V'S tele-fantasya sweetheart Angel Locsin shares the ups and downs of her busy career and how she tries to keep it real in the fantasy world of showbiz.

When you meet Angel Locsin for the first time, you can't help but wonder if you'll be received with the same genuine warmth with which she greets each person. Even though she's one of the busiest and most sought-after stars in showbiz (even going as far as having dubbings scheduled at 1 a.m. after a day filled with guest appearances and interviews), there isn't even a hint of tantrum in the air. Whether it's the photographer, art director, or even random assistants in the room, she takes time out to greet each person with the utmost sincerity and importance. “That's how I want to be remembered, Angel reveals. “Magaling na artista, pero marunong makisama.”

Action-Packed

“ Baduy naman pakinggan , but I really want to be an action star. Minsan kasi, nakakasawa din naman ‘yung puro pa -cute lagi ,” she reveals. At 20, this semi- astig girl doesn't let anything get in the way, no matter how dangerous. With idols such as Angelina Jolie's Tomb Raider character Lara Croft and the kick-as women of Charlie's Angels, it's no wonder she insists on doing all her own stunts, even refusing a stunt double. “ Hindi mo maipagmamalaki ‘yon eh ,” she says.

It isn't any wonder either that she was immediately eyed for the much-coveted role of Darna, the current fantasy soap on GMA 7. “Dream role ko talaga siya ,” Angel gushes. “' Di ba ‘yon ang gusto ng lahat ng babae ?” Angel reveals that she auditioned for the role (played throughout local cinema history by veteran actresses like Vilma Santos, Lorna Tolentino, and Sharon Cuneta), but didn't want to get her hopes up in the beginning—even though according to Andrew Paredes, scriptwriter of Mulawin and Darna , Angel's was the first name that came up when their creative pool thought of actresses who could fill the role. “I think she's hot because she's a true Pinoy beauty—the audience can see themselves in her and plug into her emotions quickly,” says Paredes.

“I'm super excited,” says Angel. “It's more challenging—sa Mulawin , akyat-baba lang ang lipad ko . Sa Darna , nakikipag-away ako sa ere,” she says. Although she prepared for her role by training in various martial arts such as karate and kung fu, Darna director Dominic Zapata made sure they incorporated a Pinoy twist to her fight scenes, making her moves more rounded and circular as compared to the sharp Japanese or Chinese-like strikes we usually see in movies. “ Siyempre gusto ko din na napaka - Pinay ng Darna ,” says Angel.

Bikini Bare

Even though Angel reveals that she's never really worn a bikini, she seemed more than ready to don Darna 's famous red-gold-two-piece costume. “ Medyo weird nu'ng umpisa . Awkward siya, lalo when shooting in the street—and daming nanonood !” she shares. “ Pero okay lang, siyempre kailangan ko panindigan ang pagiging Darna ko ,” Zapata said that he wanted to make Angel's Darna costume sexy but flattering, and of course, sturdy enough so that she doesn't caught in an embarrassing situation. “It could have been more daring it'd be more flattering, but due to the need for a harness, we were limited.”

Daddy's Girl

Angel's parents separated when she was in her early teens. She is admittedly more close to her father and still sits on his lap. “ Maka -daddy ako eh, sobra ,” Angel confirms. Surprisingly, she isn't bitter about her parent's separation at all—nor is she about the fact that she comes from his second family. “ 'Di naman nila tinago sa ‘kin eh . Alangan naman ‘di ko tanggapin , eh ‘di mas nahirapan ako . Accept ko na lang .”

That's why it was hard for this self-proclaimed daddy's girl to adjust to her father's blindness, triggered by a dislocated retina caused by strenuous exercise after he had had eye laser surgery. Poor eyesight had always been a family trait, but it was aggravated because he was a swimmer. “ Nakakapanibago [when he lost his eyesight]. Takot ako sa Daddy ko eh. Kahit na 77 years old na siya , tingin ko sa kanya machong lalaki . He's my hero.” What inspires her is that despite her father's sudden handicap, he's still proud and doesn't depend on any one else.

Angel, so a former competitive swimmer and member of the Philippine Swimming Team, inherited her father's condition. Refusing to wear glasses all this time, she had been quietly enduring the pain and discomfort that comes with having a grade of 50 on her right eyed and 750 on her left. After her ophthalmologist warned her she could eventually become cross-eyed, she took advantage of the break during Holy Week and had her eyes lasered—resulting in her newly regained eyesight these days. “Everything's so clear now,” she quips.

Coping with Tragedy

Even more difficult to endure for Angel was the loss of her then-boyfriend of six months and first real love, Miko Sotto, who fell to his death form the balcony of his ninth floor condominium on December 29, 2003. “When she found out what happened to Miko, she was devastated,” says her manager Becky Aguila. “She just kept asking me, “ Tita, totoo ba ”'”

Although Angel is now on the path to moving on, the tender memories she shared with Miko, her boyfriend of six months, remains fresh on her mind. “ Marami kasing mga lalaking na nag-bait-baitan lang sa'yo ,” she explains. “ si Miko, siya lang ‘yung nanligaw sa ‘kin na pinakita niya muna ‘yung baho niya, tapos ‘yung kabaitan niya . Napakatotoo .” Angel still makes frequent visits to the cemetery, when she has problems or even just to shared her good news with him. “ Kapag may problema kasi ako, sasabihin ni Miko, ‘ Sige pare, iyak mo ‘yan ngayon, pero dapat bukas, naka -smile ka na .' Gusto niya laging masaya ,” she remembers. When Angel visited him for his birthday last May 2004, she even brought him a cake and balloons, which she let fly away. “ Kami kasi ni Miko, may mga pangarap kami para sa isa't isa ,” she says. “ Sa tingin ko , wherever he is right now, gusto niya ako maging masaya, kaya ‘yun ang ginagawa ko ngayon .”

To cope, Angel welcomed the barrage of work that came her way and used it as a crutch to get her through this difficult time. “I just kept praying,” Angel reveals. “ Iniisip ko na lang, may trabaho pa ako , ‘wag ka umiyak , ‘wag ka magpapaapekto.” There were also a lot of people around her who gave her support, most especially Miko's mom, Ali Sotto, and his cousin, Oyo Boy Sotto, who she's now rumored to have a blossoming romance with.

No Time For Love?

Angel maintains she has yet to have a boyfriend since lost Miko, claiming she's still not ready or that she simply doesn't have time for love. A year and a had since her loss, the public was rooting for her and Richard Gutierrez, her love interest in Mulawin and in their last movie Let the Love Begin, to get together. “Special kami [ni Richard] to each other,” she says, choosing her words carefully. “ Ayaw namin madaliin at magpa -pressure sa mga tao .” So what were they exactly? “Kung ano yung nakita n'yo, ‘yon kami ,” Angel says.

She dismisses any rumors that one of the reasons she was hesitant about becoming “on” with him is because she was afraid of his family. She admits she was intimidated at first, “ kasi sobrang respetado sina Tito Eddie at Tita Annabelle at matagal na sila sa industriyang ito ,” she shares. “ Hindi naman sa takot, pero may respeto lang talaga. Ayokong magalit sila sa'kin .” Over time and once she got to know them all better, she realized that they were nice. “ Mabait ,” she says, adding that she admires how they take very good care of each other as a family. “Angel is very sweet and thoughtful, not just to me, but to everyone,” shares Richard. “She loves her work and she's so very professional.”

Family Ties

Perhaps the real reason why the real-life romance between Angel and Richard never took off was the she was looking for something else. “ Sobra magmahal si Angel. She's more choosy now. She's looking for [someone who has] the same qualities and features of Miko,” says her Tita Becky. And that's what she's reportedly found in Miko's closest cousin, Oyo Boy Sotto, son of Dina Bonnevie and Vic Sotto.

When asked about their relationship, Angel evades the topic, saying she has a hard time telling a lie. “ Magkuwe-kuwento naman ako, pero sa tamang panahon at sa tamang oras .” Although Angel neither confirms nor denies the reports that they are a couple, Oyo visits her frequently during her tapings (as he did during her Cosmo cover shoot, waiting patiently for her in the studio until she was done) reports say that they've been spotted holding hands at a mall and have vacationed together on Sabang Beach in Palawan (in separate rooms, Angel with her mom, Oyo with his barkada ). It's also rumored that he has a tattoo of her name in his right ankle. “When we're together, we're happy. We're very happy. ‘Di ko alam kung paano sasabihin kung anong mayroon,” says Angel at the Darna press conference when asked to describe what they have together.

Even after Miko's death, Angel still looks to his mother Ali for support, even going as far as confiding in her that she and Oyo are getting closer. In a DZBB radio show which Ali co-hosts, Ali revealed that she feels Miko is happy where he is and that it's about time that Angel moved on.

Earth-Grounded Angel

Someone of her stature in showbiz might be thought of to be making prima donna demands, Angel stays down to earth and laid back, not at all concerned about projecting an image or wanting more for her career. “I never expect at ayaw ko rin maging sobrang competitive sa kapwa kong artista ,” she says. “ Basta kung ano na lang bigay ni Lord.” She credits her outlook and attitude to her father, who raised her to stay humble to be honest—even if it's to her own detriment.

True to her words, she tries to stay as honest as she can and prefers to answer questions in her own special way—even when pressed for more information about her controversial relationship with Oyo. “I like him for who he is. ‘ Di siya nagbabait-baitan at marespeto sa babae . At sobrang close pa nila ng family niya .” When asked whether she's in love, her only answer is “ Masaya ako .” And that's it.

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