Beauty Gonzalez: Art projects good for the heart and soul

Beauty Gonzalez

While actress Beauty Gonzalez says she enjoys doing TV projects because they are “good for the pocket,” she also welcomes doing art films because they are “good for the heart and soul.”

Beauty has just finished shooting Kenneth Lim Dagatan’s horror thriller “In My Mother’s Skin,” which is a coproduction of three countries: Singapore, Taiwan and the Philippines.

“I’m thankful and blessed that they considered me to be a part of this movie. I feel alive again. The happiness that a project like this gives me is really something else,” declared Beauty, who added that it was shot entirely in Bacolod City but with a crew and production team from Singapore.

“It’s the first film I’ve made that didn’t require me to use makeup from start to finish. I can’t share a lot of details yet, except that it’s really dark and fantastic,” Beauty told Inquirer Entertainment.

“It is set near the end of World War II and was shot at the house where the classic ‘Oro Plata Mata’ was filmed. It’s nice to see that house again. Would you believe that the owner of that property is still alive at 96 years old? It’s one of the things that makes this project exciting for me. I love anything old and historical. Also, it’s directed by a fellow Cebuano. Kenneth is a good friend.”

Also part of the cast are Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Angeli Bayani, Ronnie Lazaro and young actress Felicity Kyle Napuli.

The story follows a girl who trusts a flesh-eating fairy to save her dying mother when she is left behind in an isolated mansion, according to an article from screendaily.com, which first reported the three-country partnership in May 2022.

Quitting while ahead

“They’re doing the graphic and sound effects in Taiwan now. This is something we can proudly show at festivals. The last time I heard, it will be presented in South Korea,” Beauty reported.

At a media gathering to introduce her as the ambassador of the aesthetic clinic BeautéHaus (located in Angeles, Pampanga), under the Beautéderm Group of Companies, the 31-year-old actress said she would like to retire from show biz in six years’ time. When asked to talk more about it, Beauty said: “My husband jokingly hit me on the head after hearing the idea. He said, ‘Retire? Really?’ But I explained that this was because I wanted to quit while I’m still at my peak, not when I’m not wanted anymore. I want to do it like Dawn Zulueta or Vilma Santos, who now works only on a per-project basis. But my husband told me to never say ‘no.’ He asked, ‘What if you get offered something really nice and good for you?’”

No more children

Her husband is an art curator and collector Norman Crisologo, who is 15 years her senior. They have a daughter named Olivia, 6.

What Beauty said she is most certain of is the fact that she does not want to have any more children. “I’m happy with just having Olivia; and my husband is fine with that, too,” said Beauty, who hinted that Norman has other children with his previous relationships. “When we do the math, Norman will go ahead of me and I will be left all by myself once Olivia starts raising a family of her own. I always believe what my husband tells me [that] if we give love to the right people around us, those people will love us back. Hopefully, my friends will still be there for me; and Norman’s kids will come and visit me also. Eventually, I’ll just sell the house and travel the world.”

“It’s all about timing,” said Beauty of the secret to her successful relationship with Norman, whom she married in 2017. “I came into his life when he was already tired of fooling around with women. As for me, I came to Manila to join PBB (Pinoy Big Brother) at 16. While I was really young then, I managed to live alone. I remember how simple my mom’s rule was to me, ‘If you get pregnant then that would be your problem.’ This happened when I was 25, which is still quite early. Now that I’m in my 30s, I realized that I actually got to enjoy my being young and single. I’m already satisfied with that part of my life.”

Ironically, the Beautéderm ambassador also admitted to having “beauty issues.” She explained: “I have this thing called body dysmorphia, which is a mental health condition where a person spends a lot of time worrying about flaws in her appearance. I always seem to see something wrong with my body. Personally, I’d rather feel that way than behave like I’m better or prettier than everyone else.”

For someone with a similar condition, Beauty said it’s important to have a good support system. “It’s also best to not think about your goal—such as achieving your ideal weight—but about the process as to how you can achieve it, and then just do it.”

Beauty then confessed that in spite of her being a married woman, she would still receive messages from men who want to express their admiration. “I would just laugh at these messages because my husband also has access to my Instagram account, and he would sometimes reply to them.”

She claimed Norman doesn’t feel jealous at all. “He would say, ‘Getting these messages should make you feel good about yourself. It means that whatever you’re doing in making yourself look beautiful and healthy is working.’ If someone appreciates my beauty, I thank them, but then, I also say, ‘Sorry! Hands off! You can only look from afar.” INQ