Iza Calzado is taking a break from television—at least, for the time being. But that doesn't mean that we won't be seeing Iza anywhere. The seasoned actress is set to focus on theater, and everyone's all-out supportive.
The Cosmopolitan Philippines Women of Influence 2024 awardee affirmed that her focus at the moment is to do more theater roles. Speaking to a couple of press members at an event for her upcoming Tiny Beautiful Things performance, she described her shift to theater this year as a dream come true.
"Actually, ano ko 'to eh, dream. Para bang na-manifest ko siya. Tinatanong sakin ni Ben noon, 'What would be a perfect year or career be like for you?' Sabi ko, I'll do films and a play. And that's what I'm doing now," Iza said in a video uploaded by MJ Felipe.
Aside from being her dream, doing more theater runs at this point in her career feels like a major fulfillment for Iza. This is despite seeing the fact that there's a huge disparity between the pay for TV, films, and theater projects.
She explained, "May mga nagtanong na nga sa akin eh, 'Bakit ka ba nag-play?' And you know, it's really different ha, the pay when it comes to TV and film, and the pay when it comes to theater is night and day. [...] Iba 'yung ano niya, priceless. I guess 'yung masasabi ko, fulfillment 'yung iniiwan niya rin sa'kin. Atsaka sa totoo lang, malaki 'yun sakin bilang artista at bilang tao. So kaya, matagal man I'm glad that it finally happened."
But she made it clear to the press that she's not saying goodbye to television. For Iza, it was just a matter of sacrifice and priorities. The actress, who's been working in the showbiz industry for decades now, admitted that she's sacrificing her TV career at the moment for theater because 1) she can only do so much, and 2) her most important role at the moment is being a mother to her daughter, Deia.
"Yan ang sacrifice natin. Wala muna tayong telebisyon ngayon...I'm not saying never. It's just ang dami namang material ngayon, may pelikula, may eto, eh iisang katawan lang ako at ang pinakaimportanteng trabaho ko ngayon ay ang pagiging isang nanay kaya hindi ko muna magagawa 'yun," she declared when asked about upcoming TV projects.
Iza, who exuded such humility and grace with her every answer, stated that she was fine with her TV break. Moreover, the actress detailed that she has no problem doing cameos for now as she focuses on theater. There's no small role anyway, she says.
With her focus set on exploring the theater scene, Iza knew that she had to let go of some TV roles. Sharing her musings, Iza pointed out that as an actress, she's only accepting offers that she can handle efficiently. Not everything is a yes, just because chances will come and go.
"And maybe nasabi ko 'yun sa sarili ko. Hindi mo kailangang oo-han lahat—dapat sapat lang. [...] Yes, I've had to let go of some (TV offers). Maybe din it wasn't the right match pa. But I've had to turn down in as much...but because, you have to know your priorities at this point. It will come. Sana pag bumalik ako ay nandyan pa rin kayo," she told the press.
Iza Calzado's Tiny Beautiful Things
Iza's upcoming theater comeback is called Tiny Beautiful Things. This is her return to the stage after starring in the 2015 play, Sabel: Love and Passion.
Tiny Beautiful Things is based on the 2012 novel by Cheryl Strayed. It was about Cheryl's experiences as an anonymous advice columnist. This theatrical run puts the spotlight on the experiences and troubles of real people from Cheryl's column.
It will be shown on all weekends from November 16 to December 8, 2024, at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Black Box Theater. You can still get tickets via www.thesandboxco.com.
