Kaila Estrada never thought she’d end up here—now she’s one of TV’s brightest stars

How do you prepare for a role? Can you walk me through your process? Do you have a routine?
I like to read whatever scripts are available. I’ve mostly done teleseryes, though I’ve been in a couple of films. For teleseryes, I read whatever scripts are available at the time, even if they’re not yet complete. When we start, they usually give us a character profile, so I study that first. I try to figure out the core values of my character—what’s important to this person? How does she react to adversity in her life? Things like that help anchor me to the character.

What are her core values? Where is she coming from? What is her goal in this journey? Those are the questions I usually ask to assess whether I know my character well enough.

When we shoot the pilot, that’s when I start to really see the chemistry with the other cast members. That’s when it becomes clear what my character’s relationships are like. Along the way, those connections just grow stronger.

How does this character talk? How does she walk? How does she dress? Those are the things I like to start with, and then eventually, of course, it gets deeper as the story progresses.

What’s the role that pushed you the most, creatively or perhaps emotionally?
Emotionally, I would still say Sylvia. It’s definitely Sylvia, because who I am in real life is so different from her. She was such a mature character—she’s married, she lost her baby, she’s a lawyer dealing with infidelity in her marriage. These are things that are so far from my own reality, so I felt I really needed to prepare more.

My other characters, I would say, have more similarities with me. It was easier for me to connect with them and to understand them. Especially with Max—I feel like, even though Max is very stoic and not the makulit type at all, I have that side of me too, the more nonchalant side. In real life, I’m quite playful, but Max went through a lot of losses, a lot of grief and pain, which I haven’t really experienced myself.

But I still found it easy to connect with her. Actually, with all of my characters, even though I haven’t personally gone through what they’ve gone through, I feel like I’ve been able to connect with them emotionally. We all know what it’s like to grieve. We all know what it’s like to lose someone important—whether through death or heartbreak.

So I think it’s the empathy I have for my characters that really anchors me to them and helps me. It’s my strongest tool in connecting with them.

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Which character was the hardest to let go?
Of course, at the moment, I would say it’s Max. But I think I’ve struggled with letting go of every character I’ve played, because it’s different when you live with a character for months, for a very long period of time. Their experiences, their journey, the relationships you build throughout the show—it all really stays with you.

And then, after everything, you go back to your regular life as yourself. Then suddenly you start a new show, a new character. So I feel like I’ve always struggled a bit with letting go of the characters I’ve played, just because I become so attached. If my characters were actual people, I’d say I’ve already grown really attached to them.

There’s always that lull period too—which is also a resting period before starting a new project—where you feel a bit sad. You try to get back into your regular routine as yourself. I’ve experienced this with all the characters I’ve played so far.

What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced, and can you tell me a little bit about how you overcame them?
Now that I’ve been here for a few years, there’s a lot of pressure—both external and internal. One of the biggest challenges has been learning not to tie my self-worth to external validation. I’ve had to accept that not everyone will like you, and also learn how to exist in an industry that’s very public.

As a public figure, we always say that your privacy will get invaded every so often—and that’s just part of the trade-off. It comes with being in show business. I’ve realised how important it is for me to keep my personal life as private as I can, because it’s something sacred to me. I know some people might find that a little unfair, but at the end of the day, we’re all human beings. I value my privacy, I value my personal life and that’s just me protecting my peace.

I’ve also learnt that not everyone will be okay with that—and I think it’s really about learning to be okay with not everybody being okay with it.

Who would you say has been your greatest influence in shaping you as an actor?
I would definitely say my mum, especially when it comes to work ethic. I work with people who’ve worked with her, and they always tell me that we’re the same in terms of how we work. And I think it’s true that you learn from your parents not so much by what they say, but by how they act.

I feel like I picked it up from observing her ever since I was young. I used to visit her on set during tapings or shoots, and I would just watch her do her thing. I’d see how she carried herself and how she worked, and it really stayed with me. Eventually, I became the same—like, ‘Oh, this is how it’s supposed to be done’.

So yes, definitely my mum. She’s also my rock. I look to her for strength, validation, comfort and inspiration. I mean, my mum is practically a legend. She’s amazing at what she does, and she inspires me all the time—especially in how she deals with adversity. She handles things so gracefully.

Are there any dream projects or genres you’re hoping to explore in the future?
I feel like I’ve manifested doing action. I think I want to keep doing more of it, whether in films or teleseryes. The action genre is definitely something I want to continue exploring and having opportunities in.

I also want to try something in the thriller or psychological thriller genre. Actually, I’ve realised I want to experience doing a rom-com too, because the roles I’ve done so far have been very far from that. My characters haven’t been light at all. So I want to try something lighter, just to see if I’m actually capable of doing it. That would be interesting—both to do and to discover.

What message would you like to share with aspiring artists who look up to your journey and want to break into the industry themselves?
Be patient with yourself. This industry really requires a lot of patience, because you never know when your time will come. The path isn’t linear, and it won’t always make sense, but as long as you focus on the work and don’t lose your determination, you’ll find your way.

Stay hungry, keep showing up, keep learning. Be honest with yourself, and don’t lose who you are by trying to be what others expect you to be.

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