The last two decades of Philippine entertainment wouldn’t be what it is today without Bianca Gonzalez.
After starting her career in the spotlight as a model and show host, Gonzales became a household name in 2006 when she competed on the first season of Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition, a drama-fuelled series on which she placed third. The following season, Gonzalez returned to the show in a hosting role, marking the beginning of a 19-year run as Pinoy Big Brother’s longest serving host. She has since grown to be one of the country’s most recognizable and insightful interviewers, whether she’s engaging with finalists inside the iconic yellow-and-blue house or having emotional conversations with the likes of Pia Wurtzbach, Dingdong Dantes, or Senator Bam Aquino on her podcast series, Paano Ba ‘To: The Podcast.
But for all her time in the limelight, Gonzalez is more comfortable working behind the scenes and handing the storytelling mic to her subjects. “Back when I was in school, I was a really shy person,” Gonzalez told Rolling Stone Philippines. “In the barkada, ako ‘yong laging nakikinig, nakikitawa, and then everyone else did the talking. But that’s why I like my job as a host: hindi ako ‘yong topic. The spotlight is on someone else.”
“Honestly, I see myself doing this type of work for as long as television will have me,” continued Gonzalez. “I enjoy it so much. Everything naman I’ve done, even the jobs outside of television, dun pa rin related: gathering stories, writing those stories, telling those stories. For sure, that’s the North Star.”
From sharing the lessons she’s gathered while inside the Pinoy Big Brother house to reflecting on life after turning 40, Gonzalez brings her signature warmth, poise, and gravitas to this thoughtful episode of The Rolling Stone Interview. Below are excerpts from her interview, which is now available to stream on Rolling Stone Philippines’ YouTube channel.
The Freedom of Turning 40
“I remember when I was growing up and [when] I would think of 40s, I’d be like, ‘Ang tanda ng 40!’ It felt like so pa-lolo level na. But I specifically remembered that when I turned 40, I really felt the truth of that belief of life beginning at 40. Kasi I guess when you know yourself better, which happens around your 40s, and you’re more comfortable in who you are, parang andami mo pa palang pwedeng gawin.”
“Actually, right now, I want to do so much more, but I can’t due to physical limitations. Iisa lang ako, and then, as a wife and mom, I want to be as hands-on with my kids as possible. I have to choose what I really want to give my time to kasi time is now, in this stage of my life, the ultimate luxury talaga.”
The Changing Landscape of Hosting
“Parang now, my job as a host is more personality-based. Like [you need to be] the funny one, the smarter one, the one who can tread serious but light at the same time. Versus before, parang there was only one mold. Kailangan very professional, kailangan may authority, kailangan credible. And so that’s actually something that I’ve had a hard time doing, adjusting to the now na people are drawn more pag nabubulol ‘yong host or pag nagkakamali, if there’s a very raw reaction, mas nag-resonate ‘yong viewers with that.”
“So I’ve been super trying to unlearn that perfectionist state na I have to get every line correct, I have to breathe at the right moment so that I can deliver the powerful line well. I have to really think about what I’m going to say without screwing it up. Now, parang people allow for more mistakes. So I’m trying to unlearn a lot of bad habits of being perfect and put together, and got it all figured out that I was trained in before.”
The Bonds that ‘Pinoy Big Brother’ Built
“What I have learned, experienced firsthand, and seen with every batch [of housemates] that came after me is that the outside noise is really noise. Meaning every batch of housemates, I think and believe if you ask them how they are, ‘yong sila-sila lang sa loob, they all love each other, they all treat each other like family. Sure, they drift apart after the show, but when you put us all together in a room again, there’s that shared experience that you actually lived together 24-7 for a moment in time.”
“It’s really shocking when you go out and ang dami na palang sinabi ng buong mundo about you. It’s tough, especially for this newer generation of housemates na may social media na nga. But yeah, outside noise is noise. That’s why we keep reminding every batch that goes inside the house to hold on to that friendship that they built inside. Kasi whether or not they see each other regularly after, there will always be that shared experience and genuine love that they had for each other when they were together.”
“When we are forced to be with a specific group of people in just one space for a time, human beings will really get along, humans will really find that common denominator and stick to that and make that their glue rather than use the tiniest little things to tear each other apart. That’s human nature. I believe it’s always more good than evil, talaga.”
What Hosting Has Taught Bianca About Human Nature
“We are all more alike than we are different. What I mean by that is it’s easy to watch someone on a screen and judge them by how they look or news you’ve heard about them in the past. But when you really get to know their story, parang pareho lang talaga tayo.”
“Lahat tayo may pinagdadaanan, no matter how seemingly perfect someone looks from the outside. We’re all just figuring things out. It’s surprising that even the most accomplished people I look up to, kunyari, they did an interview or a talk. Parang after the talk, they’ll go up to me and say, ‘Okay ba ‘yon?’ We’re all just the same in that we’re all just struggling with something that may be very, very similar to someone across the room.”
Watch the full interview on Rolling Stone Philippines’ YouTube channel.
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