Liza Soberano. Image: Instagram/@lizasoberano
Even if Liza Soberano has been working for 13 years, she believes that she finally reached the point in her life where she feels empowered to take control of herself — especially when it comes to her personal decisions and career.
Just days after former talent manager Ogie Diaz admitted that he’s worried about the trajectory of Soberano’s career, the “Forevermore” star opened up about giving into the “pressure of doing what everybody else wants” and her past experiences as an actress in a vlog uploaded on her YouTube channel on Sunday, Feb. 26.
“I’m 25 years old now, and people may forget that I’ve been working for 13 years now since I was 12 years old,” she began. “I’ve been in six feature films, over 500 episodes of teleseryes, and have only dabbled into three main genres — romance, comedy, and drama.”
“And since I was 16, I had only worked side-by-side with one main co-star, with the same production company, rotating around the same three directors. And through those years, I was never really asked for my input, my thoughts. and my ideas. I felt like I was told to just be a flower for so long, and I finally started to explore a world of being able to create and tell my story and hopefully, others,” she added.
Soberano, who signed with James Reid’s Careless Music in June 2022, revealed that joining a “start-up company” reaffirmed her dedication to improve her craft as an actress, and she even had the opportunity to develop her skills as a writer, creator, and producer.
“I found myself working in their office everyday from [9 a.m. to 5 p.m.] then we went to [Los Angeles, California, U.S.] where Careless brought in their U.S. partner Transparent Arts where they have been supportive of me. Then, I went to Korea where I met my favorite idols,” she said, as she shared that being cast in the upcoming film “Lisa Frankenstein” as Taffy gave her “lifelong experiences and lifelong friendships.”
“It has been the most amazing experience ever. I had the opportunity to work side-by-side with the client, the executives, the marketing officer and with the director of the commercial campaigns. I was part of the pre-production meetings. I was part of the storyboarding. I was part of the writing of the script,” she further shared.
Being fair to Hope Soberano
Despite her past career woes, the “Dolce Amore” star stressed that she’s grateful about the success she had in the Philippines as it gave her a chance to give her family a “comfortable life.”
“I’m so grateful for my supporters. I am so grateful for the brands that I get to work with. I am so thankful for the places that I’ve been able to go to, the things that I’ve been able to experience and being able to take care of my family and live a comfortable life,” she added.
Nonetheless, Soberano took the time to address those who have been critical of her career decisions, noting that “giving into the pressure of doing what everybody else wants” is unfair to herself.
“I obviously know that it would be much easier to just stick to what has been working for me, to stay forever the same, and I know and I understand that it’s unfair to all the Liza Soberano fans, all the LizQuen fans,” she said, referring to the fans of her loveteam with real-life boyfriend Enrique Gil.
“But I hope you understand that by doing so, by giving into the pressure of doing what everybody else wants for me, I am being unfair to myself, Hope Soberano. I’ve sacrificed my childhood, I’ve sacrificed my freedom, and I’ve sacrificed my happiness to present Liza Soberano to the world. And I think that I’ve earned the right to finally be me. To finally be able to do things for me as Hope Soberano,” she further stated.
A ‘fresh new chapter’
Soberano also expressed her excitement about her “fresh new chapter” where she feels empowered to take “control” of her life.
“I am finally taking control of my life, pursuing dreams that I’ve always had to hold off on. It’s exciting, it’s terrifying, it’s anxiety-filled and confusing. But what I know for sure is that for the first time, I am finally living my life for me,” she added.
The Fil-Am actress, who earlier revealed that she started cutting down endorsements with other brands, announced that she is about to launch her new project as an “ambassador” the following day.
“Thank you for the overwhelming love and support on my latest vlog, xoxo,” she said on Instagram as she dropped a teaser of her newest venture in a follow-up post.
Prior to signing with Careless Music, Soberano admitted in May 2022 that pursuing a career in Hollywood has always “been a dream” for her, where she hoped that her career journey would inspire others to pursue theirs.
Among the actress’ most well-known works in the Philippines include the teleseryes “Forevermore,” “Dolce Amore,” “Bagani,” and “Make It With You,” as well as the films “My Ex and Whys,” “Everyday I Love You,” and “Alone/Together,” among others. EDV