GOING HER WAY

One of this generation's biggest stars, Nadine Lustre reveals how she is playing her part in making the world a better place

- Maritess Garcia Reyes

When it comes to describing Nadine Lustre, “versatile” is an understatement. Her films and TV shows range from swoon-worthy rom-coms to hair-raising thrillers; her music crosses over from one genre to another—from pop to urban indie; and her art stretches from painting to photography and everything in between. Her most recent achievement as an actor was being named Best Actress at the 2022 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) for Lyra, the lead role in Deleter, a woman who becomes entangled in the secretive, shadowy side of producing online content. The box office hit bagged seven MMFF awards, including the coveted Best Picture and Best Director, awarded to filmmaker Mikhail Red. Lustre is set to reunite with Red on another film, Nokturno, which will commence production later this year.

But there is far more to Lustre than her extreme creative output; as she approaches 30, she is learning more about who she is as a person, and wanting to use her platforms—she has 11.6 million followers on Instagram and 107,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel, which she relaunched in February—to speak out on issues that she passionately advocates for: sustainability, environmentalism, mental health and animal welfare.