned she would be paired with Mutya, as the two had been close even before the series aired.
On the topic of Mutya as a dependable co-star, she always checked in with Kolette about their skinship scenes, making sure to respect her boundaries. Even when Kolette apologized for not completing a scene, Mutya offered guidance, which made their subsequent scenes much easier to film.
When asked about their three favorite plot points in the series, Mutya eagerly shared her list. She started with the carnival scene in the neighboring town, especially the moment when they screamed excitedly together on the Ferris wheel.
Her next pick was the heartbreaking episode when Liezel admitted to Louisa that she was backing out of their elopement. Lastly, she highlighted their heart-fluttering confession scene, where Louisa told Liezel that their feelings weren’t wrong because they made each other happy.
From Kolette’s perspective, she also treasured the confession part and even shared that they were bursting with laughter after filming it. She then brought up another happy couple moment between Louisa and Liezel, picking the scene in which Liezel gave Louisa a watch engraved with the letter “L.”
Like Mutya, Kolette enjoyed filming in the local carnival setting and disclosed a funny time involving the ice cream she ate for the shoot. Mutya teased her afterward, saying it was still needed for the scene, but they both laughed it out.
Having noted Kolette’s emotional performance as Liezel, particularly in her many breakdown scenes, it’s clear she showed dedication in her preparations, all while shooting another teleserye, “Sins of the Father.”
She shared that on the way to the “What Lies Beneath” set, she makes it a priority to steady her mindset and get serious, as the plot of the series is emotionally heavy. At the same time, she enjoys switching off her “work mode” and getting fully into action on set.
When she has difficulty crying on demand, she turns to directors Dado Lumibao, Froy Allan Leonardo and Esmeralda Unabia, for guidance, noting that hurtful words often help her tap into genuine characterization.
Throughout Kolette’s discussion of her growth, Mutya expressed pride, complimenting her co-star for being a fast learner. She also recalled the piece of advice she once gave Kolette—the one that she now embodies—specifically about digging deep into the meaning of their scenes and lines to fully bring her inner Liezel to life.
Transitioning to the well-known Mutya, the interview focused on her fierce moment—the one where she was slapped by an acting mother. She revealed that she hadn’t read about it in the script beforehand and was caught by surprise. Still, she felt prepared, having already handled intense sequences in the first episodes with the young Edong, played by Renshi de Guzman.
In the heartfelt segment where they were asked to share lessons from their characters, Mutya spoke about the importance of knowing and loving your true self and following your heart. She even joked that she discovered she can be the “handsome” kind that makes people swoon.
For Kolette, the lesson was similar to Mutya’s—about being true to your feelings for yourself and for those around you. This led to a discussion about the messages they hope to send to their characters and to viewers who see themselves in the story and feel unsure about who they really are, whether in love or in their overall personality.
Kolette shared that feeling confused can be a normal part of figuring out your emotions. Mutya chimed in, reflecting on the downside of Liezel and Louisa’s secret relationship, which ended up hurting young Angelo (played by Luis Vera Perez).
Talking about Angelo’s situation led Mutya to stress the importance of really understanding yourself. She said that if someone develops feelings for another person while in a relationship, it’s better to end it than risk hurting anyone.
Moving on to the topic of taking on more girls’ projects together, both actresses said they are more than ready, highlighting how comfortable they feel around each other.
To wrap up the interview with a fun twist, they were asked which characters they’d want to play in the series if given the chance. Mutya said she would like to take on Edong, as portrayed by Jake Cuenca and Renshi, while Kolette chose Louisa, drawn to her dauntless personality.
Catch more Louisa and Liezel throwbacks on “What Lies Beneath” weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, ALLTV2, and iWant.