Rewarding Herself

Judy Ann Santos is something of a perfectionist who is never satisfied with what she does. She remembers feeling this way the first time she saw herself on TV. "Tulala ako. Parang hindi ako bumilib sa ginawa ko. Hanggang ngayon naman, ganoon pa rin ako sa sarili ko. Whatever movies I make, whatever soaps I do, mapanood ko man siya at sabihin ng mga tao, 'Okay, maganda, congratulations, naiyak ako', hindi ko napi-please ang sarili ko. Hindi ako nagagalingan."

For someone who has done top-rating soaps like Sa Puso Ko, Iingatan Ka (with Piolo Pascual) and Basta't Kasama Kita (with Robin Padilla), the idea that she's never satisfied with her work is something that is hard to connect with who Judy Ann is. But this is the same girl who likes to reward herself for her efforts. The concept of rewarding herself is something that goes back to her childhood, when she first discovered she had an entrepreneurial streak. She was about eight or nine years old. Judy Ann would make little sweet treats like pulboron and yema, and sell them to her Mommy Carol's friends. She would also sell little packets of gawgaw (starch) from the family's supermarket stocks for P1 each to her friends. At the end of all that, she'd buy her mother something--usually her favorite cigarettes--but she'd always reserve something for herself. "May reward lang ako na lagi sa akin, every Friday, meron akong Bubblers. Bubblers ang pangalan ng softdrink na cola na may root beer. Uupo ako sa puno--may puno ng bayabas sa tabi [ng bahay] namin na ume-extend sa bubong--tapos dun lang ako, at iinom ako ng Bubblers. Reward ko 'yon kasi nagta-trabaho na ako noon."

When she started working for real, she was able to afford things more expensive than a bottle of cola. But the first real reward that she bought herself was a pair of shoes after she got kicked in the face filming a TV commercial for a certain brand of toothpaste. Her co-stars were Isabel Granada and Chuckie Dreyfus. The idea was that they were playing luksong-tinik; Judy Ann was one of the children who would hold up their hands for Isabel and Chuckie to jump over. Judy Ann laughs as she recalls the moment: "Bilang talent na bata, siyempre bawal gumalaw kasi nag-a-adjust ng camera. Tapos sila (Isabel and Chuckie) practice ng practice, talon ng talon, hanggang sa pag-roll namin, bigla akong natadyakan sa face, at nakuha ng camera. Swak na swak, may tatak ako ng Mighty Kid [sa mukha]!"

When she got paid for the commercial, she handed Ate Binay, her yaya, the money and asked only for one thing: a pair of Mighty Kid shoes. "At least meron akong brand na natadyakan ako sa mukha. Meron akong pag-aari. 'Yun ang unang gift ko sa sarili ko, Mighty Kid."

But it was buying her Road Trek van that gave Judy Ann the ultimate high. It wasn't her first vehicle; her first was a Blue Mazda van that her manager Alfie Lorenzo bought and gave to her. But the Road Trek--which Judy Ann later sold--was her dream car. It was a sign that she had become a success and a confirmation that show business had stopped being a job; it had become her life. To think, says Judy Ann, she once thought that she would quit the business and join her Mommy Carol in Canada when the latter went abroad to work. "Nung bata naman ako, hindi ko naman iniisip na aabot ako ng ganito katagal. Ang iniisip ko kasi, magiging immigrant ako, na kung hindi mag-click ang Mara Clara, pupunta na lang ako sa Canada, samahan ko na lang si Mommy. Eh after ng Mara Clara, dere-derecho na ang trabaho.

"Nalulula ako, na-o-overwhelm," confesses the actress when asked for her take on her stardom. She became famous at age 10 and has carefully nurtured that fame for two decades now. Ironically, Judai does not seem to fully grasp the scope of her accomplishments. "Nung bata ako, gusto ko lang talaga makita 'yung sarili ko sa TV," she shares. "Never naman pumasok sa isip ko na tatagal ako sa business na ito. Alam ko namang hindi college degree ang pag-aartista."

That dream brought her forward, but it is her passion for acting that has sustained her. "At 'yun pa rin siguro ang reason kung bakit nandito pa rin ako hanggang ngayon," she explains.

Taken from Starstudio magazine: Judy Ann Santos special issue