The Other Side Of Lea

When you think of Lea Salonga, you think of Annie belting

“Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow. You’re always

a day a way,” or the song “I am but a small voice, I am but a small dream.” For us Filipinos, Miss Saigon’s Kim will always be Lea, as well as Les Miserables’ Eponine. Disney’s Aladdin and Mulan are among our favorite animation movies because the heroines’ singing voice was Lea’s.

            We are reminded of Lea through the songs that she popularized, the movies that she starred in, and of course, the plays, whether here or on Broadway, that made her a star.

            But behind the glitz and glamour of showbiz and theater, is a Lea Salonga who is simple, humble and down to earth. A “jeans and T-shirt” Lea. Let us get to know this other side of Lea Salonga.

•             It was during Avon Philippines’ launching of its new product, Anew 360° White, that I had the opportunity to meet Lea in person. Lea, the Anew Ambassador, came home to the Philippines a day before the event just to be present for the product launch and was due to go back to the U.S. immediately the day after.

            She opened the event with the song “Sunlight,” and immediately I was mesmerized. Who wouldn’t be with that powerful yet sweet voice!

            Lea, who was born on February 22, 1971, is excited to turn 40 next year. She married Robert Charles Chien, a Chinese-Japanese managing director of an entertainment software company based in Los Angeles, California in January 2004 and they have a daughter, Nicole Beverly, who is turning 4 next month.

            “I am really looking forward to turning 40. But then again I also looked forward to turning 30. I hated my late teens and early 20s. I was not happy, I was awkward. Yes, I won a Tony Award but I was in a very weird stage in my life,” Lea said, laughing.

            Lea shared that she grew up loving her chosen career that she does not really know what she might have been had she not been singing and acting. “I don’t know. I really don’t know. My gift seemed to steer me to this direction. There was no point in my life when I felt that I wanted to stop what I was doing. My husband is very supportive, even my daughter is very supportive. She understands that this is mommy’s work. My husband said, ‘You cannot stop what you do. For one thing you’re very good at it and you have the power to influence, inspire and encourage people.’ It’s nice that I married somebody who is very very supportive,” she said.

            The international star’s 3-year-old daughter Nicole seems to have inherited her mom’s talents. Lea said Nicole loves to sing and act out scenes from the movies that she has watched. However, Lea said that she does not want to impose on her daughter and wants her to be what she wants to be. “I want her to figure out for herself what she wants to be. But I would love it if she becomes an entertainer because it is a family thing but if she decides to be a scientist, it’s up to her.”

            According to Lea, her little girl has been asking for a brother. In fact, Nicole wants two brothers! “I’d love to give her the brother that she wants but only one and not this year. Maybe in 2011,” she said.

            Aside from taking care of her family, Lea also makes it a priority to take care of her voice, which, she said, is her collateral and capital. “I can have a foot injury and still do a show. I even did a show in my flip flops. But if I don’t have a voice, oh my,” she shared. “I warm up whenever I have a gig. I try not to stay out too late. I have a humidifier in my bedroom. I stay away from a dry climate. I watch what I eat and what I drink. It’s pretty high maintenance but it’s all that I do. I don’t like dressing up that much because I do not have time for it anymore. I just take care of my voice.”

            People who are smart and funny always get Lea’s attention. She said looks are not really important because these just fade away. “I know it’s such a cliché but beauty really comes from within. I am attracted to people who are smart and funny and not necessarily pretty. I find people who are smart and funny really, really sexy. I’ll take that over pretty. My looks are only temporary. When I’m 80, I won’t look like this. But when I’m 80, I still got to have something that will make me still look attractive to someone else. I would like to be able to offer the world with something beyond skin deep,” she said.

            And because she does not really put importance to how she looks when not performing, she usually just dons a simple T-shirt, jeans and flip flops that her husband would tell her to put on a hat or sunglasses.

            “My personality is really just flip flops and T-shirt. That is me. I really laugh when I bump into other celebrities who have these mother shades on and big hats and I go, you do realize that those things don’t hide you right? If you really want to hide, just a simple shades and baseball cap will do. The more you look normal, the more people will know that you’re normal. There is really nothing I can do to hide myself because people will recognize me anyway,” explained Lea who added that sometimes, she even buys the things that she needs on her own and narrated the time when she bought medicine at a drug store and the one attending to her recognized her. “She did not scream. She just gave me what I needed.”

            If you happen to see Lea shopping or just going around Greenbelt in Makati, one of her favorite places to shop and dine when she is in the country, do not hesitate to ask for an autograph if you want to. People who ask for her autograph do not bother her.

            “People who ask for my autograph do not bother me because it happens very seldom. Maybe people realize that ‘she does not have any make up on, she’s doing her errands.’ People just let me be and let me do the things I do. There are things that I like to do on my own. And this is healthy and I encourage every celebrity to try it. You cannot be sheltered everyday,” she said.