s a kid growing up in the United States , Heart Evangelista (real name: Love Marie Ongpauco) always knew what she wanted. Though she belongs to the Ongpauco clan, owners of the famed Barrio Fiesta chain of restaurants, she was never keen on becoming a restaurateur. What she wanted from the start was to become an artista. For her cousins, this was a baduy ambition. But not for Heart.

“Gusto ko talagang mag-artista. Yun lang ang gusto ko. Ayokong mag-restaurant… Pag nakikita ko pa lang umaakting yung mga tao sa States, especially sa Staes, sabi ko, ‘Wow, gusto kong mag-artista.'”

It didn't take long for Heart to get her first exposure. When she was 10 years old, her family moved back to the Philippines . Her pretty chinita features made her stand out in a crowd. She was 14 when a talent scout discovered her while she was hanging out in a mall. He got her for a deodorant commercial—and set her on the way to TV-movie stardom.

What really jumstarted Heart's career was when she decided to enroll in an acting workshop organized by ABS-CBN. She caught the eye of the actress Beverly Vergel, the manager of the television network's Center for Communication Arts, the ABS-CBN department that organizes workshops in the performing arts.

“Tinanong ako ni Beverly Vergel, ‘Gusto mo bang mag-artista?' Yes agad ang sagot ko.”

Heart then went to an audition without her father's knowledge. When he found out about it, he made it clear that he didn't want his daughter to get into acting. But she passed the audition. “Wala na siyang nagawa,” Heart recalls.

She was soon working in a string of television shows. She started in teen-oriented programs (G-Mik; Berks) and sitcoms (The Body and the Guard; The Pilya and the Pilot), where she always played the coño but lovable girl next door.

In these shows, she was paired with John Pratts, who became her boyfriend off-screen. But as most young relationships go, this one didn't last. Heart cried her heart out when she and John broke up, but she has since moved on.

“Akala ko, heartbroken ako. Pero come to think of it, he actually didn't break my heart. He didn't mean to do it… Kasi bata pa kami nun. Bata pa si John nun, di ba? So okay nay un.”

Today, Heart says her life and career are more than okay. Coming on the heels of her successful soap opera Hiram is a television series that may prove to be her biggest break to date: Panday. Directed by Toto Natividad and Rechie del Carmen, this is a retelling of Carlo J. Caparas's tale of an ordinary man (Jericho Rosales) made powerful by a mythical sword. The character has been essayed on the movie screen by Fernando Poe Jr. and Bong Revilla.

Heart plays Eden, Jericho 's wife, and she loves her role: “Gusto ko si Eden . She's a fighter. I'm also a fighter when I need to be one. Very sheltered siya, pero when it's time to fight for your love or the good things in life, laban tayo diyan. But with grace.”

With her guts and grace, Heart Evangelista could well be television's next big thing.

At home, Heart plays devoted mom to this affectionate cocker spaniel, Al—named after Al Pacino. She owns another dog, a Jack Russel terrier named Davis —after Bette Davis. Heart says that, during Davis 's first few weeks of living with her, “hindi siya namamansin.” But these days Davis is as sweet as her mistress, judging from the way she says hello to the YES! staff when we enter Heart's home.

We decide not to include Davis in this photo because she and Al don't seem to get along well. In fact, the two dogs welcome the YES! staff with a full-blown “argument” that prompts Heart to say: “Nakakahiya kayo, you have no breeding! Is that the way I brought you up? Go back to your room. You have no principles and values!”

Inside the bedroom is a sleigh bed placed beside a tall mother-of-pearl lamp, bought from Kish , a trendy home-furnishing store in Greenbelt 3, Makati . At night, Heart keeps the curtains of her bedroom windows open: “Ang ganda kasi pag gabi. I wish nga may terrace, kaya lang ang taas na masyado para magka-terrace.”

Heart's bedroom offers a stunning view of the city of Makati , where she has been living for the past two years. “ Makati , feeling ko, is the best place kasi. It's the core of the Philippines para sa akin. It's close to everything. Tsaka, parang when you say Makati , alam ng tao kung saan yun, di ba? Tsaka, convenient siya.”

Unlike most 20-year-old Filipinas her age, Heart already moved out of her parents' home and into a 144-square-meter condominium. Living on her own has compelled her to assume a lot of responsibilities, but she's not shirking them. “It's nice being responsible,” she stresses. “Especially when people think you're not going to be responsible. Confident kasi ako sa sarili ko na hindi naman ako magwawala. I like the feeling of going to the grocery and going home and fixing the ref.”

Doric-inspired columns dominate the condominium's living room. These structures are Heart's own addition to the unit: “You know why I have pillars? Kasi dati, dream kong house, may pillars sa labas. But since wala akong house, dito na lang sa loob.”

A beige couch, with damask throw pillows of the same color, lends a homey, comfortable feel to the living room. Hanging from the ceiling is a pendant light.

On top of the Queen Anne coffee table in the middle of the room are several of Heart's books, including The Complete Watercolor Artist, edited by Sally Harper; An Introduction to Painting Landscapes, by Ted Gould; and Oil Painting for the Serious Beginner: Basic Lessons in Becoming a Good Painter, by Steve Allrich.

Heart is into painting. “Noong bata ako, I would draw on our walls. So nakasanayan ko talagang mag-drawing nang mag-drawing. Whenever I see nice pictures, drawing na ako. I really like it talaga. It's just that I have no time na. But I really want to open, like, a gallery one day.”

Proudly displayed in the kitchen are a photograph of Heart taken by Xander Angeles and an oil self-portrait that Heart painted about two years ago. The similarity between the painting and the photo was not intentional, Heart says: “You know what, hindi ko sinasadya na igaya yung photo. I think the painting came before the photo. Medyo problemado ako noong time na yun. Mga growing-up days ko, so I had a lot of things on my mind.”

Behind the dining table are framed photographs of Heart, her family, friends Sarah Christophers and Angelica Panginiban, and Panday co-star Jericho Rosales.

Heart got a lot of help from her father, Reynaldo Ongpauco, in decorating the place. “He likes Victorian kasi,” says the actress, which explains the overall look of her unit.

Heart has plans of having her place renovated, and has already started with her dressing room. She had its walls painted red, “so medyo naging young yung hitsura.”

Inside this dressing room, Heart keeps an assortment of perfumes, ranging from Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Girl to DKNY Delicious. Her all-time favorite, though, is Gianfranco Ferre perfume, bought in the United States .

The dressing room also contains Heart's collection of bags, shoes, and clothes. Since she moved into her own place, she has become a more careful shopper: “I really make sure I need clothes before I buy. Hindi na ko yung dating kahit alam ko may damit na ako, bibili pa rin ako kahit hinid ko na kailangan. Ngayon, when I think I really need it, that's when I shop. Or when I'm really, really down, I shop.”

Her shoe collection includes labels such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Kate Spade, Pretty Fit, Formarina, Steve Madden, Cathy Jean—and MKNY, which she endorses.

The condominium unit has two bathrooms. This one, with its pink heart-shaped rug, is for Heart's personal use.

Her Heart's Echo

Panday, ABS-CBN's sineserye (that's a television series and a movie combined into one, according to the ABS-CBN Interactive website), has generated a lot of buzz for lead stars Heart Evangelista and Jericho Rosales. And the buzz isn't just for their careers. Their personal lives have become the stuff of tabloid speculation, with entertainment writers using up tons of newsprint on a supposed romantic relationship.

So are Heart and Echo really an item or what?

“Oo, we're going out,” Heart admits. “But we need to discuss things first. I wouldn't mind getting in a relationship now, cause I think I'm in the right age na for it. But we'll still see. We're still thinking about it.”

At this point, the two are just spending time together and having fun. Heart obviously likes hanging out with Echo.

“Kenkoy si Echo. Super-super-kulit. What I like about him, parang ako. When it's time to be mature, he's mature. We love living our loves. That's why we're kenkoy, we're happy. But that doesn't mean we're not serious. Ganun si Echo, very worry-free. Kulit-kulit. But he's very mature. He's been through a lot. He's galing. He's a real person. Yung laid-back life lang, yung hindi siya masyadong atat na atat sa buhay. Very slow, relaxed. That's me din.”

Another thing that she likes about Echo is how Pinoy and masa he is, like her father Reynaldo. “Pinoy na Pinoy ang tatay ko, e. Daddy ko, mangingisda, alam mo yun? Nangingisda siya, luto siya ng Filipino food… I've always like the Filipino style.”

Echo, Heart adds, “shows me different things. Tinuruan niya akon magkamay, ganyan. Natutuwa ako. Tuwang-tuwa naman siya sa akin, kasi ginagawa ko naman.”

Does Echo have a chance of becoming her boyfriend? She retorts: “E, di parang sinagot ko na siya ngayon kung sinabi ko?”

All right, Heart, we'll just wait and see.

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