Faith, Love and Hope

Liza Soberano wants you to know that she is more than skin-deep.

- Sasha Lim-Uy

A meeting with Hope Elizabeth “Liza” Soberano feels like a special occasion. As the Philippines’ leading lady du jour, free time isn’t something she can always afford, so when she does have a spare moment, it’s worthy of celebration.

It’s her second—and consecutive—day off in a busy month and you can tell that the break, which she spent with family, has rejuvenated her. “I cook for them! Last night, I cooked dinner. I cooked penne alfredo,” she informs us enthusiastically. Today, Liza, as she often does during lighter work projects, brings her younger brother, Justin, along. It’s a crude form of hanging out, but the tightly bonded pair takes what they can get.

Days right now are a marathon: a grueling schedule of whole-day tapings for her teleserye Dolce Amore (where she describes 1 a.m. as an early wrap-up), rehearsals, and endorsements commitments. “I get tired, everybody gets tired,” she shares pragmatically. She gives us a small smile. “I just cry it away for the night and the next day, I feel all right. It doesn’t mean anything; it’s just my way to release stress.” Liza, whose kind reputation off-cam has widely been publicized, hardly ever complains. Last year, at the peak of her breakout soap opera Forevermore, she was hospitalized for five days. They later found out that she had pneumonia brought on by over-fatigue.