From Child Star to Award-Winning Actress

Judy Ann got her first taste of television drama in the hands of veteran character actress Bella Flores. And then she wanted to quit.

Imagine the irony: Judai was eight years old, doing her very first on-cam acting scene, where she played a street urchin tormented by Flores' character. She still remembers that night: "First scene ko, kay Bella Flores. Sinabunutan niya ako at sinampal-sampal kasi 'yun ang eksena. Sinampal-sampal niya ako, sinabunutan niya ako. Nanginginig ako talaga! Tumakbo ako sa cabinet at nagtago. Ayoko na sa sobrang takot."

Eventually, she got over the trauma. Slapping scenes were all in a day's work. She had the chance to work with Bella Flores again as an adult actress. "Ngayon, natatawa na lang ako. Hindi ko naman dinala sa pagtanda ko yung takot ko sa kanya. Natatawa ako at sinasabi ko, 'Ikaw, ang laki-laki ng parte mo sa kabataan ko!'"

Judy Ann built on these small successes. She took it step by step. She started with small parts and worked her way up. The hardships and humiliation she had to go through from Ula to Mara Clara, they were all investments in a career that would pay off much later in life. It was only then that she would discover acting was her passion. The little girl who got dragged to an audition had been transformed. "Napagdaanan ko lahat, from being an extra to this, tinahi ko siya lahat. For the longest time, acting has been my life. Whatever I do, I do it for myself. I satisfy my passion."

To make it work, she had to start by adjusting her attitude, learning to put up with the long hours and hard work. During the early days, while shooting a movie or taping a TV show, she would sometimes feel that what she'd done was enough and say she wanted to go home. That had to stop. "May mga ganon ako kunwari, hindi ko feel masyado, or gusto ko lang maitawid. Then mare-realize ko na mali 'yon. Bad attitude. Kasi may mga ganoon din naman ang artista na 'Ayoko na, pack up na tayo.' Pero hindi puwede 'yon--kailangan mo talagang araruhin."

After fifteen years in the business, Judai hungered to reinvent her image and grow as a real actress. Throughout most of her career, she played the typical young star roles until she landed the lead part in Sabel in 2004.

Her character in the film was "a big leap". Judai portrayed a liberated woman who had a lesbian affair, and it was in Sabel, scripted by Ricky Lee and directed by Joel Lamangan, that she had her first-ever rape scene. Judy Ann was motivated to break down her own boundaries. but the motivation was coming from a personal pain. "Suntok sa buwan 'yung ginawa ko. Pero it was a decision I had to make because gusto ko nang mag-mature 'yung mga roles na ginagampanan ko. I wanted to prove to people na kaya ko. Kahit malaki ako, hindi naman nakukuha ang kaseksihan sa pagkapayat lang. Puwede mong iarte. At kaya kong gumawa ng isang pelikulang hindi n'yo iisiping gagawin ko."

The role gave Judy Ann her first best actress trophy in the prestigious Gawad Urian and also in the Golden Screen Awards of the Entertainment Press Society (ENPRESS).

Filming Ploning was another leap. This time, she was not just the lead actress, she was also the producer. She put a lot of pressure on herself. It was hard for Judy Ann, because the movie was shot in a remote location. She had to be away from family and friends, and could not go home and put her feet up at the end of a long day on the set. So she learned to adjust in other ways. During the filming, she and Ploning director Dante Nico "Ga" Garcia -- with whom she'd been friends since she was 14 years old -- signed a contract stating that if Judy Ann felt she couldn't go on, they would pack up the shooting by mutual agreement. "Hindi naman dahil naghihitad lang ako, kundi dahil pagod na ako," she says. "May isang eksena dun, yung esposada na nagsasayawkami na ang haba. Monologue yung linya ko nun, eh ang dami na naming pinanggalingan, tapos nung gabi ko na lang nalaman yung eksena na 'yun ang gagawin. Nakaset-up na, tapos sinabi ko sa kanya (Ga), kinausap ko siya, hindi ko magagawa ito. Magagawa ko, pero hindi ako magiging happy. Kaya pinak-up na niya."

It was the one and only time that filming was packed up the whole time they were shooting Ploning. Judy Ann felt a sense of responsibility. "Nasi-stress ako, tapos nape-pressure ako na ang daming negatibong kakainin, tapos lahat ng tao, ume-effort sa eksena, pero ako, hindi ako maka-effort dahil hindi ko maramdaman yung ginagawa ko. Nakakahiya sa mga tao."

After many years in a business full of hardships and challenges, Judai is at a point in her life now where she has learned to manage stress. "Guiding principle ko lang ngayon sa buhay is to have fun and be happy," she discloses. "Ayoko na ng stress sa buhay ko."

Establishing an amicable working relationship with people in front of, or behind the camera, makes her work stress-free. "I value the people I work with. As much as possible, I'd like to have a good working relationship with them. Hindi ko sila pina-plastic," the actress explains.

But the symbiotic relationship she has established with them is something she worked hard for. "Siguro I earned the respect of these people. It's a give-and-take relationship. 'Bigay ko 'yung kailangan nila, pero kailangan ko rin ng ilang araw na pahinga." It is on these days, Judai says, that she tries her hand at other things she wants to do.

She admits getting stressed by people who are quick to judge her. "Na-si-stress ako kapag nakakarinig ako ng nagsasabi ng 'Ang suplada pala niya,'" she shares. "After a hard day's work, and I hear that, I feel bad, at gusto kong sabihin, 'hindi n'yo alam ang pinagdaanan ko buong araw.'"

But she tries to address this by reaching out some more. "Isa sa mga rason kung bakit gusto kong nakikipag-usap, at gusto kong lumalapit sa tao ay dahil mahiyain ako. I try to open myself up to people na parang pare-pareho lang tayo, nagkataon lang na iba-iba tayo ng trabaho."

Taken from Starstudio magazine: Judy Ann Santos special issue

The Journey

Every star has that moment when she knows that the journey has begun. For Judy Ann Santos, that came when her idol Julie Vega died. When she learned about the soap opera star's death, Judy Ann disappeared, first into her room, then into the bathroom. She turned the doorknob quietly, pushed the door shut and stood in front of the sink. She looked at herself in the mirror -- then she cried.

In a strange yet funny sort of way, it confirmed for Judy Ann that she would become an actress. She was upset over Vega's death, but at the same time, couldn't stop watching herself in the mirror as tears rolled down her chubby cheeks. The little girl was mesmerized by her own reflection. "Umiiyak ako talaga, tapos bumalik ako sa kwarto ko, at umiyak ako. Tapos pumasok ako sa banyo at tiningnan ko yung sarili ko sa salamin habang umiiyak ako. In short, uma-acting ako."

But the journey of Judy Ann Lumagui Santos goes back much farther than that. Growing up in Antipolo, this baby of the family -- she had two older siblings, Jeffrey and Jackie -- had to make do with very little. Their family was cash strapped, a grocery they had owned folded up, and the separation of her parents split their meager resources even further. Growing up, she didn't have many toys, but she relied on her imagination and her resourcefulness to make things fun. Rummaging through the stock of unsold goods from their defunct grocery, she pulled out unsoiled packs of starch, and sold them to neighbors. The money she earned, she gave to her mom to help her make ends meet. She kept only enough for herself to buy a rootbeer. Then she would pretend to get drunk. "Doon ako sa puno sa likod ng bahay namin. Naglalasing lasingan. At feeling ko, talagang nalalasing ako sa rootbeer. Nahihilo hilo talaga ako. Parang totoo."

As the family's little girl, Judy Ann was especially close to her mother. Her brother and sister were closer to their father. Judy Ann was extremely possessive about her mom, and tried, in her own childish fashion, to keep her mom's affections for herself. She wanted to stay wrapped in that protective cocoon forever -- and if that meant shutting out her mother's suitors after her parents broke up, then so be it, Judy Ann told herself. She didn't care. When she grew up and started to become an actress, her directors would use that episode in her life to motivate her and make her cry. "May nanliligaw noon kay Mommy [nang magkahiwalay sila ni Daddy] na hate na hate ko. 'Yun ang ginagamit na motivation sa akin na ngumalngal ako talaga, kulang na lang magpapadyak ako."

Mommy Carol tried to understand her youngest child, but at times, no matter what she did, Judy Ann stuck to her feelings. No one else, not even her beloved mother, could make her feel any differently. "Hindi naman naloka si Mommy Carol," she laughs. "Naiintindihan naman niya kung bakit ako ganoon, pero sinusubukan niya akong i-console, 'yun nga lang, hindi ko mapigilan 'yung emosyon ko eh. Hindi talaga. Hindi ko maitago." This unrestrained show of emotions would help her much later in life as she drew from it to take on challenging acting roles. "Selfish ako pagdating sa nanay ko. Ayokong may iba. Bunso kasi ako kaya ayokong may iba."

Even in her younger days, there were already indications of the actress that Judy Ann would become.

Of course, their trip together through life has not always been blissful. The mag-ina would go on to have their tampuhan, then when Mommy Carol left the country to work -- because of which she missed out on a great deal of Judy Ann's pre-teen years -- it gave them a chance to step back and take a good look at their relationship. "Sa lahat ng mag-iina, the time comes na nagkakaroon talaga ng misunderstandings at tampuhan. Ang katumbas ng tampuhan namin ni Mommy, pag nangyari, ligwak ang buong araw ko. But these things happen for the both of you to have a deeper relationship.

"Mommy and I, we had a lot of catching up to do, because most of my pre-teen years, wala siya. Kaya minsan, nasa proseso kami na nagkakatampuhan kami. Kaya pinagdadasal ko lagi is for us to have more patience and more understanding with each other. Dahil kapag magkasundo kami, ang saya-saya namin.

At home with her sister Jackie, Judy Ann grew up in Antipolo, where she first went to school and made friends.

"Anak lang ako. Di ko alam kung ano ang nagagawa kong tama o mali. Mas higit ang takot ko sa kanya, di ko alam kung paano ko siya i-a-approach. Minsan, nag-de-debate kami, na ang ending, mag-so-sorry ako. It pains me when she cries, pero proseso 'yon ng paglaki naming dalawa. Baby girl niya ako, bunso pa. So she's really very protective. Pero hanggang ngayon, kahit matanda na ako, I still long for her touch, her hug, her comforting words. When we were promoting Ploning, ang dami kong kinausap, sobrang pagod at stressed ako. Pagkakita ko sa kanya, naiyak na lang ako. Pero pagkatapos n'on, puwede na ako humarap sa mundo. Iba talaga ang yakap ng ina. Sila lang ang puwedeng magbigay ng ganitong klaseng pag-aaruga."

Taken from Starstudio magazine: Judy Ann Santos special issue

Earth

the Earth is one of a group of nine planets which orbit a star that we call the sun. It occurs in one small part of the galaxy (also called the milky way) which is referred to as the solar system. The Earth is the fifth largest of the planets and the third nearest to the Sun. Most of the Earth's surface is covered by the oceans -- about two-thirds compared to one third which is land. A layer of air, the atmosphere, surrounds the Earth which is sub-divided into a number of different regions according to height above the surface. The Earth, as viewed from space, is like a blue ball or sphere which is flattened at both the poles. At the equator, the radius of the Earth is 6378 km or 3963 miles.

The Earth itself is composed of four main layers; an outer crust overlying a mantle, followed by an outer core and inner core. The rocky crust varies in thickness, being about 40 km thick under the continents and 8 km under the oceans. It 'floats' on the mantle which is made up of extremely hot rock and is about 2900 km thick. The core is so hot that it is part liquid, with a temperature in the region of 6500 km. The outer core is believed to be about 2250 km thick and is thought to be more liquid than the inner core which is solid and composed mainly of iron and nickel.

Taken from Dictionary of Science