Krystala flying away

With her stature as one of Philippine showbiz’s biggest names, it’s rather surprising to find that superstar Judy Ann Santos really does find happiness in the small things. After noting how much she would miss her entire Krystala family during the recent appreciation party held by ABS-CBN to mark the final shooting day of her hit superserye, it didn’t take much to perk up her spirits. "At least I get to keep my costume from the show," she laughs.

The cast and crew of Krystala are one in heaping praise on the self-effacing star, who, in turn, has nothing but compliments for the people she has worked with since the series started shooting in the last half of 2004. "Now that we’re all saying goodbye, I really can’t help but feel sad," notes Judy Ann. "On one hand, because of Krystala, I was there for the birth of another Pinoy superhero, and I’m glad that now that we’re winding down, we ended it with flying colors. May pinuntahan ang paghihrap namin.

"On the other hand, this party feels like a despedida, except you’re saying goodbye to people with whom you’ve spent the better part of the past 10 months. It’s like saying goodbye to family."

Family is how Judy Ann views her co-workers, which makes her clan a pretty big one, after nearly a decade of hit soaps, starting with Mara Clara, and including Esperanza, Sa Puso Ko, Iingatan Ka and Basta’t Kasama Kita. And yet, it’s the relationships that she forms on each set that mean the most to her. "It’s not the talent fee that keeps me going in this business," she stresses. "Above all, what I treasure are the friendships that form between me and my fellow actors, the staff, the crew. These are people I spend hours on location with, and because of the time I spend with them, I learn a lot, both mentally and emotionally. There’s the stunt coordinators, who were so patient with me, to the extent of modifying their routines so I could master them. There’s the special effects team, who made sure I was comfortable in that harness I wear so I can fly. And my directors — ang dami kong natutunang English sa kanila!"

And then there were the fans. More than anything, Judy Ann cherishes the fact that playing Krystala helped her reach out to a whole new segment of the Filipino audience — children. "Being Krystala is not a joke," she points out. "It’s a big responsibility to be Krystala because of all the kids who idolize her. Para kang isang ina. You have to watch everything you do, in public and in private, because children look up to you."

But there are rewards to that very public responsibility, Judy Ann claims. "There’s the wonderful feeling that you get whenever children look at you, because they see you as a superhero. I’m happy that the audiences look up to my character because the trust children and their parents give to you is very precious. And I’ve seen it - ang laki ng paghanga nila kay Krystala."

Krystala also helped Judy Ann realize a childhood dream. "As a child, I really wanted to be Wonder Woman, Supergirl — kahit ano, basta superhero," she laughs. "And now that I did get to portray such a wonderful character, who just happened to be a superhero, I feel like I fulfilled half my life already. I’m very, very thankful to ABS-CBN for the trust, and for everything else that’s in my life right now. I have a wonderful life and a wonderful job, and I’ve made many wonderful relationships through this show. I can’t really complain. And I’m proud that we ended our run na wala kaming naargabyadong tao."

So what’s up for the young superstar? Being that she doesn’t really have superpowers herself, she’s taking time out away from the public eye, and treating herself to a month-long vacation. "I’ll enjoy the rest of my summer. I’ll enjoy myself and all this new time alone," Judy Ann says determinedly. "I think of it as a hibernation period, because I’ve been working non-stop for about 7 or 8 years and I really need to recharge. Not that I’m saying no to work — sino ba namang ayaw ng trabaho, di ba? But there comes a time when you feel like you’ve been drained from work. That’s what I’m feeling, and I think I need to re-focus myself so that when I do go back to work, I’m excited to do everything again. This job is my bread and butter, and I don’t want people to see me and think that I don’t care about my work because I’m burnt out. I’m going to use this time to reinvent myself, to think of something new."

Not that that reinvention’s going to be radical, mind you. She hastens to add that she’ll always be the same Judy Ann — but maybe after this, she’ll emerge a better, more passionate person. "There’s a lot of things I have to consider, especially since I’m not getting any younger, which, I admit, may be an odd thing to hear from me," she smiles. "At this point, I feel the need to find things that will satisfy me as an actress, as a person, as a whole. I need to find my passion, so that my job continues to be satisfying as well, and not just a paycheck."

Does that mean she’ll be taking care of her long-neglected lovelife, too? "The break is not necessarily for romance. Of course, you really can’t take that away from the equation. Love’s going to come my way. I’m not in a hurry. What’s important is that I take care of myself for the duration of this upcoming vacation, because that’s what I promised myself. A worry-free, pressure-free vacation."