Iza Calzado on her dad, new role, and ‘date’ with Piolo

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Actress Iza Calzado recently spoke about her showbiz breaks, her father, and a surprise “date’ with Piolo Pascual.

Iza, whose career as an ABS-CBN talent is ever on the rise, credits her success to her father, Lito Calzado who was a choreographer and TV director before he passed away.

“Daddy is no longer here to see how I’m getting all these opportunities—it’s a bittersweet feeling,” she said at the media gathering for her new film, “Maria Leonora Teresa” by Wenn V. Deramas.

“I miss him so much but I feel his presence. I know that he’s happy for me. I want to keep working, to make him and my mom (Antonia) proud,” Iza, who lost her father to cancer, said. Her mother and her stepmother, Myrna, likewise succumbed to the dreaded disease.

In “Maria Leonora Teresa,” Iza takes on the role of Faith, a woman who loses her daughter in an accident. And although no stranger to loss, Iza pointed out a vital difference between her real life nature and her movie persona.

“Unlike my character in the movie,” she said, “I didn’t experience depression. I got my dad’s positive outlook—that helps me a lot,” she said.

She shared that for her role as a mother, she drew insight from her relationship with her stepbrother: “I help take care of my 11-year-old stepbrother—doon ako humuhugot.”

Aside from pulling from this experience, Isa also shared that she expects directors to help set the course for her role portrayal for whatever film she takes on.

“I expect them (directors) to guide my portrayals because they see the bigger picture; more than anyone, they know the story that they want to tell,” she said.

Recalling that it was Direk Wenn who was at the helm of her very first soap-opera with the Kapamilya network, Iza says that she “always enjoys” working with Wenn, and describes him as “fun to be with.”

The role of Faith for “Maria Leonora Teresa” was actually first offered to Judy Ann Santos, but Iza took this all in stride.

“I asked for Ate Juday’s blessing through my manager, Noel Ferer, who is also the manager of her husband, Ryan Agoncillo. I don’t mind being second choice. Nothing will happen to my career if I let my ego get in the way of important decisions,” she shared.

“I’d like to be remembered as someone who gave a lot to her craft, to the industry…as an excellent actress.” She mused, when asked about what she would like to achieve, as an actress.

Finally, the question that was on everyone’s mind, why did Iza go to the Star Ball with Piolo, and not with her boyfriend Ben Wintle?

The answer was quite simple.

“I normally go to show biz functions alone. I merely asked Piolo if we could share a table. He said, “Why don’t we just go together?” It was like the king asked me! I was suddenly Piolo’s date!”

To follow-up on this, Iza said that boyfriend Ben is “very secure” about their relationship, and took her “date” all in stride.