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This is an excerpt from MEGA May 2026 Beauty Profile
Gusto Kita With All My Hypothalamus opens to the rhythm of Manila in motion: brightly colored jeepneys waving for attention, neon signs buzzing with anticipation, and crowded sidewalks pulsing with energy. The frame then lingers on a mysterious woman, moving in slow motion to the music of Vehnee Saturno’s Ikaw Pa Rin. The city fades into the background as her beauty comes into focus—a face that feels both new and familiar, composed, almost untouchable, the kind that commands attention without asking for it.
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It marks the first time the world meets Aileen, the female lead of the film, and the first time it sees Iana Bernardez on the big screen.
This moment somehow calls to mind a scene from Sigrid Andrea Bernardo’s Ang Huling Cha-Cha ni Anita, where time seems to bend the moment Pilar, portrayed by Angel Aquino, arrives on a tricycle—the lens focusing on a face with a timeless beauty, composed, almost untouchable, the kind that commands attention without asking for it.
Many would call that kind of beauty generational. But this feels like something else entirely. This beauty extends beyond visual resemblance. It is energy. It is passion. It is dedication. And at the center of it all is a presence that feels both inherited and entirely self-made.
“The pride I feel—it’s indescribable,” Angel tells me. “She did it on her own. I mean, all of it was her, really. It’s her talent and her intelligence that brought her to where she is now. I love how she built and established her position in the industry.”
Iana, 32, with a strong footing in film production, says that she is learning as she goes. “Acting, to me, was something I didn’t know I would do. I was a shy girl. I never thought of myself as someone who is pretty enough to be in front of the camera. Finding that confidence was always hard for me.” Gusto Kita With All My Hypothalamus, however, was eye-opening for the actor.
“It was the talent coordinator and the script,” she says with so much optimism. “I read the script and told myself, ang swerte naman ng magpo-portray kay Aileen. I wanted to be Aileen for some reason. The script jumped right at me and I wanted to do it.”
Filming her debut was her first time working as an actor. “It was nerve-wracking because I never knew if I was doing it right. I had to learn how to trust myself and my co-actors. I am so grateful for them—Dylan Ray Talon, Nicco Manalo, Anthony Falcon, and Sir Soliman Cruz. They all guided me through it. They made sure I was okay.”
This experience, in her words, allowed her to slowly fall in love with acting. “You get the opportunity again. You can challenge yourself or ground yourself. And you get to experience so many emotions through your characters that you won’t get to experience in real life. It’s the best and the most difficult thing.”
Following Gusto Kita With All My Hypothalamus, Iana has starred in several shows and films, including Ten Little Mistresses, Nananahan, and Metamorphosis, where she won Best Supporting Actress at the 2019 Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival. Her love for acting also grew to include theater, where she portrays Candy in the play Endo.
Much of Iana’s story brings a sense of déjà vu to Angel’s.
“I also didn’t think I could act. I was never on stage in high school when I was younger. I had this huge stage fright and was painfully shy,” she looks back. “So I never imagined that I would be in this business. But I guess God had better plans for me. He brought me to where I should be and where I would thrive. Parang si Iana—somehow, may ganun din siya. No matter how she resisted it, it really is a gift. It is God’s gift to her. So it was God’s way of saying: You have to share your talent with the world.”
Read more about Angel Aquino and Iana Bernandez in MEGA’s May 2026 issue, now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
Photographed by LEM ATIENZA. Art Direction by CLARE MAGNO. Produced by THESSMAR LECTURA. Makeup by JASON DELOS REYES. Hair by GAB VILLEGAS. Styling by ANGELO VASALLO. Shot on Location BAHAY NA TISA. Lighting Direction by YUAN DAVID. Digital Imaging by NICOLE EVANS. Photographer’s Assistants CARLOS BATAC and RAEN VILLA. Makeup Artist Assistant ALICE OSTERA
