Charles Teves
Filipino-American actress Liza Soberano restated that she believes her career prospects were restricted because she was previously “boxed” into a love team.
However, Soberano acknowledged that she did not realize this when she was at the peak of her on-screen partnership with Enrique Gil.
“At that time, when I was in a love team, hindi ko naisip na problema siya. Actually, ‘yung ‘Hello Love, Goodbye’ ni Kathryn (Bernardo) and Alden (Richards) were actually offered to Quen and I first. I wanted to do that movie so bad but then they were like, ‘There’s another project lined up for the both of you,’” she said in an interview with Bea Alonzo.
She narrated, “Tapos while we were doing ‘Bagani,’ nabalitaan ko that at they offered it to Kathryn and Quen. And that scared the s**t out of me. I was like, ‘Why did they do that?…Because they told us nung pinitch sa amin na hindi puwedeng gawin kaagad kasi they have to develop it more. So I was like, ‘Okay we’ll wait for it. Please hold it for us.’ And then nalaman ko na lang bigla na they were offering it to Quen still but with Kathryn.”
Soberano expressed her fear that there would be no more “LizQuen” tandem after their projects ‘Bagani’ and ‘Darna’ where she was set to star without Gil.
Soberano furthered, “For me, I didn’t want to do that to the fans, but also Quen was my comfort zone.”
Only after these experiences, Soberano realized how being in a love team had limited her opportunities.
“I realized, oh my God ang dami kong hindi nagawa sa career ko. And that’s why everybody takes for granted my talent or acting capabilities because they have only seen me in a love team,” she shared.
Soberano, who released a vlog reintroducing herself last Sunday, looked back on her successful stint with ABS-CBN, where she became a well-known personality in showbiz and a highly sought-after endorser.
James Reid, who has run his talent agency Careless since mid-2022, now manages the 25-year-old actress.
Soberano’s interview only made netizens more confused as to what she wants in her career.
Gulong gulo na ako LizHope 😩 https://t.co/GZKI5utbpk
— kiko rustia (@kikorustia) March 6, 2023
Pareho silang nagsabing "grateful" kuno sila sa management na tumulong sa kanilang sumikat pero aminin man nila o hindi, "HINDI NAKIKITA SA ACTIONS NILA PAREHO ANG PAGIGING GRATEFUL". Maraming nawalang artista sa ABS-CBN at lumipat pero hindi nagmaldita ng ganito. (1/n) https://t.co/1kYET9ZNNR
— CHAKAPUSO ᥫ᭡ (@ChakapusoPH) March 6, 2023
Major inconsistency. Ayaw ma box sa LT but then this interview? https://t.co/5vv8kM5zQi
— Jesus Falcis 🇵🇭 (@jesusfalcis) March 5, 2023
https://twitter.com/pripri_gosakto/status/1632521490527830016?s=20
Okay girl. Liza, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. You’re not part of an lt anymore, prove it to the public you’re a great performer as an individual—local or otherwise. Give us that talent you’re so proud of you’re willing to burn bridges. Right now you’re serving nothing. https://t.co/QVi2PLCWXe
— J (@jdotgif) March 6, 2023
In her recent Vlog, Soberano discussed her solo journey and the creative independence she has been seeking.
“I am 25 years old now and I think people forget that I’ve been working for 13 years now since I was 12 years old. I’ve been in six feature films, and over 500 episodes of teleseryes and have only really dabbled in three main genres – romance, comedy, and drama. Since I was 16, I had only really worked side by side with one main co-star, with the same production company, rotating around the same three directors,” she said.
She added, “During all those years, I was never really asked for my input, my thoughts, my ideas. I felt like I was being told to be just a flower for so long. I finally started to explore the world of being able to create and tell my story and hopefully others.”
Soberano concluded, “I think I’ve earned the right to finally be me, to finally be able to do things for me as Hope Soberano.”
