Sheryl: Her own woman now

MANILA, Philippines - She is probably one of the few showbiz personalities who can do more than act and pose for the cameras for she definitely talks with sense whenever she speaks her mind out.

Sheryl Cruz, once called the princess of Philippine movies during her teens, has definitely grown into a woman of talent, character, poise and advocacy with her newfound passion for better television especially for children.

“I want to work for something if I work for something. If I get recognized, if I get the award, it’s because I got it due to my talents, na talagang pinagbuhusan ko talaga siya ng talento, ng panahon ko,” she said in an interview after recently being cited for her role on GMA 7’s Ikaw Lang Ang Mamahalin. 

She won the first Golden Mask 2012 Readers’ Choice Awards Online Fun Poll of The Entertainment Lifestyle for the Television Supporting Actress Category with more than 28,279 online votes.

“The recognition was a very great Mother’s Day gift to me. I’m proud of the heritage that I came from and I take my profession seriously,” Sheryl said, talking about her roots and her 11-year-old daughter Ashley who is growing up to be a very talented girl as well.

She said recognitions given by no less than the public should really be appreciated as they give inspiration to people in showbiz who are oftentimes taken for granted or underestimated because of the notion that they are nothing but actors or actresses.

Sheryl believes more credit should be given to seasoned celebrities who are living proof of how the Filipino movie and TV industry is “oozing with talented individuals” who can help raise the bar of entertainment.

“Professional actors should be treated like sophisticated wine. The more they age, the better the premium should be,” she said noting that appreciation and credit should also be given to even the smallest people in a production, whose individual contributions to a show play a vital role in the success of any project.

For someone who was able to maintain her good name, her pretty face and her naturally beautiful body through the years, the former teen sweetheart believes in a higher appreciation of people in showbiz who should not be made to play the same role of being the bida or kontrabida over and over again in order for the Philippine entertainment industry to rise to new heights.

“Sometimes ang hindi nare-realize ng mga tao is that these people also go through a lot because a lot of things are taken away from them because of the roles they portray,” she said.

Sheryl, apart from making a comeback, is making herself busy with a lot of other things like recently attending a Child Summit in Malacañang by the invitation of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB).

“In my mind and in my heart, I have always wanted to do my share in improving the terms and conditions of engagement, among others, by providing for more humane treatment not just of children actors but adults as well, by elevating the standards of entertainment, by eradicating stereotypes, by not compromising and sacrificing the future of our children actors,” she, as guest speaker, said.

With all the things she is doing now, Sheryl is definitely moving towards making a name again in the world of showbiz with her lawyer bestfriend Faye Singson saying, “she’s beautiful inside and out.”

Sheryl said, “Whenever I work right now, at my age, I am not competing with anyone, I am competing with myself, that’s what I tell myself. I have to overdo what I’ve done in my last project. And I have to give out 110 percent of myself in every project I make.”