MANILA -- This month, Iza Calzado will be taking on another challenge in her career as an actress, as she plays the character of Sugar in The Sandbox Collective's theater season-end production of "Tiny Beautiful Things: A Play About Life – In Letters."

The play is based on the book-turned-play-turned-limited TV series, written by acclaimed author Cheryl Strayed, the bestselling author of "Wild," and adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" franchise. It chronicles the journey of Strayed as Sugar, an anonymous advice columnist whose radical empathy won the hearts of many readers. 

Directing the production is Gawad Buhay awardee Jenny Jamora.

At 42, Calzado is a mother of a one-year and 10-month-old Deia Amihan, her first child with businessman-husband Ben Wintle. Motherhood has changed her as a person, and she chose to devote most of her time to raising her daughter.

Since she is known to have hosted shows in the past, In 2014, when she transferred from the Kapuso network to the Kapamilya kingdom, she hosted the successful second season of "The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition: Doubles," she was asked if she also imagined herself doing an advice column show.

Calzado quipped: "Who doesn't?"

"But that's where Ma'am Charo (Santos) is best known for. If I could, I would want it to be accessible enough for the common tao. Gusto ko talaga maririnig ang story ng tao. Rather than an advice column, I would want a conversational type of show," she said.

She wants the show to represent her varied interests in life. She's into hero's journey themes, and besides her new role as a mother, she advocates for mental health, body positivity, self-acceptance, and women empowerment.

How is her experience in doing theater, so far?

Though "Tiny Beautiful Things" isn't her first to act onstage (since she was handpicked by National Artist Benedicto Cabrera to be the subject in a stage production titled "Sabel" in 2015), she finds acting through the upcoming straight play as a challenge.

"In 'Sabel,' it was more of narration. Though emotions were also involved, with 'Tiny Beautiful Things,' it's [totally] different. It's more grounded and more of a scene. Here, I have scene partners. There, the dancers performed while I narrated the story," she said.

As someone who did mainstream acting, she has seen the value of acting onstage. Her pieces of advice to aspiring, beginning, or even stars from TV and films are, "Take that leap and enjoy the ride. Prepare to un-learn, re-learn, and learn.

"Grow from the struggle of finding your lines, your character, put your ego aside. Keep growing and enjoy the ride."

Doing Sugar has allowed her to go through the same process. It has also made her to be kind to others.For her, it is the best way to understand human beings

In her years of doing TV and films, she found individuals she considers as her Sugars.

She mentioned known names like the screen veterans Susan Roces, Hilda Koronel, and even the late Jaclyn Jose as women she looks up to. Their wisdom has somehow helped her shape who she is and guided her to embrace and continue to be passionate about her craft.

However, she also included Judy Ann Santos and Lucy Torres-Gomez as her go-to women when she needed someone to give her some advice about life in general.

She also named Cheska Iñigo Winebrenner as her other Sugar.

"She's my my nanay-nanayan. Our friendship began when we were roommates in Ilocos, when we did the film 'Eternity' (2006). We're also together for Angeli Bayani's The Meisner technique classes," she said.

"With Cheska, we don't talk much about work, but we focus more about life, too."

Apart from doing endorsements like her longest-running ones like Optein and Flanax, she also made cameos in two Metro Manila Film Festival 2024 entries.

For future film projects, she looks forward to working with three female directors -- Antoinette Jadaone, Irene Villamor, and Dwein Ruedas Baltazar. While for the stage, she's more inclined to do "Bawat Bonggang Buhay" (the Filipino adaptation of "Every Brilliant Thing"), despite being closer to home.

In "Tiny Beautiful Things," Calzado will perform along with Rody Vera, Gabby Padilla, and Ketchup Eusebio as the letter writers. The play will run from November 16 to December 8 of this year, at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Black Box Theater, Circuit Makati. Friday shows begin at 8 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday shows are at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.