This tricky thing called fame

Awards nights are always nerve wrecking, especially if you’ve been nominated. I love the idea of having to dress up and prepare to look extra fabulous for such an event.

It’s a good excuse to sleep the night before and bare a little more skin than usual. The red carpet is definitely the best part of it.

Too bad I missed the Gawad Urian Night last week. I was in Vigan still shooting Barang with Jaclyn Jose. I really feel she deserves that Best Actress award for the movie Sarung Banggi.

Our last couple of scenes together was shot around 3 a.m. on the day of the awards night.

Despite the usual complications and misunderstandings with call times, Jaclyn still stood very professional for our shoot.

I knew she still had to do her gown fitting later that afternoon right before she attended the awards.

I couldn’t imagine how tired she would be by the time she gets back to Manila. But she still managed to look awesome for that night. She surely deserves it.

Congratulations, Jaclyn!

Fame is something you work hard for. Who wouldn’t want to be famous? I think everyone wants to have a little bit of this thing we call "fame," although everyone has his own definition of the word.

"The ‘fame’ I have is something I really worked hard for. It’s such a great feeling I never had to hurt or use anybody to get to where I am now. I’m glad everybody is happy for me as well," says Judy Ann Santos.

She took home the Best Actress award last year from the Urian. This woman well deserves this award.

I have admired her since her Mara Clara days. The other day, I started working with her for Star Cinema’s Kasal, Kasali with Joey Javier Reyes as our director, and I was so surprised to find out that Judy Ann is one of the friendliest showbiz personalities I’ve ever met.

She’s so down-to-earth. I saw no hint of her getting tired or annoyed with her fans. She treats and speaks to everyone equally.

Judy Ann has been in this business for 20 years. She started as a child actress at age eight.

"I enjoy my job so much I haven’t realized how long it’s been since I started showbusiness. I’m looking forward to my next 20 years in this business. Retiring hasn’t crossed my mind just yet.

"If ever I decide to do that, it would be a long time from now. I will probably take some time for myself here and there, but I’m enjoying my job too much now to even consider retiring. This has been my passion ever since and I think that’s why I don’t get tired of it," Judy Ann adds.

Celebrities often get caught up within the different characters they portray. You need guts to stay in this world and become public property. Preserving our beliefs and fighting for what we want is not very easy, especially when our personal lives are invaded.

I say ‘invaded’ because keeping our lives private is one of the hardest things to do.

"I’ve already kept this small space for my private life so it remains private. Everybody has a choice… it really depends on how you handle things and how far you let the people into your life," Judy Ann explains.

"You need to make sure you set your boundaries from the beginning. That’s why I don’t get tired of it. I make sure everyone knows how or what questions to ask me. My mom and my manager also has a big hand in all these.

"They have taught me a lot of ways to deal with people. Of course, I still make mistakes. After all, I’m only human…" she goes on.

The hardest part of showbusiness is defending ourselves from those who can be very judgmental. Sometimes, when I’ve worked literally round the clock for a few days straight, smiling is the last thing I could think of. A lot of times, people don’t take it well.

Judy Ann, however, has learned to handle such situations very well.

She says, "I’ve gotten used to this type of situation. I usually explain to them (the fans) that I’ve been working so much and ask them not to take it personally… but sometimes, it’s very hard to avoid people looking at things the wrong way.

"I’m just like any other person who gets tired. I’m sure, if they were in my shoes, they would feel the same way. Some of them understand, but some don’t."

If Judy Ann wasn’t in the business now, she says that she would most likely be in Canada with her mom, doing office work or maybe working behind the camera.

Judy Ann doesn’t need to worry much about that because everybody loves her and she’s an awesome person. It was great working with her and I look forward to working with her again soon.