Glaiza de Castro and Mike Tan
When she was reminded that she has been in show biz for 20 years now, Glaiza de Castro reminisced on her humble beginnings, including countless auditions and workshops, the rejections, and the happenstance that changed the course of her career.
“I experienced pushing our vehicle because it wouldn’t start. There were instances where I wasn’t allowed into mall shows — hindi kasi pang-artista ang sasakyan!” she recalled, laughing, at a recent virtual conference for her ongoing afternoon soap on GMA, “The Seed of Love.”
In the early 2000s, she and her manager received a text message from a talent scout, informing them about an audition for a minor role in the film, “Cool Dudes 24/7.” As it turned out, the advisory wasn’t meant for her. Luckily, the director, Ruel Bayani, still let her try out for the part.
“Naawa sa ‘kin si direk because I was already there. ‘Isalang na rin kita,’ he told me. I was so embarrassed. It was an improvised scene, so we had no scripts. I was just told to slap Danilo Barrios (one of the lead stars),” she related.
Glaiza ended up landing the role.
“I had nothing but motivation and desire to give my best not only for my family but just for the sake of doing a good job. Fame wasn’t the goal; it wasn’t a big factor. I simply wanted to do different roles,” the 35-year-old actress said. “I didn’t really understand what acting was about. But the more I did it, the more I enjoyed it. [It was] like playing for the cameras.”
She has since gone on to portray protagonist and villain roles and act in mainstream and independent movies, romantic comedies and socio-political films. Outside of acting, she’s an active music artist with four albums under her belt.
Blessings
“I’m thankful for the journey I have had because I wasn’t typecast in certain roles. I was able to play up my career. And if I didn’t have acting projects, I had music,” she pointed out. “We were encouraged to undergo several workshops where we would go home past midnight. We spent money for gas and outfits. But looking back, I realized there was a good reason for all of that.”
Now that she’s an established and award-winning actress, Glaiza looks back at her past struggles with fondness. “My family is now doing well and I’m still able to help them. Life is more comfortable … I believe the blessings were meant to be shared with other people. The sacrifices led me to where I am now,” she said.
Directed by Ricky Davao, “The Seed of Love” is a family drama that sheds light on in vitro fertilization. It follows Bobby (Mike Tan), who decides to have his sperm cells frozen after a cancer scare. He later breaks up with bratty socialite Alexa (Valerie Concepcion), whom he has been putting up with for a long time.
He then meets and falls in love with the optimistic and doting Eileen (Glaiza). After tying the knot, the couple decides to have a baby using the frozen sperm. The vindictive Alexa, however, hatches an elaborate scheme that allows her to steal Eileen and Bobby’s embryo and replace it with a random embryo.
The show started production back in February 2020 but was shelved due to the pandemic.
Glaiza de Castro
“I wasn’t familiar with the process at first … but the topic of the show can be educational,” said Glaiza, who pointed out that there are a lot of women who dream of being mothers but struggle with fertility.
Challenging role
“Every woman’s journey is different. There are those who dream of becoming a mother; others have accepted that they won’t be. But the good thing is that there are options now. And it’s up to you if you try it or not. It’s not bad to try different alternatives to fulfill one’s dream of having a child,” she said.
Glaiza has yet to become a mother, so playing Eileen was a challenge, she said. “It was hard to draw inspiration when doing scenes that involved my character’s child. Good thing the actor who plays him helped me process the scenes,” she said. “I asked about the experiences of my co-actors, like Mike and Valerie, to help me deliver what our director required.”
Teased by her co-actors that it was about time to have a baby of her own, Glaiza said she and her Irish husband, David Rainey, have been talking about taking that next step, but they’re not rushing.
“I always say that I need to be prepared physically, mentally and spiritually. I see my siblings and friends who are starting their own families, and I know raising a child is not easy. I need to be ready,” she said.