Our very own Pinay superhero has finally landed on TV. When GMA-7 announced last year that it bought the rights to create a TV series out of Mars Ravelo’s Darna, it secured its place in Philippine television history as the series would eventually become the highest-rated “fantaserye” on primetime, and assure stardom as well for the new show’s lead actress, Angel Locsin.
From her days in Click and her role as Alwina in Mulawin, this teen actress has come a long way. Indeed, so far has she gone in her career that no one knows she was once a Thomasian student.
Truly an Angel
Born on April 23, 1985 as Angelica Colmenares, the 5’5” beauty had little inkling that she would be the star she is now.
“They didn’t think Colmenares would be a good screen name so they asked me to choose a shorter name,” she explained in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “My father suggested that I use his mom’s maiden name, which is Locsin.”
Before her big break, Angel played small roles in movies and was chosen as the love interest of Richard Gutierrez’s character in Mulawin, another GMA-7 production. She was promoting Mano Po 2 for the 2003 Manila Film Festival when she was suddenly propelled to the center of public attention when her boyfriend Miko of the Sotto acting clan, died after falling from a building.
Her success as the character Alwina in Mulawin, showed the audience that she’s not just another pretty face. She can perform in action sequences, too.
“Angel always wanted to take up Criminology but her schedule and her work gets in the way.” Noel Flores, Costume Supervisor for Mulawin and Darna, told the Varsitarian. “She seems determined to do it someday.”
Her spunk doesn’t end there. Angel used to be a member of the Philippine Swimming Team which competed in Hong Kong.
“Siguro, dahil athletic talaga ako even in school,” Angel Locsin once said when asked in a Philippine Daily Inquirer how she keeps her figure.
Angel once held the swimming record in the National Capital Region in the breast stroke, her forte. She used to train 3-4 hours a day before she entered the world of show business.
A student in the UST Pay High school from 1998 to 1999, her swimming skills also paved way for her to join the University’s high school varsity swimming team.
“Kahit noong high school pa kami, makikita mo na may potential siya as an actress—flawless, smooth skin, and a slender body,” said Alex Locsin, the incumbent president of Mediartrix, UST’s performing and multimedia arts organization. Alex and Angel were acquaintances back in high school.
She was discovered by a talent scout while running for an errand for her mother in a mall. After that, she did a TV commercial and joined the auditions for the now defunct Click. “They liked me well enough,” a smiling angel said. “Ang bilis kasi I was introduced agad with the second batch of Click members.”
