Ngayon ay isang makasaysayang araw sa entertainment industry dahil si Lea Salonga, ang kilalang Pilipinang mang-aawit at aktres, ay may bituin na sa Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Ang prestihiyosong parangal na ito ay kinikilala ang kanyang mga kahanga-hangang kontribusyon sa sining ng pagganap, na binibigyang-diin ang kanyang natatanging talento sa boses at ang kanyang makabuluhang epekto sa pandaigdigang entablado.
Ipinanganak sa Maynila noong Pebrero 22, 1971, bilang Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga, nagsimula si Salonga na magtanghal sa Philippine musical theater bilang isang bata at nag-debut sa entablado sa edad na pito. Mula 1980 hanggang 1982, nanalo siya ng tatlong sunod-sunod na Aliw Awards para sa pinakamahusay na young artist.
Ika-2855 na star recipient, si Salonga ay sumikat sa pandaigdigang antas dahil sa kanyang papel sa orihinal na produksyon ng Broadway ng “Miss Saigon” (1988, sa edad na 17) na tumanggap ng Tony Award 1991, ay hindi lamang nakapagpahanga sa mga manonood sa kanyang makapangyarihang mga pagtatanghal kundi naging simbolo rin ng pagmamalaki para sa Filipino community.
Kabilang din sa kanyang kasikatan ang maging kauna-unahang Asian actress nang gampanan ang role ni Éponine sa “Les Misérables” sa Broadway noong 1993. Gayundin, nang siya higit na makikila bilang Disney Legend para sa “Aladdin” and “Mulan” noong 2011.
Ang kanyang tagumpay bilang kauna-unahang Pilipina na tumanggap ng bituin sa makasaysayang boulevard na ito ay patunay ng kanyang pagsisikap, dedikasyon, at ang impluwensya na mayroon siya sa pagwasak ng mga hadlang para sa mga artist mula sa iba’t ibang pinagmulan.
Ang seremonya, na naganap sa harap ng isang pagtitipon ng mga tagahanga, kasamahan, at mga dignitaryo, ay isang pagdiriwang ng makulay na karera ni Lea at ng kanyang hindi matitinag na dedikasyon sa kanyang sining.
Sa dami ng mga parangal sa kanyang pangalan, kabilang ang mga Tony Awards at isang kilalang karera sa parehong teatro at musika, si Salonga ay nagbigay inspirasyon sa napakaraming tao sa buong mundo. Habang siya ay nakatayo sa harap ng nagtipun-tipong tao, ipinahayag niya ang kanyang pasasalamat sa suporta na kanyang natanggap sa buong kanyang paglalakbay.
Buong talumpati ni Lea Salonga sa parangal mula Hollywood Walk of Fame
It’s just surreal. This is… Okay.
I have walked down this street many times. I’ve stepped on a lot of famous people. And now, people get to step on me. Which feels strangely appropriate for a show business.
I love a full circle moment. But truly, to see my name here, to know that it will be here forever, is something I’m still trying to wrap my head around. Because long before Hollywood, long before Broadway, there was Manila.
If you had told seven-year-old Lea Salonga making her stage debut in a production of The King and I in the Philippines, that nearly 50 years later, she would be standing on Hollywood Boulevard in front of this iconic theater, surrounded by so many wonderful friends, family, and colleagues, receiving a star on the Walk of Fame, she would have said, Huh? What’s that? I was a little girl. I got the accent just right. I was a little girl in the Philippines who loved to sing and perform.
I started working when I was very young, and I certainly didn’t have some grand plan for how any of this was supposed to unfold. I just knew that I loved doing it. This career has taken me to places I never imagined I would go, introduced me to some extraordinary people, and allowed me to keep doing what I love.
There’s something funny about a star like this, because there’s only room for one name. Mine. But no career is ever the work of just one person.
So, if they make this star big enough, there would be a lot of other names on it. My family, first and foremost. My mother, the ones that know her well, who was there from the very beginning, using her hard-earned money to record my first album.
She loaded pressed vinyls into our family car and went door-to-door to stores back home selling copies. She was my manager for decades, my champion my whole life. None of this happens without her.
My brother, my first duet partner, my favorite accompanist, and the finest musician I know. My son, who is back, having just started his own journey into the world of acting and entertainment. He is an inspiration, the bravest person I’ve ever met, my proudest production, today and always.
There would be the people who have loved me, shown up for me, supported me, protected me, encouraged me, told me the truth when I needed to hear it, and occasionally reminded me that there actually is a life outside of show business. There would be the teachers who taught me, the directors who trusted me, the composers and lyricists who gave me extraordinary words and music to sing, the actors I’ve had the privilege of standing beside, the musicians who have made me sound so much better than I have any right to, the crews who somehow make everything work, the people who have represented me and fought for me and helped me navigate this very strange business, and of course, the audiences.
Some of you have met me as Kim. Some as Éponine, or Fantine. Some of you heard my voice coming out of Princess Jasmine or Mulan before you had any idea who I was. And some of you have stayed with me through all of it. Thank you.
I also can’t stand here today without thinking about where I’ve come from. When I began my career, I didn’t see very many people who looked like me doing the things I dreamed of doing on the world’s biggest stages and screens.
There wasn’t an obvious road. I was incredibly fortunate that there were people who opened doors for me, who took chances on me, and who saw what I might be capable of. And over the years, I have watched that world begin to change. Not enough, not completely, but it has changed.
There are so many extraordinary Filipino and Asian artists working today, telling our stories, playing roles we once could have never imagined being offered, and creating new opportunities for future generations. That means an enormous amount to me.
I hope that someday a young Filipino kid comes to Hollywood, sees my name, and thinks, “Oh. Maybe I can get here too.”’ So, to everyone who has been part of this very improbable career and journey, thank you. And thank you to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the Manila International Film Festival, and everyone responsible for this incredible honor. I will treasure it. And to everyone who walks down Hollywood Boulevard in the years ahead, thank you. Please feel free to step on me.
Maraming maraming salamat. What an extraordinary journey this has been. And the best part is, I’m not done yet.
(Para sa iba pang mga larawan, tingnan dito)