Pia Wurtzbach on PH artists, advice to Michelle Dee and being Mrs. Jauncey

The least we can do for them is give them a little push,” said Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach as a way to bring local artists to the consciousness of more Filipinos, especially after the controversial “hawi” incident that happened recently between her and National Artist for Film Ricky Lee.

“In relation to the guard involved in the incident, I believe he did that because he didn’t know [Sir Ricky]. The problem lies in the fact that not all of us know our national artists. So to introduce our national artists to the masses is the solution. We need to tell them, ‘These are the people we have to show respect to, the people whose works we have to celebrate. This is them, from different fields of art.’” Pia told reporters during a recent book signing session of her novel “Queen of the Universe.”

The incident, which was caught on video, shows the award-winning screenwriter being pushed aside by the guard while trying to greet Pia.

“To be honest, I’m pretty sure there are more artists there who even I won’t be able to recognize when out in public,” she pointed out. “This could be an idea for influencers, celebrities and even the media. Let’s give them a bit of [a] push. Let’s talk about them, include them in our posts and highlight their works, so that more people will know them.”

During the afternoon that Pia spent with the media, she also discussed a number of things aside from her book. The beauty queen also talked about what it was like to become Mrs. Jeremy Jauncey, the pointers she would give to Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee, as well as her plans of either coming up with a sequel to the book or its movie adaptation.

‘A big guiding light’

“It feels great to be called Mrs. Jauncey. I wasn’t used to it in the beginning, but I’m getting the hang of it now. When it comes to us living as a married couple, I honestly don’t feel much of a difference from when we were engaged. I’m excited because I feel very safe in the relationship,” she said. “Jeremy has been a big guiding light for me when it comes to all aspects of my life, even my career. He gives me good business advice. He pushes me to try things that I want to do, including this book—even though it was already finished before I met him.”

With the worldwide promotion for the book and her own cosmetic line, which will be launching soon, Pia obviously has a lot planned careerwise, but we still made sure to ask about her family goals.

“Definitely, Jeremy and I want to have a family together one day. He loves the idea of having a big family, but then, that means I have to take a break. We agreed that we would first focus on our careers now and work toward the bigger goal. We’re not in a hurry,” said the 34-year-old.

 

Social media strategy

Pia was also asked why she thought Michelle has a fighting chance when the latter flies to El Salvador later this month for the 72nd Miss Universe pageant. “We have an advantage because here, we have experts, mentors, trainers and people who are ready to help in every aspect of the preparation—the styling, the advocacy part, and now, coming up with a social media strategy, which is something that we didn’t do before. We produce winners, so we have that advantage,” she pointed out.

“What I love about Michelle is that she is very clear about her vision. She not only knows what she wants; she also says it. She’s firm about it, but in a very sweet and gentle way—that’s very queenly. You need somebody who is firm in her stance on things,” said Pia. “Michelle knows what she wants to talk about, what kind of styling to go for and I appreciate that in a winner. I’m very excited to see what she has in store for us.”

Michelle gave Pia a sneak peek into the kind of gown she would be wearing. “Kinilig ako. I said, ‘Girl, it’s gorgeous!’ I’m sure people will have the same reaction,” Pia beamed. “I’m going to have a longer moment to speak to her this weekend. I’m already preparing a note on the things she must remember, just to make her experience there a little easier, just so she can get into a nice routine every day because I think their competition will take a few weeks.”

‘Savor the experience’

Pia has this three-word advice for Michelle: “Savor the experience.” She also said that having a strategy and sticking to a plan are important aspects of the competition. “Also, while people will be looking at pageant pages for updates, they will likewise want to see what Michelle will be posting, so she has to plan that. But, Michelle shouldn’t read the comments. It’s tempting, I know, but it’s time to focus on the goal, and that is to get the crown.”

Meanwhile, Pia said her appearance at the recent Manila International Book Fair, as well as participating in book signing events nationwide, opened her eyes to the fact that we have so many Filipino writers out there. “I have so much respect for them because they keep putting work out there with so much passion. They are my idols,” she said.

Pia will be flying to Singapore for her second Ted Talk event there, as well as for a book signing session. Next stop is Dubai, she reported. “I’m happy to read people’s reactions, especially if they quote a few words from the book. When I’m at a book signing event, some of them would say they’ve read the book prior to having me sign it. I feel very kilig when that happens. It means they didn’t just buy it; they actually sat down and took time to read it,” she pointed out.

Pia said the book is up for reprinting, only a few weeks after it was launched. She said it was her dream for the book to have a movie or TV adaptation. “I’m thinking of Andrea Brillantes because she is of the same age as my book’s character, Cleo. To producers who are looking for ideas, you don’t have to look too far. We’re very much open to collaborating. Also, if there is demand for Book 2, we are ready for it,” Pia declared.

“Queen of the Universe” is published by Tuttle, with ABS-CBN Books as Wurtzbach’s literary agent.