This quote is the crux of her perspective. For Myrna, her penekula movies were a means of survival, a job she needed to do to support her family. She was a single mother who raised two children entirely on her own, and her acting career was her livelihood.
The term "penekula" was part of a larger vocabulary for adult films that also included (a general term for exploitation movies) and other sub-genres like "ST" (Sex Trip) and "TT" (Titillating) . The penekula era was so notorious that it drew the ire of government regulators. Manuel "Manoling" Morato , the former chairman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) from 1986-1992, proudly took credit for "killing the bomba films" and using literal scissors to cut out explicit scenes from these "penekulas" he found offensive. myrna castillo penekula movies exclusive
While this genre was controversial, Castillo faced it with a practical attitude. She famously told an interviewer, "After that [action films], 'nauso na mga bold movies, kaya naging sexy na ako,'" referring to the trend of sexy movies that led her to take on more daring roles. She acknowledged that she, like many other actresses, needed to work to support her family, and she never regretted the path her career took. This quote is the crux of her perspective