MANILA, Philippines – The year 2018 is turning out to be a good year for veteran actress Odette Khan, who won her third consecutive award for her role as a strict but loving teacher in Bar Boys.

On Thursday, June 14, the Ika-6 na Utos actress won the Gawad Urian for Best Actress. In her speech, she credited the late senator Miriam Defensor Santiago for the role she played in the movie.

“For the late senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, sa iyo ito (this is for you),” she said as she lifted the trophy. She also mentioned her director, Kip Oebanda.

In an interview with reporters after the program, Odette explained why she mentioned the late senator. She said, Miriam was her peg for the role of Attorney Hernandez.

“Sinabi ng direktor iyan. I am playing her. That time buhay siya. So sabi ko sa sarili ko, pag hindi ko ito tinama, makatikim ako,” she said. (The director told me I am playing her. That time, she was alive. So I said to myself, if I don’t do this right, I’ll never hear the end of it.)

According to Odette, back in college, she even competed in an oratorical contest where Miriam got 1st place and she got 2nd place. She also saw how Miriam spoke on television, describing the senator as a “strong woman.”

Doing kontrabida roles

Known for playing many antagonist roles, Odette said that she finds doing meek and kind roles quite challenging. 

“Pag pinalabas mo akong mabait, effort sa akin iyon. Kasi ang mukha matapang, mahirap. Parang plastic nga eh (When you make me portray nice and kind characters, it’s really an effort on my part. I look fierce, so it’s difficult. I feel like it’s fake)!” she said.

With regards to winning Gawad Urian after scoring Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) and FAMAS trophies, Odette said she still could not believe her feat.

Asked about choosing roles, Odette said she always consults with her manager. Having been in the entertainment industry for such a long time, is there any role she still wants to do?

“Kung ano sa tingin nila ang kakayanin ko. Di ko pinapangarap kasi hindi ko pa alam kung babayaran pa nila ako  (Whatever they think that I can do. I haven’t been been dreaming about it because I don’t even know if they’ll pay me for it),” she said in jest.

Responding to questions, Odette said there are a lot of good “villains” among today’s crop of young actresses.

“Alam mo marami, but I don’t want to just mention names. Kita ‘nyo naman marami.  On and off screen, ang daming kontrabida lalo na pag may camera, o ‘di magaling (You know, there are so many, but I don’t want to just mention name. You see there are so many of them. On and off screen, there are so many antagonists especially when they’re standing in front of a camera. So they’re good),” she said. – Rappler.com