It has been a long journey for Vilma Santos. In the past six decades as a movie/TV actress, host, and producer, countless fanatics have been enthralled by her brilliance, and her opulent career is now imprinted in the history of Philippine entertainment.

In the first episode of a two-part anniversary special titled “Anim Na Dekada… Nag-Iisang Vilma,” she traces her filmography, its nooks and crannies, reliving significant memories in her 60 illustrious years in showbiz.

Chatting with the King of Talk Boy Abunda, Vilma revisited the year 1963 when she was 9 years old and her uncle, who was a cameraman in Sampaguita Pictures, asked her to audition for the film “Anak, Ako Ang Iyong Ina” since she loved performing at home during fiestas.

When she went to the studio with her mom, out of curiosity, she lined up for a different film audition where Bella Flores and Boy Alano asked her to dramatically utter the line, “Hindi po, Nanay. Hindi ko po ginawa ‘yun!” She delivered more than what was asked for and that’s how “Trudis Liit” was born. She did both movies at the same time.

In 1970, Vilma, or Ate Vi, had 26 films under her belt. It was the era when motion pictures had surface-level characters and plots. Just put a love team on screen, have them act out a plain-sailing story of lovers resolving their quarrel after a serenade, and voila! Vilma said work felt like play at the time, and the best part was fangirling over bigger stars like Susan Roces and Amalia Fuentes in the studio. She also had ‘rakets’ as the 3am finale act in fiestas.

“Hindi ko natapos ang pag-aaral ko dahil lang doon,” she opened up. “Ngayon ko na-realize how important education is, na siyang ginagawa ko sa aking mga anak at sa mga tao na pinapaalalahanan ko, ‘Huwag n’yong pababayaan ang inyong pag-aaral.’”

From her loveteam era that started with Bobot Mortiz (together, they were pitted against Nora Aunor and Tirso Cruz III), she ventured into suspense and action-packed movies with her name in the title. Producers thought of banking on ‘star value’ to clash with the popularity of ‘bomba films,’ said Vilma, noting that her showbiz rival Nora’s filmography followed the same trajectory.

But, what set her apart from her contemporaries was her boldness that illuminated her versatility. She did “Dyesebel” and “Darna” which required a little display of skin. Vilma thinks her fair complexion was one factor that landed her the iconic roles. She became more animated while sharing an anecdote about her flight as Darna, saying the RVM nuns required her to wear body stockings with the Darna bikini. But during the press conference, her manager wanted her to take the stockings off. And she ended up giving in.

She went on to divulge the challenging parts of portraying Darna at a time when filmmaking was very low-tech. Her transformation from Narda to Darna was manually shot, with the camera set up in place as she finishes her makeup. She had to balance on a table while facing an electric fan for wind effect, “Alam mo ba ‘yung pakiramdam ko doon? ‘Pag bangon ko do’n, sumusuka ako sa hirap, sa pagod, at sakit ng ulo ko.” She also had to be suspended from a spinning crane. “Lahat ‘yun dinaanan ko pero at least naging Darna ako.”

When she was offered “Tag-ulan Sa Tag-araw,” she was fascinated by the idea of working with Celso Ad Castillo and Christopher de Leon until it dawned on her that the story touches on incest. “Hindi pa ako gano’n ka-keen para pag-aralan ang mga roles. I took that role because it was Celso Ad Castillo.” She collaborated again with the genius director in “Pagputi ng Uwak, Pag-itim ng Tagak” where she was given a three-page script to memorize.

Eventually, she had to graduate from girl-next-door roles. And "Burlesk Queen" (1977) was her trial by fire. She had to think a million times before accepting the role, which she did because of the story about a loving daughter taking care of her paralytic father played by the great Leopoldo Salcedo. It was directed by Celso Ad Castillo, who, as he told Vilma, cried for the first time while directing a scene – the dramatic moment between Vilma and Leopoldo as the latter’s character dies.

She was required to dress in a sexy costume and dance erotically in a burlesque theater with a real audience. Four cameras were set up and all she had to do was dance for five minutes. But that’s easier said than done. Vilma backed out four times until her producer promised her a luxury car, which she didn't get. She gulped alcohol backstage and did her assignment, “Basta kumembot ako nang kumembot. Hindi ko alam ang pinagagagawa ko doon, basta alam ko burleque dancer ako.”

And so her star was propelled to greater heights. “After I did that movie, I think it was the turning point, itinuring naman akong parang aktres na.”

In 1976, she started producing films With “Mga Rosas Sa Putikan.” "Basta alam ko lang producer ako, manggagaling sa akin ang pera na gagamitin sa shooting. And then, sila na ang bahala kung sinong artista ang kukunin, anong mga eksena, saan ang shooting.”

It was followed by “Pagputi Ng Uwak , Pag-itim ng Tagak” where she was paired with Bembol Roco. The film, which was three years in the making, was critically acclaimed but it pushed her into a financial mess, back to zero, caused by mismanagement. She ventured into an unfamiliar territory hoping to add to her income but ended up bankrupt. She faced legal cases and was losing her assets including her house. How she surpassed this ordeal was a testament to her durability as a star and a woman. What she did was finish her slated movies with Regal Entertainment and VIVA Films as she had already asked for the talent fee in advance. Then, she accepted the variety show “Vilma!” just to make ends meet, even if she had to sacrifice her Sundays meant for family day. Therefore, without her noticing, her family life started to suffer.

In the next gap, Vilma shared her experiences with the finest, most iconic directors who sharpened her acting skills, making their styles distinct in her own words. We sensed pride when she talked about working with female filmmakers who sparked her fight for women empowerment.

“I’m very honored na makagawa ng mga pelikula na ipinakita kung gaano kalakas at anong karapatan meron ang isang babae,” she expressed, pertaining to “Bata, Bata Paano Ka Ginawa” (1998); “Alyas Baby Tsina” (1984); “Dahil Mahal Kita: The Dolzura Cortez Story” (1993), the first Filipino movie about AIDS; “Ipagpatawad Mo” (1991), the first film to tackle autism, and “Relasyon” (1982) where she played a mistress.

In the context of style, she described Olivia Lamasa as strict, meticulous, and has a very strong personality. Laurice Guillen is quiet, simple but intelligent and she is clear about her vision such as in “Dahil Mahal Kita: The Dolzura Cortez Story” where she aimed to paint a woman’s strength.

She thought of Marilou Diaz-Abaya as technical and very specific about blocking.

She’ll never get tired of saying that Celso Ad Castillo was a genius.

It was Lino Brocka who taught her the power of eye expression in that he would ask her to just look in a specific direction when uttering her lines. He was also very specific about which point Vilma’s tear must drop, and he demonstrates his required acting.

Ishmael Bernal was one of the most casual directors she worked with. He wanted scenes to appear as natural as possible, in which the character does many things at once.

Vilma found “malambing” the perfect word to remember Eddie Garcia. But when he’s on the director’s chair, he becomes so strict and perfectionist he packed up a taping just because the production team forgot to put napkins on a table setup.

Danny Zialcita was the “anything goes” type of a director. Without the traditional script, he would think of dialogues (the casual, the better) on the spot and write it down on a cigarette pack. “Siya lang ang direktor na nakakaalam kung ano ang gusto niya sa pelikula niya. At kaya niyang gawin ‘yun sa sarili niyang editing kaya hindi niya kailangan ‘yung sequence.” He was so laidback he can film in his own house.

When asked if she was ever shouted at by a director, Vilma admitted she had an ‘unprofessional’ phase as well, making up excuses to cancel shoots just because she wasn’t in the mood. In modern lexicon, it’s a feeling of burnout, and it was because she started working young.

As she matures in the industry, Vilma got more aware of the hard work and sacrifices of people working behind the cameras. And that’s when she realized the value of professionalism.

In the audience were people who took part in the molding of her career. There was Jeffrey Jeturian, who first worked with Vilma as a production assistant in “Alyas Baby Tsina,” then, became her director in “Ekstra” (2013). Jeffrey related that they finished “Ekstra” within 12 days, which was miraculous as Vilma’s films typically take months to finish due to her busy schedule as a public servant. She almost backed out after taping for 24 hours on their first day, so the production had to realign their schedules. For Jeffrey, the Star of All Seasons is the type of actress who does things right even without instructions, which is why directors no longer need to motivate her.

Also present was Tony Reyes, who shared anecdotes about Vilma taking on action-packed stunts in “Takbo, Vilma, Dali” (1972); and “Lipad, Darna, Lipad” (1973), the first fantasy movie to feature three villains – Celia Rodriguez, Gloria Romero, and Liza Lorena. The film was also distributed in different parts of Asia.

Vilma’s beauty, talent, and brilliance graced television as well. Her variety show “Vilma In Person” or VIP (later Vilma!) garnered 47 percent in viewership, which was one of the highest ratings in Philippine TV history. It was the time when Vilma suffered from a financial ordeal and she wanted to just have a weekly income. Fortunately, the show lasted 15 years.

Choreographer Maribeth Bichara boasts about the professionalism and passion Vilma showcased as a performer. “She puts her mind, her heart, and soul into the dance. Napaka-perfectionist.” She has a commanding presence but is always friendly to everyone.

According to producer Chit Guerrero, Vilma doesn’t settle for less – from choreography to set design and costumes. Everything must be a perfect fit whenever Vilma performs. Of course, she has to be comfortable to perform well. One time, she was disappointed to find the stage set up like a garden when it was supposed to look like a jungle to match her dance. The production people revamped the stage on the spot.

In another episode, her foot got stuck in a cobweb prop, so the dancers had to adlib. Though the viewers surely didn’t notice, Vilma fought to repeat the opening prod in the show’s second gap. Chit had to give in. She further revealed that even when they would have quarrels due to differences in creativity, Vilma would never take it personally.

ABS-CBN Executive Cory Vidanes, who worked as a production assistant for Vilma’s variety show, fondly talked via VTR how she has known her through the years. “She’s a multitalented, excellent artist who remains humble, simple, sincere, and grateful. She has so much love to give everybody. She valued everyone she worked with. Ate Vi was somebody who loved people. She loved her audience. She loves her Vilmanians, that’s why until this day, they continue to support her.” Cory used to assist Vilma in her shoots and recording, writing down the lyrics of her songs on idiot boards. And she is proud to have started her career in production with Vilma, who was the epitome of perfection and excellence.

At that point, Tito Boy called in Concert Queen Pops Fernandez to sing “Star For All Seasons,” which was written by Vilmanians as a poem and given music by Louie Ocampo. The Vilmanians also handpicked Pops to interpret the song.

As part of the celebration, Kapamilya stars like Regine Velasquez, Jolina Magdangal, Melai Cantiveros, Gary Valenciano, Martin Nievera, and Tirso Cruz III sent in their greetings for the Star For All Seasons.

In the second part of Vilma’s anniversary special, she reunites with Christopher de Leon and Claudine Barretto and turns emotional when prompted to talk about her husband Ralph Recto. Plus, we’ll finally discover who baptized Vilma the moniker “Star for All Seasons.”