Andrea Brillantes Wants You To Watch Her

There were no cameras during our interview—just me, Andrea, and a recorder. That was enough for her to let her guard down and give me her most honest, unfiltered answers. Every now and then, she calls herself out, equal parts jokes and reflections.

Being unfiltered doesn't mean being reckless, at least not for Andrea. To her, it means being brave—finding beauty in the mess, and strength in vulnerability.

"Brave, may integrity, confident—you need to be open," she says about the thought of unfiltered beauty. But does she see herself as an open person right now? Andrea quickly replies, saying, "Open naman ako ever since. Hindi lang ako natatanong nang maayos, or hindi ako hinahayaang magsalita."

In a way, Andrea’s life has never had filters—not since the day she chose to step into showbiz. She’s no stranger to comparisons and no stranger to criticism. Yet through all of it, she's learned to build something unshakable: her confidence.

"Dapat secure ka na talaga sa sarili mo. Hindi maiiwasan yung insecurities, kasi lumaki ako sa industry na lahat kami pinagko-compare. Competition talaga eh. Para siyang Hunger Games nga eh,” Andrea declared.

The entertainment industry has always been a stage for competition—where everyone's being watched, weighed, and judged. But Andrea is clear about where she draws the line.

"Panoorin niyo ako, i-judge niyo acting ko. Yun yung i-judge niyo. Hindi yung personal life ko, hindi yung love life ko, hindi yung sex life ko, or whatever. Kapag gusto ko siyang i-share, dun kayo magsabi ng kung anu-ano," she said, her tone firm but calm, demanding fairness.

Beyond the countless headlines and viral moments, it's easy to forget just how far Andrea's come—and how hard she's worked to get here. At her core, she's an actress who wants to be seen for what she does best.

It was in Kadenang Ginto that then-teenage Andrea cemented her place in the world of entertainment. There's no arguing that Marga (her character) has become a timeless pop culture. Andrea admits it's the role that made her more confident as an actress.

"It changed me. Nakakuha ako ng acknowledgment sa mga tao. It ignited me to be confident. Grabe yung growth ko dun in terms of self-love din, kasi pangit na pangit ako sa sarili ko noon," she shared, recalling how insecure she once felt while filming Kadenang Ginto.

But the show's success made her realize so much more about her own beauty.

From that moment on, acting kept her going. She's been chasing projects that challenge her, choosing scripts that speak to her, and making every move count. Through the years, she's portrayed the villain, the heroine, the young journalist, and even a blind girl—proof of how much she's grown, and how much more she still wants to do.

This year, Andrea has been working on multiple projects, including the redemption film Laya and the Metro Manila Film Festival entry Rekonek. While she can't reveal much about either film just yet, she's clear about what truly matters to her when she takes on a role.

"Super important ang script for me. Gusto ko may laman yung character. I'm always looking for something new and something fun. Hindi stagnant," she said, locking eyes with me as she spoke.

Just as she seeks roles that challenge and fulfill her, Andrea also lives with that same sense of curiosity and intention.

She says it like a truth she's already lived through when we talk about how age doesn't define experience. She's learned to travel solo, try new things—with or without company—and do it all even when she's a little scared.

By the time she turned 20, she took another leap of faith: starting her own business. It wasn't something she thought she could do—until her forever idol, Kylie Jenner, showed her what was achievable.

"I never thought that it was possible to have your own makeup line at a very young age. Kylie was 18 at that time. Pwede pala yun. 'I wanna do it too,' sabi ko," she mused, recalling the story of starting her company, Lucky Beauty. Kylie may have sparked the idea, but Andrea's vision was her own—to create products that inspire confidence and make people feel good.

"It's called Lucky Beauty, kasi makeup is a wearable charm. Ako kasi when it's a bad day but my makeup's on fleek, I don't care. Everything's gonna be okay!" she said with a laugh.

It's one of the many reasons why Andrea is Andrea Brillantes. She knows how to turn her experiences into something empowering.

Even her perfume line was inspired by her own kilig moments. "May crush ako noon, 15 or 16 ako noon. One day sinabihan niya ako na ang bango ko. Kahit hindi ako nakakaamoy, I knew that was the best compliment ever!" Andrea said, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

And just like that, we found ourselves talking about love. Andrea's been through it (and she's never shy about it!), but the way she spoke about it now felt refreshingly real—like two friends swapping relationship stories over coffee.

"Love is so painful. Natutunan ko yan. Pero natutunan ko [rin] na with the right love, you don't have to disregard yourself or discard anyone," she said, defining love and heartbreak, which she both had to go through in the public eye. "Hindi mo kailangan i-torture sarili mo for love."

She goes on proclaiming, "If it's the right love, it doesn't have to be hard. I mean, lahat ng pagmamahal, paghihirapan mo yan."

Her words carried the weight of someone who's lived through it. So I asked her the age-old question: What's the stupidest thing she's ever done for love? Cliché, sure, but with Andrea, it felt worth asking. It turned out to be the gateway to something deeper—to the woman she's become when it comes to love and relationships.

"Ang dami na!" she exclaimed. "Nagmakaawa na ako, nag-Angkas ako in the middle of the night nagmamakaawa ako kahit ako na yung minali… Kinalimutan ko talaga yung sarili ko, inuna ko sila."

She's had her fair share of turning points when coming to terms with love. Loving too hard like that once made her give up on the idea of love. "Hanggang sa na-realize ko, mali lang talaga yung taong minahal ko," she said.

Going through heartbreak publicly was another story. "Alam ko lang iyak ako nang iyak nung time na yon." It was when her breakup with Seth Fedelin broke the news—a private moment that played out everywhere online.

It may be in the past now, but that experience left her with one lasting lesson: never touch your phone when you're feeling vulnerable.

"Don't touch your phone! Don't do anything online. Don't post. Celebrity ka man o hindi. Kasi dati naman walang phone o social media. What do people do? They talk. They sit with themselves."

If anything, she says, it can be even more destructive—no matter how tempted you are to express your emotions online.

These days, she's more guarded in love, not only because of her heartbreaks in the past, but because of how she navigated through self-love. "All along, hinahanap ko yung magpo-protect sakin. Bago ako maghanap ng magpo-protect sa akin. I need to protect myself first," Andrea stated.

"Hindi naman ako lumaki sa happy family din kasi, tapos lahat ng pinagdaanan ko at a very early age, growing up publicly, naghanap ako ng person na kikilalanin talaga yung kung sino ako—really get to know me, memorize me," she added.

That heartbreak became a turning point for Andrea's career, too. After her relationship with Seth, who was also her former love team partner, Andrea chose to go solo.

"Best decision of my life, ang saya-saya," she said about stepping away from the love team culture. But she made it clear: it wasn't a rejection of love teams themselves, just a recognition that it wasn't her path.

"Good for those na nag-work sa kanila ang love team. I'm happy for my friends. Pero, I just think it's not for me. I don't regret it at all either," she declared.

While she acknowledged the happiness of sharing success with someone, Andrea also found power in being more independent in her craft. Andrea told Cosmo, "Iba din kasi yung feeling na alam mo lang sa'yo. Lahat ito ako, kasi I was brave enough to do it alone."

She's proud of it all: the risks, the wins, the lessons that shaped her into who she is today. Andrea has learned to navigate her career with purpose and joy, making a name for herself not just as an actress, but as an entrepreneur—and, most importantly, as her own person.

She shared, "Success for me is kapag kuntento ka na. Proud na proud ako sa sarili ko, aware ako sa milestones na na-achieve ko."

"It's just the beginning for me. Masyado akong maraming gustong gawin," Andrea continued. And that day, she got to cross one off her list—becoming a Cosmo cover girl. What's next is a lifetime of chasing roles, stories, and the kind of actress she's always wanted to be.

Right now, she's got a lot in the works, with herself as her biggest priority. "I'm securing myself. I'm happy where I am now," she says, her voice steady and sure. She proudly shared that she’s learned to live alone, provided for her family, and is now saving up—for herself this time.

That's everything she's done just at the age of 22. It's more than most could imagine. Some might say she's too young to be this successful, this secure, this content. But that's just noise. Andrea knows her worth now—and she's holding on to it, fiercely.

"I'm not as problematic as they think I am," she said, strong words from someone who's had to grow up in front of everyone's eyes. She's done explaining. She's letting her actions speak louder than anything said about her. 

Because even amid every headline, every rumor, every story that lingers around her, she keeps finding her light—moving toward what's real, what's happy, what's her. At the end of the day, Andrea Brillantes is Andrea Brillantes for a reason.

"Just watch me."