- Most celebrities weren’t exactly born into fame. And one thing is for sure, they were probably never 100% sure of achieving success until it happened.
- So then if you’re an actor or a musician, you should always have a plan B, right?
- This is why a lot of these famous people have some talents one could never imagine, considering what they are already known for.
When you’re famous, little is left to the imagination and often your personal life is found out. For this week, On My Radar have found a way to become common knowledge details from your favourite celebrities you might not even know or heard about.
Check this out…
Liza Soberano
Did you know that Hope Elizabeth “Liza” Soberano was supposedly a GMA 7 contract artist? According to Liza, she auditioned to join ABS-CBN’s Star Magic as well as the GMA Artist Center at around the same time. But it was the latter that first offered her a contract. She immediately signed up with GMA. But as luck would have it, exactly a week after she signed up with GMA 7, she asked to be released from her contract because Star Magic had given her a call.
Yes, Liza Soberano would’ve been a GMA 7 contract artist. In fact, projects including a movie appearance were already lined up for her as a GMA talent. Back then, she was still known using her real name, Hope.
Liza recalled: “Noong pumunta ako doon [GMA], alam mo ‘yung…I didn’t feel at home,” she explained during her first few interviews. “Hindi ko lang na-feel. Kasi dati palang, ABS na po ang pinapanood ko, so gusto ko talaga ABS.”
Hence, Liza was launched as one of the 12 Star Magic talents alongside Julia Barretto, Janella Salvador, Jerome Ponce, Jane Oineza and Kit Thompson.
She was also recommended by leading man Enrique Gil to the management to become his leading lady in the teleserye “Forevermore.” Enrique felt that they had connection and rapport after they did the film “She’s the One” with Dingdong Dantes and Bea Alonzo. After playing the role of Maria Agnes Calay in the hit romantic comedy TV series “Forevermore,” nothing has stopped Liza from being known. She’s now gearing up to play the eponymous comic Filipino superheroine, Darna.
Sandara Park
Here’s a little known fact about Sandara Park. Did you know that fellow celebrity and former Star Magic artist Pauleen Luna was the one who encouraged Sandara to audition for the search for Star Circle Quest (Season 1)?
Sandara and Pauleen met in one school activity. It was during the time when the Taiwanese group F4 was such a hit that even Sandara’s former loveteam partner Hero Angeles somehow ‘copied’ the hairstyle of Vic Zhou [a member of the F4]. She was the Philippines’ answer to ‘San Chai’ while Hero was our very own ‘Hua Ze Lei [played by Vic Zhou]’ of the Meteor Garden fame.
Since then, Sandara became the most influential Korean star in the Philippines that she was even given the monicker “Pambansang Krung-krung ng Pilipinas.”
Coco Martin
Baptized as Rodel Nacianceno, “Ang Probinsyano’s” lead star, Coco Martin was a product of Star Circle Batch 9. He finished Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management in National College of Business and Arts in Fairview, Quezon City.
Coco used to work as a waiter in one of the many branches of Max’s Restaurant who later got him as its endorser when he became a movie star. But he said that he lost his job at Max’s because he turned AWOL [absence without official leave].
It was also while he’s working for Max’s that a talent scout had discovered him and told him to give him a ring if one day he’d want to be in the movies. He did call up the talent scout but delayed joining showbiz even if he passed his auditions with flying colors. His father wanted him to finish his studies. And so he finished his degree first before he was able to concentrate as an actor. And as they say, the rest is history.
Today, Coco Martin is one of the most bankable actors that we have in the industry. He also ‘moonlights’ as one of the creative brains behind his hit primetime teleserye, FPJ’s “Ang Probinsyano.”
Billy Crawford
He’s formerly known as Billy Joe Crawford when he got discovered at a tender age of 3 while singing and dancing on top of a table in the bowling alley that his mother often visited. He became a regular on GMA Network’s most successful talent show, “That’s Entertainment” hosted by the late German Moreno. He’s done a few films before he left for the states. When he was 12, they migrated back to the US where he eventually started his music career. He legally dropped “Joe” from his name and in 1995, he danced with the iconic Michael Jackson onstage as a 13 year old back-up dancer at the 1995 MTV Video Awards.
Billy also became internationally recognized as he was able to penetrate Europe as an artist, especially in most parts of France. He also had albums released internationally which included top charting songs like “Bright Lights,” “Mary Lopez,” “Urgently In Love,” “Steamy Nights,” among many others. He also sang the Pokemon theme song for Pokemon: The First Movie.
In 2007, he returned to the Philippines for his very first Philippine concert, dubbed as ‘Billy Crawford: ‘It’s Time’ held at the Big Dome, Araneta Coliseum. And in 2008, he signed with ABS-CBN as an exclusive artist. And that’s how he discovered he also had a knack for hosting, a talent which he shared with his favorite buddy, Luis Manzano. Billy feels right at home with TV hosting. You can catch him daily at “It’s Showtime” on ABS-CBN.
Ai Ai delas Alas
If you’re not a fan of the Comedy Queen Ai Ai delas Alas, then you might not know that she’s very religious as a person. Ai Ai has a good heart, the kind you can count on in times of trouble. She’s very active in charity works and she has scholars who are studying on becoming priests in the seminary. A devout Catholic, Ai Ai also helps a lot of church organizations.
In 2015, she led the funding and organized a beneficiary concert in order to build a 5,000 square meters parish somewhere in Quezon City. “Yung iba, kapag nagsisimba kasi nababasa ng ulan. Kawawa naman so mas magandang mapatayuan ng mas malaking simbahan para mas maraming ma-accommodate na tao,” she reasoned out.
On her spare time, Ai Ai also volunteers to bathe the oldies at the Missionaries of Charity in Manila. She also never forgets to share her blessings with other people. She once gifted her loyal fans a one-year insurance. So when Ai Ai was conferred to receive a Papal Award for her “distinguished service to the church” last year, people close to her weren’t surprised at all.
Ai Ai was a recipient of the Pro Eccelsia et Pontifice, the highest award given b the Pope to lay people.
Nadine Lustre
Before Nadine Lustre became the big star that she is now, she entered the showbiz industry at an early age of 9. She was part of the children oriented show called “Storyland.” She was also featured a child host for Disney Channel Asia.
When she became a teenager, she became part of the cast of TV5’s youth-oriented show Bagets. Back in 2009, Nadine was one of the original members for the singing girl group called Pop Girls launched by Viva Entertainment. She eventually left the group to focus on going solo.
It was only when Nadine took the role of Reah “Eya” Rodriguez in Viva Films’ Diary ng Panget [based on the best-selling novel by Denny R. a.k.a. HaveYouSeenThisGirl from Wattpad] that she was able to get recognized. Denny was very particular then about who will be playing her characters. She handpicked Nadine for the lead role.
Her tandem with James Reid is one of the most sought after love teams to date.
Bea Alonzo
Born with a guy-sounding name, Bea Alonzo is Phylbert Angelie Ranolio Fagestrom in real life. She’s half British and half-Filipina. She was assigned with mature roles even at the age of 15 years old simply because she was ‘malaking bulas,’ [she’s taller than most girls her age], she’s a good actress and she has no qualms with kissing. That’s also aside from the fact that she acts more mature for her age in comparison to her contemporaries.
In her own words, Bea explains, “Maaga akong tumanda. Kailangan kong i-fast forward ‘yung childhood ko kasi hindi ako lumaki sa isang normal na family. I came from a broken family, di ako pwede mag-inarte na ‘I want this, I want that.”
Before bitten by the acting bug, Bea or “Tisay” to her old friends, was a veteran of beauty pageants. In fact, she was discovered by a talent scout in a local beauty contest before she auditioned and got into ABS-CBN’s Star Circle Batch 10. “It was really my grandmother’s dream for me to become a beauty queen. But I had other plans, I’m more interested in acting.”
Bea’s stardom skyrocketed when she teamed up with John Lloyd Cruz in Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay. From that point in time, things were never the same for Bea. She became the film and TV actress of her generation.
Gerald Anderson
Did you know who paved the way for Gerald Anderson to get into showbiz?
Gerald was actually discovered by Joross Gamboa. When Joross performed in General Santos City during the hype of Star Circle Quest Season 1, Joross introduced him to his manager who brought him to ABS-CBN.
He auditioned for the first season of Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition and became a Teen Third Big Placer back in 2006. And just like his lady love, Bea Alonzo, Gerald has not looked back since then.
Ian Veneracion
Before he became the Anton Noble IV in “A Love To Last,” did you know that Ian Veneracion used to be an action star?
Ian Veneracion is a son of renowned artist, Roy Veneracion. He started out as a childstar in RPN 9’s Joey and Son in 1982 with Joey de Leon. But did you know that he’s a certified sports man? He’s a licensed pilot [yes, he can drive a private plane], skydiver, paragliding pilot and scuba diver.
He’s primarily known as an action star for Seiko films. But it was only in 2015 that he regained his popularity after pairing with Jodi Sta. Maria as Eduardo Buenavista [a role originally played by Tonton Gutierrrez] in the remake of Pangako Sayo.
Iza Calzado
Did you know that Iza Calzado used to be fat? Iza had always been open about her weight-loss journey. She said she used to be bullied and teased as a child.
“I remember the street kids were calling me ‘baboy.’ I had that experience na I wanted to die [because of humiliation] na sana kainin na lang ako ng lupa. Gusto mo nang umiyak pero syempre, ayoko magpatalo,” she said.
The name-calling caused up pileup of insecurities in a happy person like Iza. “I was such a junk food girl…everything I used to eat was processed.”
She started starving herself because the boys didn’t seem to notice her. There was a time she had collapsed because she’s not eating anything. She also tried taking those diet pills, ‘lahat yun na-try ko na.’
“I tried those fat burners, everything I could get my hands on na shortcut… I would binge, starve, binge, starve just to maintain the weight. I was exercising pero maling-mali pa rin lahat,” she said.
Iza learned things the hard way that there is no shortcut to a fit and healthy body, she then tried doing regular exercises and having a well-balanced diet.
“I met a guy whose family is very into health and fitness also, and they inspired me. I started working out a lot and I got into running and I started choosing healthier alternatives,” she said.
Iza has tried swimming, yoga, crossfit and 360 fitness, among others to keep herself fit.
“I’m always active, I try to work out whenever I can. And the food choices are healthier. Once in a while I will cheat, of course,” she added. Now, Iza makes sure to eat proper nutritious food and keep herself fit. No wonder she’s slimmer and sexier now that she’s healthy.
