When Liza Soberano declared her intention to pursue a Hollywood career, she meant every word. Following her appearance in the Hollywood movie “Lisa Frankenstein,” where she earned praise and rave reviews, she has since graced prestigious events such as the 2024 SAG Awards in Los Angeles, California, and most recently, the Anime Awards in Tokyo.
Donning an orange David Koma dress paired with chic Jimmy Choo pumps, the Filipina-American actress graced the Crunchyroll Anime Awards as the presenter for the Best Anime Song category.
The stunning actress caught the attention of many as she epitomized the perfect balance between elegance and event theme.
“I would say it’s just knowing where to pull back and where to put more emphasis on. For example, for this Anime Awards, I wanted to be in theme with the event, so I wore orange. But I made sure to balance it out with elements that aren’t as like popping,” she explained during an interview with the Filipino-Japanese Journal at the orange carpet event held at the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa.
She also expressed her excitement to be back in Japan.
“I was just here a month ago, and now I am back again in Japan. I love the food; I love the culture – everything is so exciting and inspiring to see whenever I am here. So, yeah, I am loving my time while I am here.”
In the World of Anime
As one of the presenters, alongside notable figures such as Megan Thee Stallion and “Parasite” director Bong Joon Ho, the 26-year-old beauty felt honored to participate in the event and to meet renowned faces and artists from the anime industry.
“I am happy to be here because I am just excited to see the different presenters that are all here. Also, I think anime is very inspiring on so many different levels. Just on the amount of, I think, work put into creating the characters, creating the stories, and like everything that comes with it like the music, the art direction,” she beamed.
“It’s very inspiring and as someone who is getting into producing now I think anime is something that I want to dig deeper into, to grab inspiration, and just understand what people are interested in nowadays,” she added.
In the World Stage
As she continues to pursue her Hollywood career, Liza is ecstatic about the positive reviews she has received for her role as Taffy in the Hollywood film “Liza Frankenstein.” This quirky romantic-comedy also stars Cole Sprouse and Kathryn Newton.
“I am very happy and very blessed that people are taking a liking to my portrayal as Taffy. I couldn’t be happier with the way things are turning out and I am just excited for where the future will take me,” she said.
From being a superstar in the Philippines to making a name for herself in Hollywood, Liza couldn’t help but express her gratitude to all her supporters for staying with her through thick and thin.
“I just want to let them know how grateful I am for them of course. They’ve been so supportive of everything that I’ve been doing over the past two years. And I am very happy that we all have something to kind of bond over again because it’s been a while since they’ve seen me in any shows or movies so I am really glad that they enjoyed ‘Lisa Frankenstein.’
“I am just so blessed to have them, and I can’t wait to spend more time with them soon. And yeah, I love them,” she said. - Words by Len Armea, Interview by Florenda Corpuz, Photos by Din Eugenio
Read the full article in the March 2024 issue of the Filipino-Japanese Journal, out now in Japan.
