MANILA, Philippines — Talent manager Ogie Diaz debunked Careless CEO Jeffrey Oh’s statement that Liza Soberano was invited to audition for Zendaya's role in Marvel’s “Spider-Man.”
On his YouTube channel, Ogie said that Liza already clarified the issue that there was no invitation from Marvel.
“Isisingit ko lang ‘tong isyung ito ha, kasi ‘pag dinedma ko ‘to, baka ang feeling nila totoong nangyari ito. Ito’y may kinalaman doon sa sinabi ni Mr. Jeffrey Oh, ang CEO ng Careless management ni Liza Soberano, tungkol doon sa nanghihinayang sila kung bakit, sana ay si Liza Soberano ang gumanap na Mary Jane na leading lady ni Spider-Man noong 2016 o 2017,” he said.
The talent manager-vlogger referred to Mary Jane Watson in the "Spider-Man" comics. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mary Jane is named Michelle "MJ" Jones-Watson, the romantic lead of Peter Parker (Tom Holland) a.k.a Spider-Man. Singer-actress Zendaya portrays the role in the Marvel movies.
“Si Liza Soberano na rin po ang nagsabi na walang imbitasyon na galing sa Marvel. Iyong tweet na ‘yun ay galing sa isang fan na nagpakalat na naniniwala na posible na makapasok si Liza bilang isa sa mga extra o mga may role doon sa 'Spider-Man' kung siya ay sakaling mag-o-audition,” he added.
WATCH: Ogie Diaz clarifies Careless CEO Jeffrey Oh's claim that Liza Soberano was invited to audition in "Spider-Man"
Diaz asked Oh to show proof that Liza was offered to audition for the character.
“Hindi ko alam kung dito nanggagaling si Mr. Jeffrey Oh, doon sa tweet ng fan na ‘yun, o baka naman meron siyang resibo. Mr. Jeffrey, you might want to release the receipt or the proof that Liza received an invitation from Marvel to audition for the role of Mary Jane,” he said.
“Dahil ako, bilang former manager ni Liza — at ang Star Magic at ang ABS-CBN — as far as we know, walang imbitasyon mula sa Marvel. At iyan ay sinegundahan ni Liza, kaya hindi ko alam kung saan nanggagaling si Mr. Jeffrey. Kaya nga hinihingan ko ng resibo, kasi baka ‘pag may resibo e makapag-sorry kami kay Liza,” he added.
The veteran showbiz reporter also said that he and Star Magic would have allowed Liza to audition for the role.
“Sino ba naman ang ayaw? Lead iyon, ano. Hollywood movie ‘yun, ano, na pangarap ni Liza. Pero wala nga pong imbitasyon. Alangan namang mag-gate-crash ka sa audition? Wala namang gano’n. Ba’t naman hindi namin i-a-allow ‘yung bata?” he said.
“Although that time, marami talagang ginagawa si Liza, kasi may pangalan na noon si Liza, popular na si Liza noon. Alangan namang naka-tanghod lang iyan sa bahay at naghihintay lang siya kung meron siyang audition mula sa Hollywood, hindi ba,” he added.
Ogie said that Liza is still popular and she doesn't deserve this kind of publicity that makes her look "cheap."
“Sana nag-uusap sina Liza at ‘yung bago niyang management, o kinausap muna ni Mr. Jeffrey Oh si Liza kung ano’ng pakakawalan na statement. Kasi, dahil diyan sa statement na ‘yan, binash tuloy nang binash si Liza, pinagmumukhang ilusyonada si Liza,” he said.
“Diyos ko naman, hindi naman starlet si Liza. Sikat pa rin naman si Liza. Bakit kailangang dumaan sa ganitong ka-cheapan si Liza, hindi ba? Hindi natin alam kung strategy ito ng Careless, ‘di ba, na lumikha ng ingay. If that is the case, aba, bongga, they did it!” he added.
He ended his statement saying Liza succeeded under his belt.
“At saka, Diyos ko naman, Mr. Jeffrey, kinikuwestiyon mo ‘yung 10 years naming pag-ma-manage kay Liza. Mas nakakahiya naman siguro kung sa loob ng 10 years na ‘yun ay walang nangyari kay Liza. Hindi siya sumikat, hindi siya nakilala, hindi siya naging successful.
“After all, hindi niyo rin naman kukunin si Liza kung hindi rin naman siya sikat. Kung nanatili siyang starlet sa loob ng 10 taon… You cannot erase the fact that ABS-CBN, Star Magic, and Ogie Diaz were part of Liza Soberano’s success, popularity that you are enjoying.
“I know you can take good care of her as much as we did,” he said. —Video from Ogie Diaz Showbiz Updates YouTube channel
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