MANILA – Before her historic win at the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), Krystel Go lived out her dreams in front of a mirror. As a child, she would often spend time in the bathroom, where her mother, Amy Go, would catch her practicing lines and emulating the actors she saw on television.

“‘Yan talaga ang gusto niya simula pagkabata niya. Makikita ko na lang siya na nagsasalita at umaarte sa loob ng CR. Kapag tinanong mo siya kung bakit siya umiiyak, ang isasagot niya, ‘Wala, drama lang ‘to!’ (That’s what she really wanted since she was a child. I could just see her talking and acting in the toilet. When you asked her why he was crying, she would answer, ‘No, it’s just drama!’) ” Amy recalls in a recent interview with Lifestyle Inquirer.

Historic win

While others might look at Krystel and see only her Down syndrome, she looked in that mirror and saw an actress. Last December, the Philippines finally saw it, too. For her breakthrough performance in the romance drama film I’mPerfect, she clinched the Best Actress award, edging out more established stars and heavy favorites like Angelica Panganiban (UnMarry) and Nadine Lustre (Call Me Mother).

And in the process, she became the first person with Down syndrome to win an acting award of any kind—not only at the MMFF, but in the history of Philippine cinema.

Krystel’s triumph also places her among a small but growing global group of acclaimed actors with Down syndrome, including Jamie Brewer, who won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for Amy and the Orphans; Lauren Potter, SAG-nominated for her work on Glee; and James Martin, who starred in an Oscar-winning live action short film An Irish Goodbye.

“I was shocked. I wasn’t expecting anything, but it’s a dream come true,” Krystel tells Lifestyle Inquirer.

“I still can’t believe it. I know she’s a first-time actress at ang mga kasabayan niya sina Angelica Panganiban. Diyos ko, hinahangaan ko rin ang mga ‘yan (I know she’s a first-time actress and her contemporaries are Angelica Panganiban. Oh my God, I admire those too),” Amy adds. “Her being nominated is already a big honor, so winning was a bonus for us.”

No expectations

Wary of putting unnecessary pressure on her daughter, Amy also avoided bringing up the possibility of winning an acting award. “We never discussed it at home. I didn’t want her thinking about it or expecting anything. I just wanted her to enjoy the whole experience. So, when she won, I couldn’t help but cry,” she says.

At first, Krystel found acting a big challenge. But with the guidance of an acting coach, “things eventually became easier.” Director Sigrid Andrea Bernardo observed Krystel’s dramatic improvement throughout the filming process, from the early workshops to the final shoot. She started out with wandering eyes and uncertain gestures, but ended up giving a confident portrayal.

“You just have to be focused,” says Krystel, who psyched herself up every day on set by dancing with her co-actors. She also prepared by watching some of her favorite drama series like The Greatest Love and Huwag Kang Mangamba.“Madali akong lapitan ng emotions (I am easily touched by emotions),” she adds.

Expanding her world

Born and raised in Calamba, Laguna, Krystel, 29, grew up as an only child and a self-proclaimed “certified daddy’s girl”. While she excelled in school and participated in dance contests and pageants, Krystel’s days mostly revolved around three things: Her studies, her home, and her father, Kim.

However, that bubble of security around her life broke in 2022, when her father suffered a stroke on her birthday—an event that would later claim his life. “I truly didn’t like that birthday. It was a very sad day for me,” Krystel says of losing her father, whom she fondly describes as “one of the most handsome men in the world”.

Amid the loss, Amy searched for ways to help Krystel process her grief and take her mind off her father. She reached out to the Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines, a nonprofit that provides support to families and promotes the inclusion of persons with Down syndrome in society.

It was within this community that Krystel’s world began to expand. It opened her up to new friendships and experiences, which would inevitably lead her to auditions for I’mPerfect.

“She joined various school activities, but other than that, she wasn’t visible. She wasn’t a member of the association. But after what happened to her father, I had to look for other outlets she could focus on,” Amy says.

Her ‘guardian angel’

Now, Krystel still can’t wrap her head around the fact that she shared the same space as her idols, including Best Actor Vice Ganda (Call Me Mother) and Carmina Villarroel (Rekonek). “Si Carmina ang forever Best Actress para sa ‘kin (Carmina is forever Best Actress for me),” says Krystel, who also hopes to work with actors she looks up to like Toni Gonzaga, Vhong Navarro, and Carmi Martin. Another project with her I’mPerfect co-stars Joey Marquez and Zaijan Jaranilla will also be nice, she says.

“I’m happy I’m now able to see them face to face,” adds Krystel, who currently works as a guest services crew member at a hotel in Alabang and previously served as a teaching aide at the Work of Heart Child Center in Laguna.

How she wishes her father were here to see her achievements. But while he may no longer be physically present, Krystel believes her father—her “guardian angel”—is watching over his “princess”. And knowing that only inspires her to work harder and continue acting should opportunities come her way.

“I talk to him as if he were still here,” Krystel says. “He’s in heaven, but also right beside us. I know he’s always there, applauding me. I want to make him proud.”