Chie Filomeno. Image: Instagram/@chiefilomeno
Eleven years after she auditioned for Star Magic, Chie Filomeno has finally achieved her dream of signing a contract with ABS-CBN.
The “Gen Z” actress had the waterworks turned on from the first few minutes of the recent contract-signing event, which was attended by the network’s executives: chairman Mark Lopez, president and CEO Carlo Katigbak, head of entertainment production Laurenti Dyogi and COO for broadcast Cory Vidanes.
Filomeno, who managed to edge out thousands of aspirants for limited spots in the talent agency more than a decade ago, recounted a time when someone asked her why she remained in the industry when her contemporaries had made greater strides in their careers.
“Naalala ko, back then, may nagtanong po sa’kin, ‘Chie, bakit hindi ka pa gumi-give up? Kasi naunahan ka [na] ng mga kasabayan mo.’ And then, naisip ko—sabi ko, ‘Sayang ‘yung sakripisyo ko, ‘yung pagod ko, especially ng pamilya ko, ng magulang ko. Sayang ‘yung sakripisyo nila kung mag-gi-give up ako,’” shared Filomeno, who was 15 when she tried her luck and went to the Star Magic go-see.
(I remember, back then someone asked me, “Chie, why haven’t you given up? Your contemporaries have already surpassed you.” And then, I thought—I said, “My sacrifice would go to waste, all my hard work, especially that of my family, my parents. Their sacrifice would be for nothing if I would give up.)
The “Pinoy Big Brother” alum did not waste her time while playing the waiting game, and vowed to “work hard as much as I can” while remaining hopeful for that seemingly elusive big break.
While the road to her “dream come true” took a “roller-coaster ride” of a journey, Filomeno was determined to not have it any other way.
“The journey that I had, it was really a roller-coaster ride. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything else, kasi ang dami kong natutunan sa lahat [ng pinagdaanan ko], especially behind the scenes, especially sa handler ko (because I learned a lot from everything I’ve gone through, especially behind the scenes, especially from my handler),” said the Kapamilya star, who can also hold her own on the dance floor.
Filled with gratitude—that she said has gone “over the ceiling”—Filomeno is looking to continue learning and improving on her craft, and shared about her lesson-filled experience on the set of the upcoming Petersen Vargas feature “A Very Good Girl.”
“I only had a few shooting days, pero ang dami kong natutunan (but I learned a lot),” shared the 26-year-old actress, who was all praises for the film’s cast led by Golden Globe nominee Dolly de Leon and Kathryn Bernardo, who Filomeno appeared with in the series “Got to Believe.”
“I’m surrounded by people na they really love what they’re doing, and ‘yun ‘yung mas nakakainspire (that’s what inspires more) to do well also,” expressed Filomeno, adding that she and Bernardo learned so much from working with actors who are products of the theater—de Leon included.
“[A]ng dami naming napulot na aral from all the theater actors, na parang sabi namin ni Kath [Bernardo], ‘Girl, parang kailangan nating manood din ng theater [productions] to immerse [ourselves in the theater realm] also,’” shared the “Allergy in Love” star, who described de Leon as “so nice” and very understanding.
(We picked up so many lessons from all the theater actors, so that Kath and I kind of said, “Girl, it seems we also need to watch theater productions to immerse ourselves in the theater realm also.”)
“I really love her mentality,” Filomeno further raved about the “Triangle of Sadness” actress. She also said she looks up to Bernardo’s career path.
The “Love Thy Woman” actress, who hopes to have the opportunity to work with John Arcilla, also narrated how she landed the part of Zab in the movie, which recently dropped a teaser.
“Actually…it’s a go-see eh. And I didn’t know ‘yung go-see na ‘yun is ako lang pala talaga ang option nila for Zab (And I didn’t know that for that go-see, I was really their only option for Zab),” shared Filomeno, who added how the production was “really patient” with her to draw out what they wanted for her character.
Aside from Filomeno, de Leon and Bernardo, the film—set for release next month—also stars Jake Ejercito, Angel Aquino, Ana Abad Santos, Donna Cariaga and Kaori Oinuma, among others. /ra