On the outside, Liza Soberano’s life might look perfect. But just like regular folks, the actress also had her silent battles to face—the details revealed as she pulled back the curtains and spoke up at length about her career struggles in a vlog.
In the 14-minute video, Liza confessed that the pandemic impacted her outlook on life. "The pandemic was the first time in my life where I was allowed to stop and be still. This forced me to think: I didn't have a childhood nor did I have the chance to grow and become an adult on my own terms," Liza began.
She noted that she’s been working for 13 years, starting when she was only 12 years old. Because of her early start, she didn’t always have freedom in her work. "I had always been told what to do, what to wear, what to say and what not to say. I know this was for my own good. It was to protect me and career, but it was a career that I had no say in. A career that in many ways wasn't mine. I didn't even choose the name Liza. It was chosen for me."
She cleared that she wasn’t coming from a bad place telling her story. "This is not a story of bitterness or regret. In fact, it's the opposite. It's a story about growth and gratitude. At 24 years old, I was finally given the choice to decide my own path."
She gave credit to her new management Careless Music, helmed by her former fellow Kapamilya star James Reid, for giving importance to her creative input. "I love the way they respected my vision and intelligence as I did theirs," she said, adding that they were supportive from the start.
"I asked them what the plan was for me, and they said, ‘I don't know. You tell us. We're here to support whatever your dreams are.’ That's when I knew I had found my team.”
"I had been approached by so many different management companies before, and it was the first time any of them had asked me what I wanted, what made me happy," Liza shared.
"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. And 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 and during all those years, I was never really asked for my input, my thoughts, my ideas," she said.
Right now, Liza is taking small steps in reinventing herself and has been enjoying writing and producing. She recently revealed that she is based in LA for her Hollywood pursuits, but is now staying in the country for an upcoming project which will be revealed tomorrow, February 27.
Liza said she is grateful for all the opportunities from her past work that gave herself and her family a comfortable life. "I obviously know 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, LizQuen fans, but I hope you understand that by doing so, by giving in to the pressure of doing what everybody else wants for me, I'm being unfair to myself, Hope Soberano."
"I've sacrificed my childhood. I've sacrificed my freedom, and I've sacrificed my happiness to present Liza Soberano to the world, and I think I've earned the right to finally be me, to finally be able to do things for me as Hope Soberano.”
Ultimately, she had an empowering message to celebrate her newfound freedom. "I've embarked on a fresh new chapter, and I'm finally taking control of my life, pursuing dreams that I've always had to hold off on, and 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'm finally living my life for me.”
We’re always rooting for you, Liza!
