“I’m finally living my life for me…”
Matapos magulantang ng maraming followers at mga kaibigan ng 25-anyos na aktres na si Liza Soberano sa pagkawala ng lahat ng kanyang posts sa Instagram at YouTube kamakailan, agad naman siyang nagparamdam bagama’t walang paliwanag sa pamamagitan ng bagong post na tila isang tula; “A Flower’s Dream”.
Ang mga kaganapan ay tinawag ni TV host Boy Abunda na isang hakbang patungo sa ‘rebranding’ at inilarawan naman ng dating manager ni Liza na si Ogie Diaz bilang isang career choice kung saan nais ni Liza na makilala bilang isang global actress at artist. “Anak, ang importante masaya ka,” bitaw naman dito ni Ogie.
Nitong Linggo, ika-26 ng pebrero, ay nagbahagi na si Liza ng isang video sa kanyang YouTube channel kung saan inihayag niya ang kanyang saloobin kaugnay sa kanyang pagta-transition at personal growth sa ilalim ng bagong management agency.
Aniya sa caption ng video na pinamagatan niyang ‘This is me‘: “Hey… It’s been a while. I know I’ve been distant, but please know it wasn’t my intention to make you feel abandoned. I was going through some changes and everything was coming at me so fast. I didn’t have the time to fully process what was going on and slowly found myself getting lost in the motions. But I’m ready now. So to fill you in on what’s been happening. Let’s rewind a bit.”
Ang ilalahad niya ay hindi umano isang kuwento ng “regret o bitterness”; ‘in fact, it’s the opposite’.
Kaugnay sa pagbabalik-IG post niya, “Those photos actually came from a self-produced fun photoshoot with the one and only Shaira Luna. One of my favorite layouts out of eight that we did – as we were shooting, we kind of got inspired by one of my favorites, up and coming director slash author Sarah Bahbah.”
Nilaro lamang umano nila ang konseptong ‘ jealous of a flower’ kung saan ipinahihiwatig ni Liza ang kanyang hopes, dreams at mga frustrations.
“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, over 500 episodes of teleseryes and have only really dabbled into 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,” kuwento niya.
Basahin: She’s back! Liza Soberano nagbabalik sa Instagram; a ‘new beginning?’
“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 and I finally started to explore a world of being able to create and tell my story and hopefully others,” pagpapatuloy niya.
Isinalaysay din niya ang kanyang journey bilang isang ambassador at kung paano ito nagbukas ng mga opportunidad sa kanya sa larangan ng pagsusulat at pagpo-produce.
Nagbigay din siya ng update sa nakuha niyang acting part sa proyektong “Lisa Frankenstein” kasama nina Cole Sprouse at Kathryn Newton.
Binanggit din niya ang ilang updates tungkol sa kanyang mga endorsements, kabilang na ang isang bagong commercial na ginawa nila. Mababanaag ang kanyang excitement sa pagkukuwento tungkol sa kanyang “most amazing experience ever” dahil naging bahagi siya ng mga pre-production meetings at ng storyboarding. “I was part of the writing of the script.”
“This was my first ever jab at directing. I am just so excited to see everyone’s reaction to it. It’s nothing like I’ve ever done before, that’s for sure. I am sure a lot of you guys will be shocked and will be surprised but I had the best time working on it and working with this team so I hope you guys will show it some love,” pagpapatuloy niya.
Labis din siyang nagpapasalamat sa lahat. “I am 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.”
Kaugnay sa mga kritiko at mga nakapagbitaw ng hindi magagandang salita sa kanyang ginawang ‘paghahabol’ sa mga pagbabago sa kanyang career, ito ang tugon ni Liza, “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. 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.”
Marami pa siyang ibinahagi ngunit ang kabuuan, naniniwala siya na sa wakas, natagpuan na niya ang mga kasagutan kaugnay sa kanyang pagiging ‘Hope Soberano.”
“I’ve embarked on a fresh new chapter and 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.”
Sa loob lamang ng apat na oras ay humakot na ng mahigit 1,300 comments ng paghanga ang kanyang video.
“Love to see artist who’s after about their growth as an artist, explore their creativeness, and taking risks to see their potential. Liza, you just proved again that you’re more than just a pretty face. You’re smart, bold, and fearless.”
“After watching this it’s clearer now that she’s already on her path of maturity. I understood the desire of doing things you actually like not just for profit but for your own self fulfillment and not just go with the flow with what management dictates or the fan dictates. I salute you and wish you goodluck and hope you succeed. If not atleast you live your life the way you want and that’s all that matters. You are on a journey of finding yourself as you said its scary, it’s terrifying but it’s fulfilling. I commend your bravery for going out of your comfort zone and being honest about it. Goodluck liza!”
Panoorin ang kanyang-14-minute video kung saan ay mas mauunawaan ang kanyang mga desisyon. Happy for you, Hope!