Star of the medi-series ‘Abot Kamay Na Pangarap,’ Jillian Ward, opened up on the highs and lows of being a celebrity on March 17 during a press conference in Davao del Sur.
Having been in the industry since the age of five, Ward knew that one of the downsides of being a public figure is the lack of privacy.
“Nako madami po. Siguro sa worse things po muna. Siyempre, sa industry po namin, madaming nakatingin po sa amin. So siguro po sa pagiging artista din, wala po masiyadong privacy,” she said.
She understands that she became ‘public property’ the moment she became an actress. However, some people tend to cross the line and invade her personal life, causing her stress.
“Although naiintindihan ko naman po iyon kasi siyempre ito po ang buhay na pinili namin na maging public figures. Pero kumbaga nga po, I mean madami po talagang side comments kahit sa mga personal na buhay namin. So I think ‘yun po ang isa sa mga medyo nakaka-stress na part sa pagiging artista. Pero ako, naiintindihan ko naman po iyon personally.”
Another downside of being in the showbiz industry is the widespread misinformation that she also became a victim of. In 2023, Ward became the target of a deepfake sex video, which made it appear as if she was the girl in the scandal.
Having experienced fake news, the actress admitted to being stressed but accepts that she has no control over what people choose to believe.
“Yun po ang nakaka-stress din po kasi wala pong katotohanan. Pero hindi mo rin ma-defend ang sarili mo kasi mayroong mga tao na kung ano po ang mabasa nila, ‘yun po agad ang papaniwalaan nila.”
However, Ward has adopted a resilient attitude towards these challenges, saying, “Pero ngayon hindi ko na lang din po pinapansin. Kasi nga po para sa akin, more than stressful, mas blessing kapag isang artista.”
Rather than dwelling on the bad things associated with being an artist, she chooses to stick to the positive. As someone who can influence others, the actress expressed her happiness in inspiring them, especially through the characters she portrays and the projects she participates in.
“Pero alam niyo po, maraming nicer things na kasama po sa pagiging isang artista, and ‘yun po iyong marami po kaming nai-inspire nga, marami po kaming napapasaya. Katulad po kapag nagma-mall show kami.”
She added, “’Yung mga ngiti po ng mga tao, priceless po talaga.”
Making people happy alleviates the stressfulness of being a celebrity, she said.
“Kahit ano pong stress sa showbiz, parang napapawi po lahat ng iyon kapag nakikita ko po ang mga ngiti ng mga tao kasi priceless po talaga siya.”
Follow her as Analyn in “Abot Kamay Na Pangarap,” as she inspires more people through her medical series. Watch it every Monday through Saturday via GMA Network’s Afternoon Prime and Sabado Star Power sa Hapon.
