ATE VI ON 60 YEARS IN SHOWBIZ: ‘COMBINATION OF HARD WORK, GRACE FROM GOD’
AS SHE’S CELEBRATING 60 YEARS IN SHOWBIZ, STILL SOUGHT-AFTER and with her star not waning one bit, Vilma Santos is perhaps the best person to dispense advice on staying power and career longevity.
“I guess 60 years is not a joke. Definitely, I feel elated. Not everyone is given this kind of blessing. I’m very, very thankful,” Ate Vi, as she’s fondly called in the industry, recently reflected on her six-decade career. For her, it was a combination of different factors, but mainly achieved through hard work and by the grace of God.
“It’s true yun talaga ang goal ko and kung tumagal man ako ng 60 years, yun lang ginawa ko — hard work, smart work and grace of God. Hard work because you really need to work. Smart work because iisipin mo rin kung saan mo gusto pumunta or how you will plan your career. And grace from God because kahit papaano, you really have to pray for guidance,” she said when asked by The STAR on the secret to her enduring career.
“So, for our newbies today, the soon-to-be stars or superstars, love your career and it will love you back.”
Another “X-factor” for her is respect for others. Amid talk and issues involving “attitude problems” from the younger generation of artists, she advised: “Ang usapan if you want to be in showbiz is longevity. Hanggang kelan ka? You might be a superstar for a year or two, but after that, where are you? Sa dinami-dami na ng artista ngayon, kelangan yung X-factor mo and No. 1 is respect for your colleagues para umangat ka.
“Kasi ang dami ngayon. I mean, give it two months may bago na naman lalabas. If you don’t have that X-factor and one of those is being respectful to your colleagues, especially to your seniors, palagay ko wala kang pupuntahan.”
As for her advice to the younger stars who are already feeling “burned out,” she said with a laugh, “It’s too early para ma-burn out… 60 years na ‘to,” then added, “but you will go through that stage. Alam mo, kung seryoso ka talaga dun sa career mo, you will learn how to handle it right. You will go through challenges but you will learn how to face all these things, if you really want to last long.”
Ate Vi admitted that there was a time that she faced troubles as a younger star, considered quitting the business and felt living in a box. The Star for All Seasons, who started out as a child star, recalled, “Talagang dun lang ako lumaki eh, entertainment lang. Ang feeling ko wala na akong alam kundi puro showbiz. There was even a time, ‘pag nagbubukas ako ng dyaryo, ‘di ko pinapansin ang frontpage, I will go straight to the entertainment section.
“But maybe it was meant to be, when I became a public servant, ‘dun ko lang din naman na-realize yung reality of life. You learn while you grow, you mature while you learn.”
When Ate Vi reinvented or expanded her career by entering government, she acknowledged that her showbiz career helped her in her 24 years as a public servant.
“It was a big help on how to lead my people. Lahat ng klase na tao, kaya mong harapin. Nai-dagdag at nai-apply ko ‘yan when I became a public servant. Kung ano man ang inabot ko, utang na loob ko ‘yan sa buong industry,” said the former congresswoman, who officially retired from public service last year.
Meanwhile, 2023 is Ate Vi’s official year of showbiz comeback. In March, she is leaving for Japan to shoot her first movie in six years opposite Christopher de Leon, who will also serve as its assistant director.
“It’s a love story pero sa tamang edad namin,” Ate Vi said. “This is a romantic drama pero ‘di kami pacute. At the same time, this is a story of an OFW who fell in love with Japan. We’re both OFWs in the film. It’s a very simple love story, although malalim ‘pag pinag-usapan ang love… It’s something new sa mata.”
She’s also set to do two other projects, an actionoriented film with Erik Matti and another movie with Star Cinema.
“Sobrang na-miss ko kasi naging third priority ko ang showbiz eh nung maging public servant ako,” said Ate Vi, who also discovered the joys of vlogging over the pandemic.
“I’m still evolving, I’m still open to new challenges. You never stop. While I’m no longer a public official, I’m a private citizen now, you never stop. A lot of interesting things will come to your life, and I entertain these things.
The STAR and other press members were able to interview Vilma when she was launched as the “new partner” of Angkas motorcycle taxi.
During the launch, the company dropped a teaser of their upcoming commercial, which hinted at a dramedy treatment, wherein Ate Vi is shown riding the motorcycle taxi. It came as a surprise that Ate Vi is actually not afraid to ride the motorcycle. During her courtship period with husband, Ralph Recto, he would fetch her on his big bike from her shows She’d even be still wearing her high heels and long gown.
She recalled, “There were no helmets at that time. (Whenever the traffic would stop) the passengers on buses would look at me and maybe wondering who’s this woman in a gown and just riding a motorcycle? Kaya sanay akong sumakay sa motor.”