Celebrating her 38th year in showbiz, Zsa Zsa Padilla looks back at her stellar career and shares newfound passion in this episode of I Feel U.
Zsa Zsa started young in the industry. Although showbiz wasn’t her childhood dream, life had amazing ways of pulling her to the limelight. Her first music venture was via joining the Hotdog band. She eventually went solo and had her first concert at the Araneta Coliseum by her early 20s. That career feat fired up her love for music, fanning the desire to explore her artistry.
“It made me hungrier as an artist. Anong susunod? Kasi kapag napuno mo ang isang venue, when you step out sa stage, tapos na ‘yun, eh. Palaging iisipin mo kung ano ‘yung susunod,” she said of how she keeps the fire burning.
Expanding her horizon, she moved into acting and collected critically-acclaimed films under her belt. For Zsa Zsa, acting is an escape that allows her to be someone else for a while. She also enjoys doing soap operas especially when playing multifaceted roles that trigger creativity.
Apart from these passions, she’s found her new love in farming. The property she shares with partner Conrad Onglao was built into an organic farmhouse called Casa Esperanza, taken from her real name. Conrad, a renowned architect, is almost done with the construction and aesthetics so now is the perfect time to fully exercise their farming muscles.
While farming is considered a relaxing passion, Zsa Zsa would attest that it is not an easy task. She’s even nervous at how this new venture would turn out. Nonetheless, she’s hopeful. Besides, running a farm takes discipline, a quality sharpened by working in showbiz.
Zsa Zsa also knows that one can never go wrong with passion. As long as the heart beats for that dream, it will turn out beautiful and fulfilling, however challenging. “Makikita naman sa trabaho mo kung wala kang passion for it… Siyempre may self-doubt, siguro kailangan mo lang bigyan ‘yung sarili mo ng room for trial and error. You have to be forgiving. Kailangan din disiplina and I think it’s something instilled. Mayroon kasi tayong disiplina sa field natin. I think that trained us for life. Feeling ko, hindi ako titigil hangga’t hindi ako nagiging successful,” she said.
The Divine Diva enjoys sharing the happy farm life on her vlog channel. The online venture started as just a hobby since she had a lot of footages to share. The first content elicited positive feedback and that’s how she fell more in love with vlogging. The hobby turned into an online show called “Buhay ProbinZsa” now available for streaming on TFC.
Asked about wedding plans, Zsa Zsa said she has a good partnership with Conrad. They rely on each other, although a little time away adds more excitement. They’re in a stable relationship and just enjoying every minute of it, thus there’s no need to rush.
For the next part of the interview, the ASAP Natin ‘To mainstay looked back at her most notable projects under Star Cinema. In 1996, she did the critically-acclaimed film “Madrasta” alongside Sharon Cuneta and Christopher de Leon and directed by Olive Lamasan. It was a new experience to share the screen with Sharon. They used to just share the concert stage before working on this film. The Divine Diva and Megastar built a beautiful friendship over the years. It was even Sharon who introduced Zsa Zsa to Conrad for a blind date.
Another classic gold under Zsa Zsa’s acting resume is “Batang PX” top-billed by Patrick Garcia, who was his generation’s biggest heartthrob. Zsa Zsa has nothing but praises for Patrick’s acting brilliance. She also recalled that Piolo Pascual was part of the cast. As early as then, Zsa Zsa envisioned Piolo turning into a big star. She would look at him and think he’s made for bigger roles. She also reminisced the simple bonding times on the set. They were happy just munching down ‘manggang hilaw.’
Working with artists from different generations, the seasoned singer-actress is amazed by how time flies. She mentioned John Prats, whom she worked with when he was just seven. She now performs with her contemporaries’ children as well.
“In your eyes, parang hindi na sila lumaki. Tapos makikita mo, ‘Ang tanda ko na talaga!’ Masaya lalo na ‘yung time na sa ASAP kasama ko si Zia at Karylle tapos si Martin kasama niya si Robin, si Gary din ‘yung kids niya. When I’m around them, I feel like they’re my children, too. Nakita ko silang lumaki.”
Zsa Zsa misses doing teleseryes, but given the situation and lock-in setup, she decided to take a pause. She’d rather spend these uncertain times with Conrad. Especially when they’re at Casa Esperanza, the couple loves to bond over food and cooking. In her recent vlog post, Zsa Zsa shared how she made a special pizza for her beau – little things that make him happy.