Ogie Diaz reveals Liza Soberano refused to be paired with someone other than Enrique Gil for a project
Ogie Diaz recalled the time his former talent Liza Soberano refused to be paired with someone other than Enrique Gil for a project.
In his Showbiz Update vlog published on May 2, the talent manager revealed that the actress once received an offer to have a different love team partner for a show or movie, without specifying the latter’s name.
“Sa pagkakaalam ko, nagkaroon naman ng alok kami na magswitching, mapareha lang sa iba. Hindi ko na babanggitin kung sino ‘yung leading man at baka maloka na naman ang fans. Ini-alok kay Liza, ‘Gusto mo ba ito makapareha? Papahingahin muna natin ‘yung love team,” he recalled.
“Sa pagkakaalam ko, hindi ko makalimutan ‘yung sinabi ni Liza that time na, ‘Hindi po ako komportable na iba po ang leading man ko. Ang comfort zone ko po ay si Quen,’” he said.
“So, hinanapan siya ng proyekto na para sa kanila ni Quen. So ibig sabihin, hindi pa siya handa mag-solo dahil choice niya ‘yun and when you say solo, pwedeng iba yung kapareha mo, ‘di mo ka-love team. So hindi pa siya handa that time,” added Ogie.
Ogie’s statements come after Liza’s now-viral interview with Korean singers Ashley Choi and Peniel for their Get Real podcast, where she said the “only way” to make it big in Philippine showbiz is to be part of a love team.
“It’s been going on in the Philippines for a long time since the 80s, 70s, and in the Philippines, the only way to become a really big star, really, if you’re not a singer, is to become a love team,” she said.
Liza explained in the same interview how such work in the local scene. "So love team is when they put two actors together and they're kind of like a Brangelina," she told the two Korean hosts in reference to Hollywood ex-couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. "But in this scenario, we're supposed to be reel and real.”
"We're supposed to be like a real couple on-and-off cam and only have to work with each other through our whole career.”
"So if you look at all of my previous movies and TV shows, I'm mainly with one co-actor, and [in] love teams, you're expected to be with that one person throughout your career and your personal life. People don't want to see you aside from any other male actor or any other male in general,” she continued.
In a previous chat with Bea Alonzo, the local star described being in a love team as "limiting." She said, "Ang dami kong hindi nagawa sa career ko, and that's why everybody, I think, takes for granted my talent or acting capabilities because they've only seen me in a love team."
Liza was part of the LizQuen pairing, which debuted in the teleserye Forevermore in 2014. She and Enrique are celebrating their ninth anniversary this year, though they only went public with their relationship in 2019.
Liza has been fulfilling work commitments in the Philippines and the United States since last year, when she revealed her hopes to pursue a Hollywood career. Enrique, meanwhile, recently signed an exclusive contract with his home network ABS-CBN for his showbiz comeback.