The story behind Jodi Sta. Maria’s imaginary trunk

THE ACTRESS says it is important for actors to let go of their characters after work.

WHAT makes it easy for Jodi Sta. Maria to shift from one character to a totally different one —such as from the simple Maya de la Rosa of “Be Careful With My Heart” to the sophisticated Amor Powers of “Pangako sa ’Yo?”

Her secret acting aid—an imaginary trunk.

“On the set, I have my imaginary trunk, where I get devices to help me relive certain situations that I think will help me for the particular scene I am doing,” Jodi said. “After that, I make sure to put them back and close it. I then remind myself that this is merely work and not reality.”

She revealed the acting process she developed at the recent launch of Avon’s “Best of Beauty” campaign. She is the endorser of its new scent, Cherish.

Detachment

As an actress, Jodi said it was important to learn how to detach herself from her character. “You have to learn to let go. It was difficult for me in the past. After a time, I learned to treat work just as it is. Can you imagine portraying someone who is bipolar and bringing the character home? The people around you will eventually get affected.”

According to Jodi, she wants to participate in a cause that helps abused women. “I want to empower them, help them bring back their sense of purpose,” she related. “I want to tell them that even if certain things happen in their lives, just like Amor Powers, they’re still beautiful. They still have a purpose.”

Jodi said that playing Amor taught her about love and forgiveness.

Totally different

“She started as a very loving and sweet person, but because of the unfortunate events that happened in her life, she turned out to be a totally different person,” Jodi said. “It is important that we learn to forgive because resentment and anger can drive us to do things that will hurt not just the person [we hate], but also ourselves.”

She advised, “Let us rid our hearts of hatred. We will never lose if we humble ourselves and forgive others.”

On Avon’s ad campaign for Cherish, she said it has a deeper meaning for her: “While it is all about empowering women, it also reminds us to show the people we love, our family and friends, how much we love them while they are still with us. We should make people who are important to us feel loved, cherished and valued every single day.”

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