She may be popular now, but fame didn’t come easy for Jessy. She was 14 when she and her sister joined a workshop under Star Magic in 2007. Among the workshoppers then, it was only Jessy who caught the eyes of starmaker Johnny “Mr. M” Manahan. “I can still remember Mr. M asking me ‘Gusto mo bang mag-artista?’ The clueless me back then answered, ‘Is it okay if pag-isipan ko po muna? Can you give me three days?” After discussing the matter with her mom and siblings, Jessy signed up with Star Magic, the country’s most prestigious artist management arm. But she did not say “yes” to Mr. M’s offer because she wanted to be an actress, but rather because she felt the need to be the family’s breadwinner. “Life wasn’t easy for us especially before I entered showbiz. I grew up without a dad and it’s only my mom who was working to support our needs. I’ve experienced very tough times. I have experienced not having much. I even experienced eating instant noodles for dinner for many days,” she shared. Jessy was born in Dubai to a British-Lebanese dad and a Filipino mom. She moved to the Philippines when her mom decided to start anew here. Growing up apart from her dad, Jessy saw her mom as both a mom and a dad to her and two siblings. “My mom has been working hard all her life. That’s why it was very easy for me to take a stand and unburden her of the responsibility of providing for our family,” she explained. From being a simple high school student, Jessy’s life turned 360 degrees when she entered showbiz and began acting on television. Like any other rising star, she went through a series of workshops and did minor roles on various ABS-CBN programs. She waited long hours on the set, with only minimal speaking lines. Slowly, the reluctant star began to embrace her newfound passion, acting. “I have learned to love my craft and it motivated me to do better. I am working not only to provide for my family, but because I have started to enjoy acting. I realized that I really want to become a good actress,” Jessy revealed. She finally got her break in 2010, when she was launched in her first title role as “Sabel,” a show that marked the beginning of her reign as ABS-CBN’s next Teleserye Princess. She has also become one of the country’s favorite cover girls after being featured on the covers of top glossy magazines such as Metro, Chalk, Men’s Health, Meg and Preview. She has also proven to be a sought after product endorser after brands Head & Shoulders, Myra E, Boardwalk, Bench and McDonald’s tapped her to be their image model.
Posted on: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 13:57:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015