Why Barbara said no to Hollywood

In 1962, Barbara Perez could have pursued stardom in Hollywood, backed by a Universal-International build-up contract. She was already in Hollywood for the promotion of the American film No Man Is An Island which she shot in the Philippines (Subic, Olongapo, and Manila) opposite Jeffrey Hunter.

For one week, Barbara was the official guest of Universal Studios. She stayed at the mansion of producer Richard Goldstone in Santa Monica, California. The mansion was the former home of the legendary Greta Garbo.

At Universal Studios, Barbara had lunch with Cary Grant and met with the likes of Sandra Dee. She was introduced to them as "our future contract star." She posed for publicity shots, one of which is reproduced here.

Despite the tempting offer, Barbara opted not to sign the dotted line and instead flew back to Manila. The love of her life, Robert Arevalo, was waiting back home. She felt that Robert offered a better contract – marriage.

Needless to say, a lot of people said, "Sayang, Barang. Bakit mo pa pinakawalan ang Hollywood stardom?"

Barbara doesn’t regret turning her back on Hollywood. Her marriage to Robert remains intact, making them happy and fulfilled parents and grandparents.

Barbara recalls that the producer and director of No Man Is An Island went to her home studio, Sampaguita Pictures, to review rushes of her films. She was also interviewed several times.

Barbara Perez shared top billing with Jeffrey Hunter and Marshall Thompson. The Filipino cast included Bert Avellana, Ronald Remy, Chichay and Joseph de Cordova.