Angel Locsin

• Angelica Locsin Colmenares (born April 23, 1985) is a Filipino actress and humanitarian. She is known for
her dramatic roles and portrayals of heroines and mythological characters in film and television. She is a
recipient of various accolades, including four Star Awards, three FAMAS Awards, two Box Office
Entertainment Awards, and a Luna Award.
• Born in Santa Maria, Bulacan, Locsin attended the University of Santo Tomas Junior High School. She began
her acting career in the early 2000s by appearing in supporting roles on screen. She had her breakthrough as
the avian-human hybrid protagonist in the fantasy series Mulawin (2004), before starring as the titular
superhero in the Ravelo Komiks Universe series Darna (2005) to critical acclaim. For her role as a
fledgling lycanthrope in the supernatural drama series Lobo (2008), Locsin earned an International Emmy
Award nomination for Best Actress. She appeared in well-received romantic dramas, such as Love Me
Again (2009), In the Name of Love (2011), and Unofficially Yours (2012), the last of which is
Locsin's highest-grossing release to date. The family drama One More Try (2012), in which she played a
single mother caring for her sick son, garnered her Best Actress wins at the Box Office Entertainment,
FAMAS, Luna, and Star Awards. She received a Star Award for Best Drama Actress for her portrayal of an
indoctrinated military nurse in the spy-action thriller series The General's Daughter (2019).
• Known for her humanitarian efforts, Locsin has been named one of Asia's Heroes of Philanthropy
by Forbes and Asia's Leaders of Tomorrow by Tatler. She promotes various causes, including disaster relief,
education, and women's rights. Locsin was noted for her field missions to settlement camps of internally
displaced persons during the 2017 armed conflicts in Mindanao. A public figure, she was cited as the world's
sexiest woman by FHM Philippines in 2005 and 2010.
• Early life and background
• Angelica Locsin Colmenares was born on April 23, 1985, in Santa Maria, Bulacan, to Angelo and Emma
Colmenares.[1][2] Locsin's father was a swimmer who earned a bronze medal when the Philippine team won
the 4×200-meter freestyle relay during the 1954 Asian Games in Manila.[3][4] She has two younger siblings:
Ella and Angelo.[1] Locsin is reluctant to publicly discuss her family background;[2] she was estranged from
her mother until 2007,[2] and has ties to a noble family in Marawi, Lanao del Sur, through her maternal
relatives.[5] Locsin and her siblings were raised by their father,[6] who was later diagnosed with complete
blindness.[3][7] Locsin has said she regrets not being able to financially provide for her father's treatment at the
onset of his condition.[7] She shares a close bond with her father and credits him as "instrumental" to her
achievements
• Locsin was educated at the University of Santo Tomas High School, where she was a member of the varsity
swimming team.[8] During this period, she was spotted running errands at SM City North EDSA by a talent
scout, who arranged for her to audition for television commercials. [9] After high school, she pursued acting
and attended workshops under ABS-CBN's talent management arm Star Magic. She then unsuccessfully
auditioned for a role in the teen series G-mik (1999).
• Career
• 2000–2007: Early roles and breakthrough
• Locsin made her film debut as the young Robina Gokongwei in the 2000 biographical drama Ping Lacson:
Super Cop.[11] She then signed a management deal with GMA Network and received her first television part as
a series regular in the second season of the teen show Click.[9][12] She remained with the series from 2002 to
2004.[13] Locsin followed this with guest roles in several television shows, including Ang Iibigin ay
Ikaw (2002), Twin Hearts (2003), and Love to Love (2003).[12][14] She appeared in the second and third
installments of the Mano Po film franchise, Mano Po 2: My Home (2002) and Mano Po 3: My Love (2003).
• Locsin's breakthrough role came as the avian-human hybrid protagonist in the fantasy action
series Mulawin (2004).[17] GMA Network executive Redgie Magno initially approached Maxene Magalona for
the part, but offered Locsin the role at Magalona's suggestion. [18] Dominic Zapata, the show's director,
intended the concept of mythology to be a "break from Tagalized soaps", but also kept its "novelty" focused
on the lead characters.[17] The following year, Locsin starred as the titular superhero in the Ravelo Komiks
Universe[a] series Darna (2005), based on Mars Ravelo's comics superheroine of the same name.[20] Locsin
was initially hesitant about the part because it required her to drop out of Mulawin, and she felt the series
would end prematurely if she left.[21] Locsin agreed to the project after network executives convinced her to
take the part.[21] She trained in karate, wushu, and street fighting to prepare.[22] The series garnered positive
reviews,[23][24][25] with praise for Locsin's portrayal; Nestor Torre Jr. of the Philippine Daily Inquirer described
the production as modern and trailblazing, [23] and commended Locsin's "strong presence".[26] Similarly, Pepe
Diokno, also from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, wrote that "the [show's] success can be attributed to
[Locsin], as she attracts every block and wing of Pinoy society."[24] During its premiere, Darna received the
highest Nielsen ratings for a Filipino television series pilot episode with a reported 47.1 percent viewership.
[27]
Later that year, Locsin reprised the role of Alwina in Mulawin's film adaptation.
• In 2006, Locsin starred as a sorceress in the fantasy series Majika alongside Dennis Trillo.[29] In preparation
for the part, she trained extensively in horseback riding with co-star and equestrienne Mikee Cojuangco-
Jaworski.[30] The show was a critical disappointment;[31] Torre labeled it "less than magical":[32] "Unfortunately,
the show is so visuals-driven that the gifted actors don't really have much opportunity to show what they can
do."[32] Locsin was in three releases with Richard Gutierrez from 2006 to 2007. In the first, she starred in Mac
Alejandre's romantic comedy I Will Always Love You as the love interest of Gutierrez's character.[33][34] She
then appeared in the fifth installment of the Mano Po film series, Mano Po 5: Gua Ai Di (2006).[35] In
the coming-of-age drama The Promise (2007), loosely based on Emily Brontë's 1847 novel Wuthering
Heights,[36] Locsin portrayed a woman who falls in love with her adoptive brother.[36][37] The film and her
performance received negative reviews from critics; the Philippine Daily Inquirer thought Locsin's transition
to adult roles was rushed, "inadequate" and "embarrassing",[38] while critic Elyas Salanga found the film's
narrative "typical" and "cliché".[37] Next, she was cast opposite Robin Padilla in the action adventure
series Asian Treasures (2007).[39][40] She then played a facially disfigured victim of abuse in an episode of the
anthology series Maalaala Mo Kaya.[41] Locsin's performance earned her a Star Award for Best Single
Performance by an Actress.
• 2008–2012: Established actress
Locsin rejected the title role in the television remake of Marimar after signing on to ABS-CBN's 2008
supernatural drama series Lobo.[43] She portrayed Lyka Raymundo, a fledgling lycanthrope caught up in a war
between factions of werewolves.[44][45] She found the project challenging but felt the experience improved her
acting methods.[46] She received an International Emmy Award nomination for Best Actress for the series.
[47]
Set in Bukidnon and Darwin, Northern Territory, the Rory Quintos-directed romantic drama Love Me
Again (2009) featured Locsin and Piolo Pascual as ranchers going through financial struggles.[48] Locsin, who
is the sole breadwinner of her family, believed certain aspects of her character's life mirrored her own.[48] Film
critic Karen Caliwara called Locsin's performance an improvement from her previous releases and found
"maturity in her portrayal".[49] In April 2009, she reunited with Quintos for the comedy series remake Only
You, based on the eponymous original Korean show.
• Locsin portrayed the role of Lia Ortega, the daughter of her lycan character in the second installment of
the Lobo series, Imortal (2010).[44] In a review of the show, Bayani San Diego of the Philippine Daily
Inquirer drew similarities between Imortal's vampire and werewolf fiction and that of The Twilight Saga,
[51]
he added that "creatures of the dark are all the rage today, given the popularity of True Blood and The
Vampire Diaries."[51] Journalist Earl Villanueva, however, commended Locsin's character and storyline for its
"easy transition into a logical sequel", and said the series "seems to be on the right track".[52] Locsin's only
film appearance in 2011 was in the star-crossed romantic drama In the Name of Love with director Olivia
Lamasan,[53] whose collaboration she found gratifying: "I've learned a lot, especially as to how film acting
should be done ... How you use your eyes, your position, and how you maximize camera angles ... I didn't
know those things before."[54] To prepare for the role of a courtesan,[53] she learned different styles of ballroom
dances and trained in pole dance for three months.[54][55] Critic Julia Allende praised her portrayal, and pairing
with Aga Muhlach, describing it as "the most daring she [Locsin] has ever played" and deemed it a
"beautifully nuanced performance".[54] Locsin won the Star Award for Best Actress and the Box Office
Entertainment Award for Film Actress of the Year for her role.[56][57] Later that year, Locsin co-starred
with Vhong Navarro in the sitcom Toda Max
• The romantic comedy Unofficially Yours, directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina, was Locsin's first film release of
2012.[58] Co-starring John Lloyd Cruz, it featured her as a sexually promiscuous journalist afraid of
commitment.[59] Although the response to the film was mixed, critics were highly appreciative of Locsin's and
Cruz's performances; Bibsy Carballo of The Philippine Star highlighted that "their characterizations are sharp,
their dialogue smart and modern", but dismissed the film's plot as unoriginal.[60] Writing for the Philippine
Daily Inquirer, Torre found the leads' portrayals to be "earnest" and "committed".[61] The film became Locsin's
biggest commercial success to date, earning ₱194 million (US$4.59 million) at the box office.[62] The 2012
Metro Manila Film Festival saw the release of One More Try, a family drama about a single mother, played by
Locsin, forced to reconnect with her estranged husband to be their son's stem cell donor.[63] Her performance
was well-received by critics; film reviewer Mark Ching called it "praise-worthy" and "formidable",[63] while
Torre believed her portrayal showed "no such inhibiting problem".[64] Locsin was awarded the Box Office
Entertainment,[65] FAMAS,[66] Luna,[67] and Star Award for Best Actress for the role.
• 2013–present: Comedies and reality television
• In 2013, Locsin featured in the ensemble comedy drama Four Sisters and a Wedding.[69] She starred
alongside Bea Alonzo, Shaina Magdayao, and Toni Gonzaga, as siblings with deliberate plans to prevent their
brother from getting married.[70] Rito Asilo of the Philippine Daily Inquirer was particularly impressed with
her performance, writing, "[Locsin] also does well in a focused portrayal that is devoid of ego and vanity, you
can sense her stepping back when the spotlight is on her co-actresses."[71] Rappler's Carljoe Javier opined that
Locsin and Alonzo "lent an emotional gravity to the film".[72] Four Sisters and a Wedding was a commercial
success, grossing ₱175 million (US$4.12 million) at the box office.[73] For the film, Locsin received FAMAS
and Star Award nominations for Best Actress.[74][75] She returned to television playing the lead role in the
 drama series The Legal Wife (2014).[44] The Philippine Daily Inquirer was critical of the show's "mundane"
and "predictable" theme,[76] and Torre found Locsin's acting to be intolerable and "too livid".
• After a one-year absence on screen, Locsin appeared in three productions in 2016. Her first release was Joyce
Bernal's Everything About Her, a comedy drama co-starring Vilma Santos.[78] Stephanie Mayo of the Daily
Tribune termed Locsin's and Santos's portrayals as "effortless, natural, and searing";[79] The Philippine
Star lauded the cast's acting as "compelling" and called the film a "finely-crafted family drama".[80] At
the Asia-Pacific Film Festival, Locsin won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film.[81] She
then served as a judge on the fifth season of the reality talent competition show Pilipinas Got Talent, based on
the original British show franchise.[82] Her final appearance that year was in The Third Party, a comedy that
depicts the complex relationship in a throuple.[83] Asilo dismissed the film as "more derivative than inventive"
and stated that Locsin is "weighed down by her pushed, staccato delivery, and relies too much on knee-jerk
realizations".[84] Philbert Dy of ClickTheCity.com wrote, "[The film] seems to make its characters cry in lieu
of telling their stories, or letting them hash out the complexity of what they're feeling."[
• The final installment of the Lobo series, La Luna Sangre, was Locsin's only screen appearance in 2017.[86] She
reprised the part of Lia Ortega from Imortal in the premiere episode,[86][87] and later returned in a guest role as
a vigilante vampire named Jacintha Magsaysay.[88] In January 2018, she returned as a judge for the sixth
season of Pilipinas Got Talent.[89] Locsin began 2019 by starring in the spy-action thriller series The General's
Daughter, in which she played an indoctrinated military nurse.[90] She volunteered at the Armed Forces of the
Philippines General Hospital before filming began, and in preparation, trained in Krav Maga, Muay Thai,
and knife fighting.[91] Locsin said of her approach to portraying roles outside mythology genres, "I try to
humanize my character. Rhian is not a superhero. She has no powers. She has struggles, she has mistakes, she
falls down, she fails, but she doesn't give up."[92] Mozart Pastrano of the Philippine Daily Inquirer wrote of
Locsin's performance, "She brought moral gravitas to her role, displaying her luminous looks, as well as
uncommon physical stamina and skills."[93] She received a Star Award and a Box Office Entertainment Award
for Best Actress.[94][95] In June 2020, Locsin hosted the public service show Iba Yan.[
•