She was 14 then. She wanted to be a singer but she was noticed as an actress when she bagged the Best New Movie Actress award for her first movie, Night of Serafina. The film was her vehicle to penetrate TV when she caught the meticulous eye of Charo Santos-Concio in one of her promotional guestings. Look where that ride took her. She is now Lavinia Arguelles, (the unforgettable role the fabulous Cheri Gil portrayed in the movie Bituing Walang Ningning) who hissed the deliriously sardonic line, "You’re nothing but a second rate, trying hard copycat"
"It’s fun to play Lavinia" she enthused. "She’s so unpredictable yet so familiar. Ang maganda pa nito, nakakakanta ako and I get to tap a side of me na hindi ko pa naipapakita. And I get to work with excellent actors. I just love Tita Amy Austria."
On dream roles, she’d go for the unusual and the most challenging. She’s a Noranian at heart but she idolizes Sharon Cuneta. "Kasi napagsasabay niya ang singing and acting."
"For me, it’s just work and I enjoy what I’m doing. Tao na lang siguro ang makakapagsabi nun," she quipped when asked if she considers herself a big star. "Besides, sobrang dami na ng mga young stars ngayon at magagaling sila."
Angelika sings, dances and acts. And in spite of the avalanche of bright-eyed, talented, pretending-to-be-talented wannabes, she continues to shine, even soar. "There’s nothing that would make me quit this business because I love what I’m doing. I give my all in everything that I do," she declared with serious determination.
But this young lady surprisingly takes each day as it comes. "As much as possible, ayaw kong mag-plan kasi kung hindi matupad baka ma-frustrate lang ako. I just go with the flow." But she’s open to career changes/moves but with limitations. "Sexy is okay, but bold, is a no-no; it’s not for me."
To the perennial question "How would you want to be remembered?", she has this to say. "Multi-talented, yung tipong kahit saan mo ilagay, pwede but most important of all, I want to be remembered as a good person."
Angelika dela Cruz has definitely come a long way but has yet a long road to tread, more unfamiliar grounds to explore, more challenging roles to portray, more concert venues to invade, more songs to sing, and she dances on and on.
She may not be a "megastar" because that’s Sharon Cuneta. She’s not a "diamond star" because that belongs to Maricel Soriano. Neither could there be another "Star for All Seasons" because Vilma Santos is Vilma Santos. She wouldn’t want to covet her idol’s "superstar" title because there could only be one Nora Aunor.
She is simply Angelika de la Cruz "the Angel of the cross," one with a steady sparkle that lingers longer.
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