Rica Peralejo’s warning to those who dream of entering showbiz: ‘Bawat industriya, may brokenness’
Rica Peralejo. Image: screengrab from YouTube/Celestine Gonzaga-Soriano
While Rica Peralejo has previously opened up about the reasons for her departure from showbiz, her recent conversation with Toni Gonzaga yielded more revelations and insights, such as her feeling “lost” and “broken” when she joined the industry.
“At 25, sabi ko, ‘Bakit gano’n? Kapag gumigising ako, ang iniisip ko trabaho.’ Tapos pagod na pagod na ako. Wala na akong nilu-look forward sa buhay ko,” she told Gonzaga in the host’s YouTube vlog yesterday, April 11.
(At 25, I said, “Why? When I wake up, all I can think about is work.” I was so tired and I did not have anything to look forward to with my life.)
She said that she remembers having an awesome childhood but felt that it was cut short when she entered showbiz. She also recalled initially refusing to become a sexy star but accepting roles in erotic movies later on because she felt that she had to provide for her family.
“Pumasok ako sa industry, alam ko pa kung sino ako. Gusto kong kumanta, gusto kong mag-perform,” Peralejo stated. (When I joined the industry, I still knew who I was. I wanted to sing, I wanted to perform.)
It was only when actor Sam Milby asked her to come to a church service that she started to really reflect on her showbiz history. She said that when she joined Milby in the service, she heard and related to the biblical story of the bleeding woman.
“The bleeding woman has been bleeding for 12 years, and when I counted, it was already 12 years of being in the industry and being so lost,” she said, looking back at her vices and a soul-searching retreat that she thought would help her “get by.”
She saw her family members going back to school and feeling jealous of their lifestyle. This pushed her to finish a college degree and ultimately step away from her showbiz career.
“Nakita kong ang normal ng buhay nila saka parang ang saya. Then I said ‘I kind of want a normal life.'” (I saw that their lives were normal and they looked happy. Then I said “I kind of want a normal life.”)
At first, she struggled with the idea of not being an actress anymore and said that it felt like she was not only “downgrading” her life but her family’s life as well. Despite not being happy at first with the changes, she learned that it was for the better, as her family managed to live a comfortable life even after she quit showbiz.
To those who dream of entering showbiz to be rich and famous, she warned that though it is alright to dream of performing and being popular, it can also be dangerous.
“Bawat trabaho, bawat industriya ay may brokenness,” she said. (Every work, every industry has a brokenness.)
She further explained that as someone who has gone through both having plenty and having nothing, she realized that fulfillment cannot rely on success and even on ambitions.
Peralejo married Christian pastor Joseph Bonifacio and they have two children. She vlogs about her life as a wife, a mother and a Christian. JB
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