Liza Soberano says she’s grateful to her previous management, clarifies: ‘I was just stating facts’

Liza Soberano. Image: screengrab from YouTube/GMA Network

Liza Soberano has made clarifications regarding the statements she made about her previous career, stressing that she was not complaining but was just stating facts and what she had been through.

The actress spoke up on the matter in a taped interview with Boy Abunda that aired on the latter’s show “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda” on Friday, March 10. Before airing the interview, Abunda explained that James Reid, whose talent label Careless Music manages Soberano, reached out to him and that they agreed to set an interview for Soberano to clear things up.

Abunda also said that he notified ABS-CBN executive Cory Vidanes as well as Soberano’s former manager Ogie Diaz before he had the conversation with the actress.

During the interview, Soberano admitted that she initially did not want to do such, but then “it was getting so noisy” that she was prompted to “defend” herself.

“I didn’t want to do it because I didn’t feel the need, initially, to further explain my thought process. But I started having feelings of regret kasi there were so many different interpretations of what I said,” she said. “…It was getting so noisy, and so many different thoughts and opinions were coming in, so I felt like I needed to defend myself.”

Soberano then confessed that she was hurt by how Abunda reacted to her vlog because she thought Abunda would understand where she was coming from, considering his long years in show business.

“Na-hurt ako kasi feeling ko, of all people, ikaw ‘yung makakaintindi because, you know, I see you as one of the wisest in the industry. And sa dami ng napagdaanan mo, parang you always saw things for what they were and parang ang paniniwala ko, your judgment isn’t clouded by the noise of the media, by what the fans say.”

Despite this, Soberano noted that she understood Abunda’s point and that “it did make sense to [her]” eventually. Soberano and Abunda then proceeded to the points he raised, including the “powerbase shifting” in a talent-management relationship.

“The power dynamics did shift a bit,” Soberano spoke of her career under her previous management. “Naranasan ko naman na I was given some right to kind of approve certain things that were going on in my career, but I was never empowered na mag-isip on creating and sharing ideas on how I could grow my career or bring it into a different direction.”

“Yes, I may have made some decisions for myself; I may have agreed to certain things, but I wouldn’t say that they were completely my own kasi I had fans to cater to, I had a family to provide for, I had people in the industry that I wanted to impress or make proud,” she continued. “And so I didn’t grow up learning how to choose things for myself and deciding on what I want. It was always dictated by what people thought was right for me.”

Soberano further noted how in spite of her “pitches” and opportunities to speak up for herself, she was never really heard when it came to the creatives. She said she was just following what was asked of her until she realized what she truly wanted for her career in 2019, but she acknowledges that a lot of people helped her to become what she is now.

“Masunurin naman ako and alam ko that everybody that was part of my journey, everybody that I worked with—Tito Ogie, ABS-CBN, [Enrique], the management—they’re all knowledgeable in what they do, in show biz.”

‘Little producer’

Soberano then revealed that there were instances when members of the creatives of a project talked behind her back and called her “little producer” for pitching inputs to her character.

“Sometimes they would negotiate…pero I didn’t know that behind my back—a really close director, a friend of mine told me—na they would talk about me during pre-prod meetings and called me ‘little producer,’” she stated.

“Ever since after that, I felt like I didn’t have the right to bring this up kasi feeling ko nao-offend ko ‘yung mga tao sa paligid ko, which was not my intention,” she added. “But I thought as an actor, that was my job also to question, to help improve the story, to be collaborative.”

Soberano said she raised the matter to Diaz, but they were not able to take actions because she could not disclose the source of the information. After the said incident, Soberano decided to “stay silent” to avoid “disappointing people” and “creating enemies.”

“Iniisip ko pa nga, baka ako ‘yung rude for questioning the creatives’ decisions,” she said. “It’s not that I wasn’t happy, but I also wasn’t fulfilled… I just wanted to feel heard or listened to.”

Grateful for being Liza, Hope

Soberano then spoke about her statements in her “This Is Me” vlog, which some perceived as “strong complaints.” She further stated that she was just recalling the points in her life before she came to where she is right now.

“For me I was just stating facts. I was breaking down the journey so people would understand what point I am at in my life right now,” she noted. “Hindi ko po pangarap maging artista. I had to be an artista para mapaaral ko sarili ko, para mapaaral ko ang kapatid ko, para mabuhay ko ‘yung family ko. And I think that’s one thing na hindi alam ng tao.”

“Yes, I admit I agreed to everything that was happening to me because ‘yun ang nakakabuti para sa akin. This is not about what’s right and what’s wrong,” she stated. “It’s just that I didn’t grow up normally like other people and I’m not complaining.”

Soberano reiterated she’s grateful for the milestones she achieved, saying she wouldn’t have attained these things “if not for ABS-CBN, if not for Tito Ogie and if not for Enrique.”

“I just needed to state that I didn’t get to become or discover myself on my own terms. I had to do it with the whole country looking at me and other people telling me what was good for me and what was not good for me,” she said.

She then stressed that while she did not freely decide to become a celebrity, she’s grateful that she gets to live two separate lives as Liza, who faces the public, and Hope, who “carries her heart.”

When asked if she regrets anything in her career, she replied, “I don’t regret anything. Wala po talaga.”

“After hearing your thoughts on that, I believe that I could have explained myself better. I won’t take that back though, what I said is true—those are all facts,” she continued.

She then admitted that at some point in her career, she was really scared to go beyond her love team and the repetitive circumstances, because she thought it was all that she was capable of. But now, she hopes that fans will understand that she now wants to explore her choices and capabilities as an individual.

Soberano’s interview with Abunda has a second part in which the actress shares her side of the story following the statements made by Diaz. The second part of the interview will air on Monday, March 13.

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