MANILA – Angel Locsin has been one of the most applauded actresses of her generation. But little did everybody know, she had intended to be in show business for two years only when she was starting out her career.

“Alam mo ba, dapat two years lang ako sa showbiz,” Locsin told Matteo Guidicelli in a conversation for the latter’s “MattRuns” podcast.

“Mag-iipon lang ako, tapos ipapa-opera ko yung tatay ko. Tapos nung nakaipon na ako ng 75 percent, sinabi sa amin ng doctor na hindi na pwede i-operate. Ngayon, 94 na si Daddy. Pero nung time na yun, mga 80 plus na si Daddy,” she said, recalling her father's eye condition.

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Locsin said that moment made her feel down that she felt she lost her purpose for being in the entertainment industry.

“Medyo na-lost ako, wala akong purpose, hindi ko alam kung anong gagawin. And then, na-challenge ako,” she said. “Hindi ko alam kung naranasan mo yung minsan may bullying or minsan may parang discrimination. Na-challenge lang ako na okay, ipapakita ko na kaya ko. Tanggap lang ako nang tanggap ng trabaho.”

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What changed Locsin’s mind about the acting profession was the dedication of screen veterans she was able to work with early on.

“Nakakita ako ng mga magagaling na artista, mga senior actors natin. Na-impress ako sa passion nila. Si Tita Amy Austria, siya yung unang napanood ko na, sabi ko sa kanya ‘Nay, bakit ka umiiyak? VO lang ito.’ ‘Kasi anak, maririnig ng tao yung emosyon mo, so dapat iiyak mo rin kung kailangan umiyak ka.’”

“Nung time na yun, hindi ko naiintindihan, kasi hindi ka kita sa camera. Eh, 'di ba, ang hirap umiyak? Tapos, iiyak ka, hindi ka kinukunan ng camera. Doon ko na na-discover yung passion ko rin. Na-curious ako kung paano ginagawa,” she explained.

Although she thinks “Darna” is her most famous role to date, Locsin credits a series she previously did in the other network that made her a household name.

“Darna yung pinakasikat na project talaga. I think, lahat naman, pinapangarap makuha yung project na yun. Pero ang nagbigay sa akin ng pangalan, siguro yung ‘Mulawin’ with Richard Gutierrez. Hindi pa kasi uso yung mga fantaserye noon, yung mga fight scenes, lalo na sa mga babae,” she said.

Sharing why she thought it worked out, Locsin said: “Kasi kahit paupuin ako sa puro niknik na mga dahon, okay lang. Yung mga sugat ko sa legs noon, grabe. Ang kati-kati ng legs ko. Pero, na-enjoy ko. And siguro, yung tiwala ko rin sa director ko, kasi lahat din sila, hirap eh.”

Locsin has just wrapped up with “Iba Yan,” an inspirational program that aired on ABS-CBN for a year during the pandemic.

When asked if she misses making movies as well, she said: “Nami-miss ko yung nagbubuo ka ng character at yung mga katrabaho."

"Pero I think nasa okay na place ako ngayon. For the longest time kasi, ang iniisip ko kumita ng pera. Breadwinner ka, so ganun ang iniisip mo. Pero nakalimutan ko yung sarili ko."

"Ngayon natututo ako kung paano gumawa ng budget ulit. So siguro, ako muna. Ayusin ko muna yung sarili ko. Ayusin ko yung kasal ko. Mag-aaral ako magluto para hindi naman ako isauli ng asawa ko sa tatay ko," she said.

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