More Videos You Can Watch
It Takes Grit and Grace to Be Liza Soberano Today
Once tethered to the expectations of Philippine showbiz, Liza has boldly plunged into a new reality: an “up-and-coming actress” in the world’s biggest entertainment industry.
Published Oct 14, 2024
Step into her new era and see the difference.
The saying goes: September is the January of fashion, and in New York City, the Spring/Summer 2025 shows mark a celebration of all things new. The air buzzes with anticipation as designers unveil their visions for the future, and the city pulses with the energy of brand-new beginnings.
For Liza Soberano, attending this edition of New York Fashion Week feels symbolic of her own fresh start. A celebrated actress and well-loved personality here at home, the U.S.-born Liza has been navigating the unpredictable terrain of Hollywood, positioning herself as, in her words, an “up-and-coming actress.”
“It was such a fun time running around the streets of New York during one of the busiest times of the year,” she shared over email, reflecting on how her U.S. representatives made her NYFW debut possible. “I loved the energy New York brings. No matter how hectic things were, my sense of excitement just kept me going.”
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
But it wasn’t just about attending parties or networking with fashion’s power players. “My publicist and brand agent were very strategic and intentional about how I presented myself,” she wrote, noting that she only attended two major shows—Coach and Prabal Gurung. Liza is keenly aware of the fine line between being a fashion influencer and being recognized as an actress, a distinction she is carefully cultivating. "[Being recognized as an actress] is something I’ve been learning to navigate recently," she said, stressing the importance of creating the right representation of who she is and where she is in her career.
Annika Sy
CONTINUE READING BELOW
watch now
Liza Soberano for Preview October 2024
These days, Liza utilizes fashion to signal a change in direction. She is no longer the ingénue of Filipino rom-coms and teleseryes; she is a woman who is ready to take on more layered, international roles on- and off-cam. Fashion, she shared, helps her transition between those public and private identities. "On days when I’m working and in full glam, I gain this extroverted confidence that I don’t normally have when I’m ‘off-duty,’” Liza explained, describing how the process of getting dressed for work transforms her into a different persona. “It’s like a transition from Hope to Liza.”
Indeed, this shift from Hope—her birth name—to Liza, the Hollywood actress on the rise, is emblematic of the personal transformation she has undergone in the past few years. “I feel like I’m in my experimental era,” she reflected. With her move to Los Angeles and the relative anonymity that comes with being a new face in the U.S., she has found the space to play around with fashion, both on and off duty. “Being in the States more now has given me the luxury of not having to feel like I need to hide myself on days off because not that many people recognize me.”
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Beauty in the Midst of Chaos
Today is no day for being incognito, however. Liza flew in from Los Angeles to Manila especially for this shoot. She arrived looking luminous, all smiles at everyone, but ready to get down to business. But unlike her NYFW sojourn, the concrete jungle imagery is a tad too literal at the day’s location—an old warehouse and junkyard in Pasay City’s inner streets, hidden from plain sight. The heat is inescapable; everyone is sweating bullets, taking turns at the air-conditioned tent in between her outfit and hair and makeup changes. The mood of the shoot is “offbeat, edgy, anything but demure”—certainly not princessy or sweet—and she is to be photographed against a gritty outdoor setting to contrast her full glam look. All that beauty in the midst of chaos? The parallelism is not lost on us.
Annika Sy
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ON LIZA: Leather Jacket, CHARLOTTE FOLK. Double Waistband Mermaid Skirt, RUSSELL VILLAFUERTE.
As the camera clicks away, Liza breezes through the shoot with an effortless grace that belies the sweltering heat. Each pose captures her fierce spirit, showcasing not just her beauty but also the boldness of the styles she wears. The juxtaposition of her adventurous looks against the raw, urban backdrop creates a captivating visual narrative, with every frame pulsating with a rebellious energy.
She is cool and calm as she transforms the shoot into a celebration of self-expression. In between outfit changes, she remains focused, each look more striking than the last, showcasing BYS makeup and wearing runway pieces by BYS Fashion Week designers that highlight her versatility. With the sun setting behind the lot, the atmosphere feels electric, as if a big Hollywood follow-up project is just on the horizon. After wrapping up the shoot, Liza flies back to LA, ready to embrace what comes next.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Annika Sy
“I’m a warrior... Now that I’ve found my voice and gained back the confidence to confront any challenge, I'm determined to use those tools toward the things I’m actually passionate about.”
Annika Sy
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Fearlessly Leaving Familiar Comforts
But the journey hasn’t been picture-perfect or fairy-tale-like, where our cover girl is simply thrust into a new world. She has made some tough, intentional decisions along the way. Mere days before the shoot, she made headlines when she parted ways with her management team at Careless, the company founded by fellow Filipino star James Reid. "Careless’ focus has always been on music,” she clarified. “The goal was always to build my own team and gradually shift to more international opportunities.” She is nonetheless thankful for the two years she spent with them. “Through James (Reid) and Jeff (Oh), I was able to find my voice as a woman in entertainment and grow as an artist and entrepreneur in ways I could’ve never imagined.”
Annika Sy
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ON LIZA: Tie-dye Cotton Jersey Cocoon Silhouette Dress, MARTIN BAUTISTA. Fendi First Sandals in Black, $1450 (approximately P83,411), FENDI, fendi.com
Liza is now represented by Transparent Arts, the U.S.-based agency that helped her land her role in the film Lisa Frankenstein. On top of this, she also signed up with artist agency Verve a few months ago. It's clear that her decision to leave Careless was part of a bigger plan—one that sees her roughing it in Hollywood, where she is no longer the star with an army of fans but an actress auditioning for parts just like everyone else. “In L.A., the market is so much bigger, so everyone has to fend for themselves,” she wrote. “It can be a lot of work managing all of that, but it’s honestly very liberating knowing that I’m capable of all of it.”
Her role in Lisa Frankenstein is just the beginning, and while Liza admits that the process of auditioning is far from glamorous, she seems unfazed. “I don’t really think about rejection,” she wrote matter-of-factly. “I’ve been in this industry long enough to understand how things work.”
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Annika Sy
“I rediscovered how smart, frank, and brave I could be when I let myself.”
Annika Sy
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
But there is pressure, she admitted, in representing the Philippines and making sure her supporters are proud, even as she pursues roles that go beyond stereotypical representations of Filipino characters. “After doing my press runs where I talked about being a Filipina actress, I constantly got offers for Filipino characters with very stereotypical arcs,” she shared. “But my U.S. representatives remind me to be patient and wait for the right project.”
Navigating Hollywood while staying true to her Filipino roots is a delicate balancing act, but Liza is determined to create her own narrative. “I don’t want to be limited or categorized based on my race. I want to one day be in the same conversations as other well-known actresses who star in projects that are up for Emmy and Oscar nominations.”
Annika Sy
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ON LIZA: Fatigue Puffer Tube Top and Zipper Skirt, IÑIGO. Ultra Fine Bangle in White Gold, P55,000, SUKI, Available in Cul De Sac
Liza hasn’t forgotten her roots nor her commitment to give back even as Hollywood beckons. Known for her work with Save the Children, she has always been vocal about using her platform to champion the rights of children. Liza’s own childhood—growing up in the Philippines, being adopted by her grandparents, and later moving to the U.S.—has shaped her sense of purpose. “My inner child is still healing from a lot of the trauma I’ve been through, but I can genuinely say I have moved on from feeling like a victim of my circumstances.” She continues, “I have decided to use those experiences as motivation to help create change so that other people don’t have to go through what I went through.”
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Annika Sy
“We can try our best to figure out the formula... but there’s no guarantee that that will translate to other people loving and appreciating your art.”
Annika Sy
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
This theme of healing and moving forward resonates in every part of Liza’s journey, both professionally and personally. Whether it was giving up the iconic role of Darna some years back due to a finger injury or seeing her last teleserye canceled at the time of COVID-19, Liza has learned to use disruptions as fuel to propel herself toward new opportunities in the present. “I’m a warrior; I’ve survived so much worse before my 14 years in show business. And now that I’ve found my voice and gained back the confidence to confront any challenge that comes my way, I'm determined to use those tools toward the things I’m actually passionate about.”
Equal Parts Hope and Surrender
Her toughness is clear, and her next steps in Hollywood—where she auditions for parts, takes on the hustle, and faces the inevitable rejections—are only adding to her growth story. For her, it’s less about proving herself to others and more about the journey of discovering her own strength. “I rediscovered how smart, frank, and brave I could be when I let myself,” she wrote. And now, she’s using those tools to create meaningful work and stand up for the causes she believes in.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Annika Sy
ON LIZA: Sasha Dress, P18,000, PROUDRACE.
Once tethered to the expectations of Philippine showbiz as half of a love team or the proverbial leading lady, she has boldly plunged into a new reality, ready to confront challenges head-on while embracing the risks that come her way. This is not merely a new beginning or the January of her career; it’s a declaration of her commitment to navigate bigger, deeper waters—one that leaves no room for retreat.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Annika Sy
“There’s no guarantee you’ll achieve the industry's definition of success. But you’ll have lived fully and expressed yourself with honesty and integrity, which is just as rewarding as outside validation.”
Annika Sy
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
Hollywood is undoubtedly a new chapter, but she’s not in a hurry to turn the page. "Nobody actually knows what they’re doing," she reflects with a candidness that reveals her hard-earned wisdom. “We can try our best to figure out the formula, to follow patterns, be a nice person, be the most talented person, be surrounded by the best of the best, but there’s no guarantee that that will translate to other people loving and appreciating your art. And that’s just the reality of the entertainment industry.”
Annika Sy
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ON LIZA: Medusa Coat, KRISTINE ORDINARIO. Ultra Fine Choker in Yellow Gold, P85,000, SUKI, Available in Cul De Sac
Annika Sy
Liza calls show business “the industry of feels”—where, in order to make people feel something, the creator (in this case, herself) has to feel the most and express all those emotions with a great level of honesty and vulnerability.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
“Even then, there’s no guarantee you’ll achieve the industry's definition of success. But from a human perspective, you’ll have lived fully and expressed yourself with honesty and integrity, which is just as rewarding as outside validation,” she declares with equal parts hope and surrender. “Not everyone can say they’ve experienced and felt so much in a lifetime.”
Produced and Styled by the Preview Team
Photographer: Annika Sy
Creative Director: Bacs Arcebal
Editor-in-Chief: Marj Ramos-Clemente
Production: Reg Rodriguez and Monet Landayan
Fashion: Paulina Singh
Beauty Direction: Isha Fojas
Makeup: Anthea Bueno
Hair: Paul Nebres
Nails: Mimi Qiu
Set and Production Design: Rocket Sets
Lighting Assistant: Vince Cidro, assisted by Joel Mendoza
Story: Owen Maddela
Video Direction: Jana Jodloman
Videographers: Greeko Junio and Teddy Garcia Jr.
Special thanks to BYS Cosmetics PH Chief Marketing Officer John Lozano, Marketing Director Vani Altamonte, and the rest of the BYS marketing team
Hey, Preview readers! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok, and Twitter to stay up to speed on all things trendy and creative. We’ll curate the most stylish feed for you!
