Seasoned actress Jodi Sta. Maria’s entryway to showbiz was portraying teenybopper characters in youth-oriented programs such as in the classic Kapamilya hit Tabing Ilog where she played as the boyish George Fuentebella. The young Jodi moved forward to many more projects since then, playing mostly supporting roles of a timid girl due to her angelic eyes and face.

It was in 2012 when Jodi truly skyrocketed to stardom via record-holding show Be Careful with My Heart which took the daytime block by storm. Jodi gave life to the well-loved character of Maya, a housemaid whose life was nothing short of a fairytale as she ended up marrying her boss. Since then, Jodi has become one of the industry’s most celebrated actresses, and she always goes the extra mile to prove herself worthy of her showbiz accolades.

But, did you know that Jodi was not the actress first tapped to headline the series? In an appearance in Tonight with Boy Abunda, Jodi admits that she was just the third or fourth choice for Maya’s role – quite a revelation that is surprising and amusing at the same time.

Looking back on the incident, Jodi is just in awe of how things worked out well. “Salamat kasi tinanggihan mo”, Jodi says in jest to the original choice for the role that elevated her status to being a power actress.