In a prestigious science high school, five girls discover that the intimate photos they shared with boys they liked have been leaked—and that they will be the ones to bear the brunt of it. Humiliated, their reputation in shreds, they band together to track down those responsible and make them pay.
But while “Miss Behave” begins with an act of betrayal, its cast and creatives say the mystery drama series will inevitably tackle abuse, identity, empowerment, and the realities today’s youth face.
“It’s about the traumas girls experience amid misogyny, and a system that keeps failing them. I think this is very relevant, especially with what’s happening now,” director Ivan Andrew Payawal says.
“It’s about the traumas girls experience amid misogyny, and a system that keeps failing them. I think this is very relevant, especially with what’s happening now,” director Ivan Andrew Payawal says
A shout for the voiceless
Alexa Ilacad, who plays the straight-A student Marla, may not have experienced exactly what her character has gone through. That didn’t make the role any less emotionally taxing. “I had to tap into trauma I had locked away and open so many parts of myself and my heart,” she says.
“After a heavy scene, sama-sama kaming nagpapagpag,” adds Ilacad, who’s joined by Xyriel Manabat, Andi Abaya, Reign Parani, and Rans Rifol. “‘Di kami basta-basta nakakabitaw sa character because they feel so raw and real to us.”
Still, the actresses commit to every bit of hurt and shame their characters endure, knowing that “every scene is a shout for justice for the voiceless.”
“Para ‘to sa mga pinatahimik, para sa mga hanggang ngayon ay ‘di pa rin makatingala. So many women have been robbed of their lives,” says Manabat, who plays Nyx, an unapologetic robotics nerd who wouldn’t bat an eyelash cutting ties with someone whose values don’t align with hers.
“Para ‘to sa mga pinatahimik, para sa mga hanggang ngayon ay ‘di pa rin makatingala. So many women have been robbed of their lives,” says Xyriel Manabat
As such, Manabat refuses to see the role—though meaty enough to showcase her acting chops—as an “acting piece.” “It’s an advocacy,” she says. “This is a fight. We want to tell those who find themselves in similar situations that they’re not alone and that it still isn’t too late.”
Ilacad echoes Manabat’s sentiments, adding: “This is for everyone who knows what it’s like to have something important taken away from them. If they’re not yet ready to speak up and fight back, I hope that through our dialogues and scenes, which are treated with heart, we can speak for them.”
Vulnerable choices
We have all heard the warnings—about the possible harms of sharing private photos or being too trusting online. But in the aftermath, conversations usually focus on the consequences or descend into victim blaming.
“Miss Behave” looks at why people take that risk in the first place and where that trust comes from.
For Manabat, some vulnerable choices can stem from a lack of trust and a sense of belonging at home. “They don’t get that at home, so they seek trust and friendship outside and end up finding it in people who don’t treat them right,” she says.
And even then, it’s often the victim who gets the worst of it. They’re unable to find the courage to speak about their trauma, “because society doesn’t accept them the way we expect to be accepted… They’re pushed away and shamed,” says Abaya, who plays April, the antisocial computer whiz, who, deep down, just wants to be loved.
A safe space
She and the rest of the girls eventually felt that—in sisterhood. In the series, now streaming on iWant, they come to share solace and safety with each other, on- and off-screen.
“Being a woman is about standing for who we are—being caring, expressive, unapologetically ourselves without needing to prove anything to society or to men. It’s girlhood,” Parani says. “We’re channeling our inner Beyoncé, supporting each other. We don’t compete in scenes.”
We’re channeling our inner Beyoncé, supporting each other. We don’t compete in scenes,” says Reign Parani
Parani, who plays Isobel, a chemist who never lets anything get in the way of proving a point, adds, “There’s reassurance in knowing that they are all going through the same journey.”
Indeed, sisterhood offers a safe space. “I really feel that way in this group. Ang saya na we’re all very passionate… that we get to dive into these characters together,” says Rifol, who plays Daphne, an ambitious scholar ashamed of her poverty.
Coping mechanism
While the show deals with heavy topics, it’s not without moments of levity and humor. That doesn’t mean those issues are taken lightly. Besides, as Manabat points out, laughter can also be a coping mechanism for those who have been through the wringer.
“We’re not invalidating their hardships, but laughter can be a sign of victory or survival—‘natatawakan ko na ngayon,’” she says.
And that ability to laugh again is itself a form of reclaiming power. “We want survivors to have the last laugh,” Payawal says. “I hope they get that with these women.”
