In “Bar Boys: After School,” Sassa Gurl steps away from her trademark humor to take on a more restrained, dramatic role. In an exclusive interview with radar Entertainment, she reflects on earning respect as an actor, learning from veterans on set, and why this project marks a turning point in her career.
For Sassa Gurl, “Bar Boys: After School” represents a shift, not just in genre, but in how she wants to be seen. Known primarily for her comedic online persona, she enters the MMFF film in a markedly different register, one that required her to set aside familiar instincts and approach the role with restraint.
“This time, I really had to be serious,” she tells radar Entertainment. “I wanted to be truthful in playing a law student.”
Recalibrating for Trisha Perez
Preparing for the role meant recalibrating both performance and presence. After speaking with law students, Sassa realized that the character demanded control rather than expressiveness, something she admits didn’t come naturally at first.
“They told me you really have to tone it down,” she says. “You can’t show everything.”
While she has no intention of abandoning the personality that built her following, she saw the film as an opportunity to be viewed differently.
“I won’t leave my channel or who I am,” she says. “But for this movie, I wanted to be taken seriously.”
The “death blow” and the reset
One of the most defining moments of the shoot came early on, during a scene with veteran actress Odette Khan. It was Sassa’s first day on set, and nerves were high. After a take, Khan offered direct feedback that left a lasting impression.
“She told me she didn’t feel it,” Sassa recalls. “She said I was anxious—and that an actor has to be brave.”
The moment, she says, forced her to reset. Rather than retreat, she took it as a challenge to trust herself more fully.
“I learned so much from her in just one scene,” she says. “You could feel her decades of experience.”
That lesson carried through the rest of the production. Though “Bar Boys: After School” marks her first MMFF appearance, Sassa approached the project with discipline, balancing exhaustion with focus.
“I’m tired, but I’m not complaining,” she says. “I respect the craft. This is what I love doing.”
Despite her growing presence in film, Sassa remains grounded in her roots as a content creator. She’s careful to acknowledge where she started, and what that platform gave her.
“I won’t forget that I started as a content creator,” she says. “That’s still who I am. I just get to tell stories in a different way now.”
She’s also clear-eyed about where she stands in the industry. Turning 30, she says, has made her reflect on whether this path is something she wants to pursue long-term.
“This is something I know I’m good at,” she says. “And I want to take it seriously.”
Respecting the craft
Beyond “Bar Boys,” Sassa is in a separate project titled “Multwoh,” which recently received a grant through CinePanalo Film Festival. It marks her first project as a lead and as a central creative force, another step deeper into long-form storytelling.
For now, though, her focus remains on the present: learning, improving, and proving that her place in the industry isn’t incidental.
“I’m doing this because I love it,” she says. “And I want to keep getting better.”
“Bar Boys: After School,” directed by Kip Oebanda, also stars Rocco Nacino, Kean Cipriano, Carlo Aquino, Enzo Pineda, Will Ashley, Therese Malvar, and Klarisse de Guzman. It is one of the official entries to the 51st Metro Manila Film Festival.
I learned so much from her in just one scene. You could feel her decades of experience.
Sassa Gurl on Odette Khan
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