Never has Kathryn Bernardo, 28, been under as much scrutiny as when 2024 broke.

The young actress had just come from the breakup of all breakups. An earth-shattering end to No. 1 young love team in Philippine showbiz. A “chapter closed,” in her words on Instagram.

A breakup this monumental naturally brought up huge queries. Many of her premium endorsements were with her reel-and-real life partner, Daniel Padilla, so was she going to be able to keep these? Could she go solo? In sum, could her career survive outside a love team?

It didn’t take long for the answer to arrive.

At the start of 2024, proof came of Kathryn’s power, not to mention prowess.

That was when her dark film, A Very Good Girl, made its mark as the top-watched movie on Netflix and highlighted a daring, off-beat, and very different Kathryn. She was no longer the nice, sweet, simple, loyal girlfriend or daughter or barkada.

Kathryn’s role in A Very Good Girl, unlike her previous movies, had no romance in it. It was a revenge thriller. Then it earned PHP100 million at the box office during its September 2023 release. She had proven she didn’t need a man to break box-office records.

Kathryn’s transformation from lovestruck lass to confident, even conniving, woman magnified her online influence. At the beginning of December 2023, she became the most-followed Filipina celebrity on Instagram, with more than 20 million followers.

It had jumped from 18 million after she announced the breakup just a month before.

That she chose to keep silent despite copious intrigues surrounding the real reason of her breakup with Daniel, her boyfriend of 11 years, only earned her more admirers.

She focused on moving forward and surrounding herself with family and friends, with whom she shared new memories, including throwing a yacht party in Palawan for her 28th birthday in late March, followed by a housewarming party at her grand new home in Antipolo, Rizal, in April.

KATHRYN BERNARDO’S ENDORSEMENTS, PROJECTS

Current data from Klear, an influencer marketing platform, estimates that Kathryn can command 1.6 million pesos from brands who want to appear in one of her Instagram posts.

These brands just keep coming. As of press time, 28 brands continue to trust Kathryn as endorser. A notable brand that started standing behind her this year is Century Tuna, which supported her daring transformation with no less than a fashion show which showed off her very fit body.

Other endorsements include other food brands (Great Taste White, Maggi, KFC, Gatorade, Pepsi) and beauty and fashion brands (Gucci, IVI Collagen, Lancôme, Pond’s, V! Jewelry, Aivee Clinic, Bench, Fresh Philippines, Omega).

Healthcare brands are in, too (Conzace, Colgate, Ideal Vision, Biogesic) as well as tech brands (TCL Philippines, Realme, TNT).

So are brands in other categories (Anchor Land, Nutri Chunks, AquaFlask, AIA Philippines, Uratex, Lazada).

Even fashion magazines and digital sites trust Kathryn. She was cover of Summit Media’s Preview in November 2023, May 2024, and September 2024. She was also cover of L’Officiel Philippines in September 2023, Mega Magazine in April 2024, and Metro Magazine in October 2024.

And if Kathryn still has naysayers, her latest movie should shut them up. The much-awaited Hello, Love, Again is now the first Filipino movie to gross over a billion pesos at the worldwide box office. The romantic sequel is also the first Filipino film to make it to the list of Top 10 films in the United States.

HOW KATHRYN SEES HER INFLUENCE

All these successes have led to even more scrutiny of Kathryn. Fact is, she’s still not used to it.

“Kapag normal person ka, puwede kang matuto on your own without the whole world watching you.

“But now, with this job, it’s like, pag magkamali ka, kapag masaktan ka, kapag meron kang decision sa life, lahat ng tao involved doon sa buhay mo, lahat sila may opinyon sa buhay mo.

“I think that’s a bit sad,” she shares in a recent interview with Boy Abunda.

Kathryn of course understands that there is good to be had in having her level of influence.

“It’s like a win-win situation,” she tells the TV host. “Di mo alam yung effect na naibibigay mo sa kanila by just being you, while at the same time, nakakapagtrabaho ka.”

She admits to the satisfaction of being able to touch people’s lives.

“I think it’s the fulfillment, Tito Boy, na napi-feel ko every time nakikita ko yung effect nun so ibang tao.

“Hindi ko in-expect na ganun yung power na meron kami,” Kathryn admits. “It’s such a good feeling.”