Yassi Pressman before the glitz and glam of show biz

Yassi Pressman —MICA VALLEDOR

Before all the glitz and glam of show biz, Yassi Pressman said she lived a very simple life.

Born to a British father (Ronnie Pressman) and Filipino mother (Belcy Dalloran Yasto), her father single-handedly raised her and sister, Issabelle, after her parents separated.

“I have been doing commercials since I was 6 years old. In one of the auditions for those commercials, someone introduced me to Viva management, then from then on sunud-sunod na,” Yassi told the Inquirer after a recent Nivea product launch. (The actress is its first Filipino brand ambassador.)

Never did she imagine getting that far in her career at such a young age. “There had been many challenges, pero dahil nga sa pagpapalaki sa akin ng dad ko, [I was able to] find the good things in this life, even when I felt like there was nothing to look forward to,” she said.

When projects started pouring in, Yassi eventually became the family’s breadwinner.

Be it dancing, acting, modeling or hosting, Yassi is one who enjoys whatever she’s doing.

Her mother wanted her to be a doctor, while her dad “just tried to support everything I tried to do … whatever made me happy.”

Asked about her celebrity idol, she was quick to name Queen Bey. “I’ve always admired Beyoncé. She is such a strong, inspiring woman, and I would love to learn from her. Sobrang galing niya in so many aspects. She directs her own videos, she writes, she’s given birth to three children, and she’s still working!”

Excerpts from the interview:

Why choose acting over dancing or modeling? I started out dancing. I didn’t know that dancing would get me to this point where I now have more acting projects. Ang mga opportunities na ’yun, dumating lang. They were offered to me, although I wasn’t sure I could do them. Then, I just found that new passion in me to pursue them even more. I super enjoyed them although they were actually work.

How about singing? Singing … we are working on that. We have surprises coming up for you, guys.

Any hidden talents? Honestly, I’m fluent in sarcasm. I am great at telling corny jokes.

What are your hobbies? Muay thai and boxing. I do these to lose weight, and to be able to take care of myself.

Who’s your celebrity crush and why? Si Ryan Gosling, kasi sobrang romantic niya.

What’s your skin care routine? On a daily basis, just soap, toner and moisturizer. Oh, and water!

I bet you have a dream role you’ve always wanted to play. Probably playing Alyana (wife to Coco Martin’s character, Cardo, in “Ang Probinsyano”). Sobrang daming mga artista—napapalibutan ako with better people every day, everywhere, so that I learn so much. Masuwerte ako that Coco guides me. This is such a huge opportunity for me.

What makes Yassi tick? Food! I’m a foodie, super. It doesn’t matter what it is—it could be kwek-kwek, isaw or dinuguan. Though I also love a lot of healthy food.

Would you rather be happy or wealthy? Happy! We didn’t grow up wealthy. Galing kami from humble beginnings. Since then, I’ve been living a simple life—and I’ve always been happy.