Bela Padilla steps into theater with bold, vulnerable role in ‘People, Places and Things’

The actress reflects on RADA roots, emotional parallels with past roles, and why now feels like the right moment for stage debut.

When it comes to new artistic frontiers, Bela Padilla prefers to trust the timing of her life rather than overanalyze the leap.

The 35-year-old actress, screenwriter, and filmmaker is preparing to make her formal theatrical entry as Emma in Duncan Macmillan’s critically acclaimed play, “People, Places and Things” (PPT). Yet, for Padilla, this world isn’t entirely uncharted. 

During her time at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, she actually tackled Macmillan’s material in class.

“One of the scenes I had to perform for a course I took at RADA is actually the last emotional scene of the said play,” Padilla reveals. “I still have my original soft copy of the script from my teacher there, saved on my phone.”

Reflecting on the journey leading up to her theater debut, Padilla approaches the transition with a grounded sense of readiness and gratitude. “I think with everything in life now, I take things as they come. I try not to overanalyze or overthink why I’m doing certain things in certain places,” she shares candidly.

The push to finally take the stage came from a place of deep trust and long-standing creative alignment. “I’ve been preparing for so many things in my life over the years, and I’ve been putting in the work. Now, I see that the people who matter—to me, at least—are recognizing my hard work, and they’re finally willing to open new doors for me. And I’m incredibly grateful every time this happens,” Padilla reflects.

“Toff de Venecia of Sandbox Collective has become a friend of mine over the years. He floated the idea of me working with them maybe two years ago. I always said that when the right material came along, I’d be happy to work with him and his team.”

From screen’s Jane to stage’s Emma

Film audiences will remember Padilla’s raw, empathetic performance as Jane, an alcoholic navigating grief and recovery in Irene Emma Villamor’s 2020 film “On Vodka, Beers and Regrets” (OVBR). In Macmillan’s play, she steps into another dark, vulnerable psychological space as Emma—a brilliant theater actress who collapses during rehearsals for Chekhov’s “The Seagull” due to severe substance abuse, forcing her into rehab to reclaim her life and career.

Despite the thematic overlap, Padilla notes a vast difference in how she approaches both roles.

“Playing Jane in 2019 is so different from playing Emma today,” Padilla observes. “In 2019, I was so burnt out from juggling three different but equally complex roles at once. I had no sense of self because I was on a set from Mondays to Sundays.”

With PPT, however, Padilla steps into the rehearsal hall with complete creative focus, having just wrapped her recent TV and film commitments. “I am facing the realities of Emma more consciously than I did with Jane’s,” she began. 

“Jane had a way of sneaking up on me—I had scenes that ended up being extremely cathartic because I was able to express things that I was holding onto as Bela. Emma hasn’t done that to me yet, but she’s made me very vulnerable. Yes, more vulnerable than usual.”

The technical demands of theater rehearsal have also reshaped her perspective on performance:

“As someone who’s used to doing one take for films—and I’m not saying that it’s one take because I’m a great actress, but more because of budget and time constraints on a film set—I was afraid that rehearsing the same lines repeatedly would desensitize me to the emotions I’d need. Luckily, I’m seeing the opposite. It comes as a pleasant surprise since we’re often told on TV and film sets that the first take is always the best emotion-wise.”

Building family in temporary spaces

Beyond expanding her technical toolkit, Padilla finds her deepest reward in the camaraderie formed within the production team. “With a play you get instructions. Stage directions. Dialogue. Someone clothes you. Tells you where to be and when… Make these friendships with people, a little family, fall in love onstage and off, and then it’s over, and you don’t see them again.”

For PPT, the artistic bonds feel exceptionally immediate and enduring. “Our director Sab is such a warm and generous person. She embodies what I’ve always loved about directing, too—she and I share the belief that one can command a room and be the captain of a ship without shouting or being mean. She’s the one I will miss the most after we finish our shows,” Padilla shares.

“And Jake [Cuenca] has been so helpful. As someone who jumped from TV and film to theater, the enthusiasm he has for all three mediums makes me excited to try more things. He’s been so reassuring since the very beginning.”

When asked about her future on stage, she candidly admits her desire to break free from the page: “I would love to act in a full play eventually. In a staged reading, dropping your eyes to the script pulls you away from total eye contact with your co-actors. I’m hungry to feel that unfiltered, moment-to-moment connection on stage.”

And if the universes align for Jane and Emma to meet—two women bound by trauma, addiction, and survival—Padilla envisions a quiet, poetic exchange.

“Jane would probably tell Emma about the six impossible things she believes in before breakfast,” Padilla notes. “And Emma’s response to Jane? ‘Don’t look down.’”

PPL is set on August 15 and 16 with 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. shows at The Black Box at The Proscenium, Rockwell Makati. Tickets are available via Ticket2Me.

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