Jodi Sta. Maria receives her best actress award in Singapore.
We should always dream big,” said award-winning actress Jodi Sta. Maria, who also admitted to wanting to start a career in Hollywood.
Jodi sat down with a select group of reporters recently, shortly after she bagged the 2022 Asian Academy Creative Awards best actress trophy in Singapore for her performance in the local adaptation of the British drama series “The Broken Marriage Vow.”
The 40-year-old actress said she is also exploring the idea of looking for a foreign talent agent. “I talked with Tito Deo (Endrinal, Dreamscape business unit head) about this recently. I asked him, ‘Would it be too ambitious of me if I try to get an agent or start sending audition reels to production companies [in Hollywood]?’ I thought, who knows, I might get a call back!”
She continued: “You’ll never know what will happen unless you do something about it. These days, we are fast becoming involved in international collaborations, and this gives us more opportunities. I’m considering trying because I don’t what to keep thinking of the ‘What ifs?’ If I get projects, well and good; if not, at least I can say I was brave enough to try.”
Jodi said she got the idea after shooting some scenes of her latest film, “Labyu With An Accent,” with Coco Martin in Los Angeles. There, she got to work with a film crew who are American and Filipino-American. “I asked them about the audition process there. They told me that it’s important to get an agent that’s based there, too,” she said.
“Labyu with an Accent,” codirected by Rodel Nacianceno and Malu Sevilla, is an entry to the 48th Metro Manila Film Festival, which begins screening on Christmas Day.
Jodi also shared her thoughts on what is called in Hollywood as the “inclusion rider,” a contract provision that provides for a certain level of diversity in casting and production staff.
‘Minorities in Hollywood’
“The word ‘inclusion’ is always good. Asians like us are considered minorities in Hollywood, but for them to recognize our presence, our talent and creativity, and what we can offer to them, is actually a good thing. It will open new doors and a lot of opportunities for Asian talents,” she stressed.
Meanwhile, Jodi pointed out that while one should feel grateful for winning awards, it’s not good for an artist to base his success merely on the applause and recognitions he receives. “We all work hard, and to win awards somehow adds fire. It inspires us to do better and to strive for excellence. Just like in motivating a child, if he does something good and gets rewarded for it, he repeats this behavior. As an actor, if you embark on a project and you get recognized for it, you become programmed to say, ‘I want to do better next time.’ It gives you that kind of conditioning,” Jodi began.”
Of course, we shouldn’t just anchor everything to awards. What if they stop coming? What will happen to us? We need to be conscious of this.”Jodi then recalled the events that led to her accepting the Asian Academy Creative Awards trophy at the historical Chijmes Hall in Singapore. Winners in the national category were announced last Sept. 30, while the Grand Final winners were revealed in a two-day in-person ceremony from Dec. 7 to 8.
Most challenging role
Jodi said she first attended the National Winners Conference, with fellow national winner Dimples Romana, two other actors from Thailand, and one from Singapore. “The topic was about one’s creative process as an actor. The question I was asked to answer was whether or not a character’s profession is important and if it also defines the character you portray,” she recalled.“I said that every character is multifaceted and that her profession is merely part of a whole. However, it’s important in the sense that her profession—as in the case of my character, Dr. Jill Ilustre—will dictate how she will react,” Jodi said. “If you’re an esteemed doctor in your community, and you find out that your husband is seeing another woman, you know that you need to behave. This was why Dr. Jill’s emotional struggles were all internal.”
Jodi said Dr. Jill is one of the most challenging roles that she has portrayed in her 24 years in the business. “She’s very unconventional when it comes to her decision-making. You have a flawed heroine, her strongest traits don’t always work to her favor. That’s what’s so good about her, too. It wasn’t easy portraying her, but after winning an award because of her, I can say that everything was worth it. Nakarating na tayo sa exciting part!”
She then confessed to have considered having a change in career after the release of “The Broken Marriage Vow” in 2021. “We shot our last sequence on Dec. 23. It was then when I realized how exhausted I was, that I’ve used up all my energy. I thought, ‘24 years in show biz is enough. It’s time to end it. I can do other things aside from this.’”
However, with the award, Jodi said she realized that there is more work to be done. “We can make plans for our lives but, in the end, it’s the Lord who will direct our steps to where He wants us to go. There’s no avoiding that. He will take you to where you’re supposed to be, for you to be able to fulfill your life purpose,” she declared.