Growing up with her grandparents has taught 22-year-old Martha Vanessa del Moral the importance of being frugal. “They told me that I should not buy something I want. Instead, buy something I need,” she says. “So whenever I shop, I tell myself: ‘Why would I buy another jacket if I already have plenty of them unused.’ That’s how I assess if I will purchase something or not.”
Indeed, Vaness has learned from her elders that it is important to save for a rainy day — especially for someone who is in the flashy and flamboyant industry of show business. The 5’4”-tall half-Spanish, half-Filipino beauty is a contract artist of GMA 7. Vaness, one of the network’s most promising character villains, knows that “acting projects are unstable so it is important that you know how to invest on the important things while you have something to earn.”
Vaness, the fourth child of businessman Emilio del Moral and Maria del Pilar, was discovered through the reality show Starstruck. Although she already did some ramp modeling in Baguio, Vaness was a total stranger to being an actress. She shares that she wasn’t used to staying up all night so she had a hard time adjusting to the long taping hours that her job requires. “It was there that I realized that being an actress isn’t as easy as other people think it is. You always have to look fine even when you’re already very tired,” she says. But Vaness is quick to clarify that she’s enjoying what she’s doing right now. “Playing the antagonist is much more challenging to me than playing the lead role,” she says.
When she gets a breather from work, Vaness can be found in one quiet corner composing poems. “Poetry writing has become a hobby. I can compose two to three poems in one seating when I’m inspired,” she smiles. The girl is also a sports buff, being a volleyball and badminton varsity player when she was in school.
Her grandparents are her role models and from them she also learned that the only way to get what she wants is to work for them. “Hard work is something I learned through example. So whatever I do, I give it my best,” concludes Vaness.
Photography by Mau Aguasin • Fashion styling by Belle Camarsi • Makeup by Pia Reyes for Lancome • Hairstyling by Dave Lopez • (Top) Floral tube dress and gold, multi-strand necklace by Details • (Bottom) Navy sleeveless dress with ruffled hemline, gold and blue agate drop earrings in copper wire setting with matching cuff all by DEtails