Kapamilya actress Ivana Alawi recently shared an unforgettable experience when veteran actress and director Gina Alajar called her out for being too shy and reserved on set.
The revelation came during Ivana’s latest YouTube vlog, where Kapuso star Barbie Forteza was her guest in the episode titled ‘Ukay-Ukay at Dampa with Barbie’.
During their lighthearted conversation, Ivana recalled how Direk Gina mistook her introverted nature for being snobbish, leading to an emotional confrontation.
“Tinawag talaga ako ni Direk Gina Alajar. ‘Ikaw, halika nga dito, hindi ka marunong mag-hello at makipagchikahan sa amin,’” Ivana recalled.
Caught off guard by the remark, Ivana admitted that she immediately burst into tears after being confronted.
“Sorry po! Tapos iyak ako nang iyak,” she shared, laughing at the memory.
Despite her confident and bubbly online presence, Ivana revealed that she is actually naturally shy and introverted.
She explained that the outgoing and playful personality seen in her vlogs is part of her on-camera persona, developed to entertain her 18.6 million YouTube subscribers.
“Sa totoong buhay, super shy ako. Hindi ko talaga kayang lumapit at makipagkwentuhan agad,” Ivana admitted.
Even during her early days in showbiz, she struggled with engaging in casual conversations with co-stars, including Barbie, beyond basic greetings.
“Sa sobrang mahiyain ko, hindi ko mabati lahat ng tao. Hindi naman sa maarte o mayabang, wala naman akong ipagyayabang. Pero hindi ko talaga kaya, gusto ko tahimik lang,” she explained.
Although Ivana was initially embarrassed and overwhelmed, she later came to appreciate Gina Alajar’s straightforward approach, which encouraged her to break out of her shell.
“Pero in fairness, dahil kay Direk Gina, siya ang unang nagmura sa akin… na-appreciate ko naman si Direk Gina,” she jokingly revealed.
Despite the emotional moment, Ivana holds no resentment toward Gina and recognizes it as a valuable learning experience in her career.
Ivana’s natural introversion has led to similar misunderstandings in the past. Talent manager and vlogger Ogie Diaz once called her out for allegedly ignoring him at an event.
However, Ivana proactively reached out to clear the issue, an effort that Ogie appreciated.
Her experience with Gina Alajar is another example of how her reserved personality can sometimes be mistaken for arrogance, a perception she continues to address.
Aside from reminiscing about her past experiences, Ivana enjoyed a fun and lively conversation with Barbie, recalling their time working together before she transferred to ABS-CBN.
Though they had minimal interactions back then due to Ivana’s shyness, the two actresses have since developed a good friendship, as seen in their cheerful banter throughout the vlog.
