Bernardo is a Former Child Star, her first acting credit being in 2003 when she was 7 years old. She later transitioned into Teen Idol status with Daniel Padilla; they were dubbed “The Teen King and Queen” due to their sheer popularity as individuals and an onscreen duo. They continued starring in Romantic Comedies/Dramatic Teleseryes as a pair well into their twenties, culminating in The Hows of Us, which became Philippine cinema’s highest-grossing film of all time in 2018. Bernardo’s first film with a Love Interest played by an actor who isn’t Padilla (Alden Richards), Hello, Love, Goodbye, broke that record in 2019. Despite no longer featuring in projects together, Bernardo and Padilla were offically dating until late 2023.
Selected filmography:
- Super Inggo (2006–2007) as Maya
- Mara Clara (2010–2011) as Mara Del Valle
- 24/7 In Love (2012) as Jane dela Cuesta
- Sisterakas (2012) as Katherine “Kathy” Maningas
- Princess and I (2012–2013) as Maria Mikaela “Mikay” Maghirang-dela Rosa/Princess Areeyah Wangchuck-Rinpoche
- Must Be... Love (2013) as Patricia “Patchot” Espinosa
- Pagpag: Siyam na Buhay (2013) as Leni dela Torre
- Got to Believe (2013–2014) as Cristina Carlota “Chichay” Tampipi
- She’s Dating the Gangster (2014) as Athena Dizon/Kelay Dizon
- Crazy Beautiful You (2015) as Jacqueline “Jackie” Serrano
- Barcelona: A Love Untold (2016) as Mia Angela Dela Torre/Celine Antipala
- Can’t Help Falling in Love (2017) Gabriela “Gab” Benedictos dela Cuesta
- La Luna Sangre (2017–2018) as Malia Rodriguez
- The Hows of Us (2018) as Georgina “George” Silva
- Hello, Love, Goodbye (2019) as Joy Marie Fabregas
Tropes that apply to her or are associated with her work include:
- Acting for Two: In She’s Dating the Gangster and Barcelona: A Love Untold. Averted in Princess and I, despite the dual name... although that could be and has been heavily debated, with the fandom spawning heated discussions about Mikay’s arguably fractured identity.
- Boy Meets Girl: All of her works. All of them.
- Contractual Purity: Until 2014, she mostly played Plucky Girls who never went past an Almost Kiss. When she turned of age, Crazy Beautiful You featured her in a more anti-heroic role with Fanservice elements. Her later roles have been in this vein, and she has pretty much embraced
the Ms. Fanservice image. - Fake Nationality: Bernardo’s character in Princess and I is the eponymous princess of a kingdom called Yangdon, which is based on the real-life South Asian nation Bhutan. A bit justified, as Sharchops (the ethnic majority in Bhutan) often have Southeast Asian ancestry.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Bernardo is 5′2″; Padilla is 5′11″. (Although not all that impressive a height to Westerners, 5′11″ is very tall by Philippine standards.)
- Only Known by Their Nickname: As you can tell from her listed filmography above, her characters tend to be this. They’re usually, but not always, more distinctively Filipino-sounding nicknames, like “Patchot” and “Chichay.” Others are more of Gender Blender Names, like “Jackie” and “George.”
- Pigeonholed Voice Actor: As The Protagonist. Following her breakthrough role as eternally virtuous Working Class Heroine Mara in Mara Clara, and especially once her shows and films started raking in the biggest gains in modern Philippine entertainment, it’s become harder to name a work of hers in which she doesn’t play the lead.
- Pun-Based Title: Of the dramatic sort. The Hows of Us refers to, well, the “how”s and “why”s of the main couple’s relationship. The movie also revolves around a once-shared house, and the romantic drama surrounding its occupation and ownership.
- Romance on the Set: Her ex-boyfriend was her long-time “love team” partner, Daniel Padilla (nicknamed DJ by Bernardo and his fans). Although the nature of love teams can be fertile ground for skepticism towards the authenticity of their relationship, it did help that the two officially dated for some time even after their onscreen partnership has broken off. Shortly after the release of Bernardo’s first film in 7 years sans Padilla (incidentally the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time as of 2019), she wrote:This person was not only my source of inspiration while I was filming the movie. He was my support system, my rock, my strength. We were hundreds of miles away from each other but not once did he make me feel alone. There were times I almost gave up—I felt exhausted, drained, and too lonely as I was too immersed in the character of Joy. It was one of the hardest things I’ve experienced both on and off cam. But this guy, he kept me going. [...]DJ, my love, YOU KEPT ME GOING. [...]Your success is mine; my success is yours.
- Those Two Actors: With Daniel Padilla, who was her “love team” partner.explanation
