Filipino-American actress Liza Soberano spoke out about hurtful comments labeling her career as “laos” or a has-been and opened up about the challenges of stepping away from the comfort of Philippine showbiz to pursue a new path in Hollywood.
Speaking on Painfully Human Podcast hosted by Edward Barber, the Filipino-American actress reflected on the difficult transition she has faced since moving to Los Angeles in 2024 to pursue her international ambitions.
When asked whether there was a price she had to pay for starting over, Liza immediately pointed to one thing.
“Money,” she said.
“For the longest time, this is something that I’ve realized about myself [after] stepping away from showbiz and kind of the Philippines in general. I don’t mean disrespect by this, but like I was so afraid of looking poor... It’s not like I look down on poor people, I definitely don’t. I was poor growing up,” she maintained, while recalling how she would fetch water from a well and boil it to drink it.
She explained that while she was building her career in the Philippines, she rarely spoke publicly about her upbringing because of how her image was carefully managed early on.
“I remember when I joined showbiz, everybody was always saying like ‘Oh don’t talk too much about your personal life’ that’s why nobody knows much of my upbringing. Everybody just thinks that I must come from a wealthy background because I’m half American, I’m mestiza, and everything. And that’s really far from the truth.”
READ: Arden Cho shares sweet ‘girls night’ moment with Liza Soberano at Oscars ‘Night Before’ party
As one of the country’s top actresses for more than a decade, Liza admitted she could have easily stayed in the Philippines, continuing the same successful path she had followed since entering showbiz at a young age.
“In order to not distract people from the brand that we were carefully curating, I never really went in depth about my story. But now that I’ve moved to LA, obviously, money is the biggest thing that I’ve sacrificed because I could be here in the Philippines doing the same thing I’ve been doing since I was 12, making lots of money.”
Beyond finances, however, the actress said she had also reached a point in her career where acting had begun to feel repetitive, with years of packed schedules leaving her operating on what she described as “auto-pilot,” something she no longer wanted for herself creatively.
“I could be easily just doing that and still making the same amount of money that I used to, but now I don’t. That’s what I sacrificed to be living in LA and discomfort,” she said. “Now that I’m in LA, obviously I’m a new artist. I’m going through all the new artists things.”
Part of that transition, she revealed, has been learning how to handle public criticism, particularly comments from people who have labeled her career as fading simply because she is no longer constantly visible in local entertainment circles.
“When I first moved to LA, it really hurt me when people would say, ‘Oh, laos na siya. We don’t see her anywhere. Oh, laos na siya. She’s only doing these small little influencer gigs.’”
She then addressed misconceptions surrounding the smaller brand and influencer work she occasionally takes on, explaining that life in America has made her to be practical while navigating the early stages of a new career.
“Guys, that’s how I stay alive. I’m not making as much money as I did before and on top of that, majority of my money still comes from Asia, but I’m living in the US, so the conversion is crazy. I have to do all these little gigs every now and then because that’s how I pay my bills.”
Despite the financial adjustments and the challenges of starting over, the actress said the experience has given her a new sense of purpose and pushed her toward meaningful growth both personally and professionally.
“That’s the price that I’m paying so that I can fulfill this ambition or dream of mine,” she said. “Money and just the comfort of not having to put in the effort to grow”.
Determined to fully immerse herself in the craft, the actress shared that much of her time and money now goes toward investing in herself, from acting and vocal lessons to working with coaches for auditions, all without any guarantee of landing a role.
Part of her growth, Liza has been spending money on acting and vocal lessons and hiring an acting coach to do a self-tape [audition] for 500 dollars without even having the certainty of being chosen for a role.
“In America, I do three to four auditions a week and I get rejected constantly...but I’m loving it now because I’m learning and growing so much...All these different roles which is fun, but then I still get rejected because I’m doing the thing I said I wanted to do.”
Since relocating to Los Angeles in 2024, Liza has begun carving her place in the international entertainment scene.
She made her Hollywood debut through the 2024 horror-comedy film Lisa Frankenstein, where she portrayed Taffy, the cheerleader half-sister of Lisa (played by Kathryn Newton).
Most recently, the actress secured another major international project after being cast as one of the lead voice actors in Forgotten Island, an upcoming animated feature from DreamWorks Animation.
Joining the cast are acclaimed Filipino and international talents, including H.E.R., Lea Salonga, Manny Jacinto, Dave Franco, and Jenny Slate.