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Kapamilya Snaps: 8 stars who got their starts in showbiz through chance encounters

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Mary Ann Bardinas

<p>Before becoming the illustrious stars that we admire, cheer on, and look up to, all our favorite celebrities definitely used to be ordinary people just like us at some point in their lives. While there are some who are blessed enough to be given spots in reality competition programs or to have relatives or connections in the industry, some were able to make it through chance encounters.</p><p>And this was the case for the eight Kapamilya superstars listed in this Kapamilya Snaps feature, who got their starts in totally unexpected ways!</p><div> </div><div><strong>Jodi Sta. Maria was spotted by a talent scout in one of her auditions.</strong></div><p>As she consistently astounds us with her portrayals in the strings of projects she starred in, there’s really no doubt that Jodi is one of the biggest stars in the country.</p><p>However, due to several fail attempts to get cast in television ads, did you know that she almost gave long before her career began? This was what she revealed during her interview on veteran Kapamilya broadcast journalist Karen Davila’s YouTube channel last February.</p><p>But, thanks for the persistent talent scout who incessantly encouraged her to audition for television commercials, and then for ABS-CBN’s Star Circle Batch 7, when she was still in third year high school.</p><p>After the rigorous workshops she had to go through, she finally had her break in <strong>Star Drama Presents: Jolina Magdangal</strong> as said actress-singer’s younger sister, as what she told DJ Jhai Ho during her guesting in the “Before They Were Stars” podcast last year. It may be a bit role, but that served as a stepping stone for her to score more projects, which include the classic <strong><a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/articles-photos/major-throwback-the-cast-of-1999-tabing-ilog-in-22-photos-14274" target="_blank"><u>Tabing Ilog</u></a>.</strong> And now, she is dubbed the “Silent Superstar” and continue to slay primetime with her performance as Jill in the soon-to-be-ending <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/tbmv2022" target="_blank"><em><strong><u>The Broken Marriage Vow</u></strong></em></a>.</p><div> </div><div><strong>Star Magic’s open call encouraged Sue Ramirez to join showbiz.</strong></div><p>Aside from Jodi, we also watch out for the superb portrayal of Sue in <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/tbmv2022" target="_blank"><em><strong><u>The Broken Marriage Vow</u></strong></em></a>.<u> </u></p><p>In her 12 years in the local entertainment scene, we’ve witnessed how she has evolved from a budding teen actress into becoming one of the most in-demand and versatile leading ladies of her generation. But unbeknown to us, she actually never dreamt of joining showbiz, although she used to perform in various school activities in her younger years.</p><p>But that suddenly changed when her dad suffered stroke, compelling her mom to step up and perseveringly and singlehandedly and support her and her four older siblings. In her appearance on Karen Davila’s YouTube channel last March, she recalled how she felt helpless during those times as she couldn’t do anything to help.</p><p>Thus, she grabbed the opportunity to audition for Star Magic upon seeing the public invitation on TV when she was 13, and fortunately got accepted! She was immediately cast to the youth-oriented variety show <em>Shoutout</em>!, then had her acting debut in the remake of <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/articles-photos/27090117-throwback-mula-sa-puso-15492" target="_blank"><strong><u>Mula Sa Puso</u></strong></a> in 2011.</p><div> </div><div><strong>Liza Soberano’s irresistible charm was noticed by a talent scout on Facebook.</strong></div><p>Liza Soberano had an amazing history of how she broke into the business, too!</p><p>She may be one of the most stunning and admired young actresses today, but she actually used to getting rejected in auditions over and over again. In one of her guestings in <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/magandangbuhay" target="_blank"><em><strong><u>Magandang Buhay</u></strong></em></a>, she recounted how talent scout Dudu Unay discovered her on Facebook. She may already have the charm, yet she still struggled to get cast in TV shows and commercials.</p><div><meta charSet="utf-8"/><u><b id="docs-internal-guid-c2dd1b05-7fff-7f71-c6cc-ddd8364bb3d1"><a href="https://youtu.be/Xpze-kQuZkE">WATCH | Magandang Buhay: Liza shares how she got into showbiz</a></b></u></div><p>Despite being repeatedly rejected, Liza refused to give up and auditioned for Star Magic. But she was not contacted immediately. So, Dudu then introduced her to Ogie Diaz, who instantly saw her potential and signed to be her manager.</p><div> </div><div><strong>Angel Locsin’s showbiz career started at a grocery store.</strong></div><p>Apart from being a great actress and host, Angel is also adored by many for countless reasons. However, not a lot of people know that her showbiz journey actually started at a grocery store.</p><p>In her <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/magandangbuhay" target="_blank"><em><strong><u>Magandang Buhay</u></strong></em></a> guesting in 2016, she recalled that that life-changing moment happened when she was in high school and her father tasked her to buy groceries. As she was leaving the store, a talent scout approached her to ask if she wants to be a model. Although she accepted the offer, she still found it unbelievable since nobody in their family is in the industry and she never imagined to be given that kind of opportunity.</p><div><meta charSet="utf-8"/><u><b id="docs-internal-guid-68e16ee2-7fff-eb0c-0d6f-f842b95aac85"><a href="https://youtu.be/RtjkxoOKSKw">WATCH | Magandang Buhay: Angel&#x27;s journey to showbiz</a></b></u></div><p>There was also a point when Angel won a contest to join Star Magic workshops, which eventually led her to auditioning for Star Circle Batch 9C. She also imparted having the chance to work with momshie-host Jolina Magdangal for a music video and auditioning to become the leading lady of John Prats for <em>G-Mik</em>, which eventually went to Heart Evangelista.</p><div> </div><div><strong>Pia Wurtzbach’s showbiz and pageant stints were both because of chance encounters.</strong></div><p>Another influential and empowered woman many of us look up to is Pia, who’s known worldwide as Miss Universe 2015.</p><p>And while many already know the story of how she earned such a coveted crown, she actually had an acting career before she joined beauty pageants.</p><p>As her life story was featured on <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/maalaalamokaya"><em><strong><u>Maalaala Mo Kaya</u></strong></em></a> in 2017, we found out that when the <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/mypapapi" target="_blank"><em><strong><u>My Papa Pi</u></strong></em></a> lead actress was a kid, a talent scout approached her mother while they were at a mall and asked if she would want Pia to become a model. They accepted the offer, and that’s when she became the family’s main breadwinner after her German dad abandoned them.</p><div><meta charSet="utf-8"/><u><b id="docs-internal-guid-6a520e56-7fff-233b-2504-9bda3616d96f"><a href="https://youtu.be/hOCWGDiwKL8">WATCH: Korona | Maalaala Mo Kaya | Full Episode</a></b></u></div><p>After stepping away from the spotlight for years, Pia was once again approached while dining at a mall, this time by representatives of a beauty camp to offer her training to be a beauty queen.</p><div> </div><p><strong>Vina Morales got discovered when she was still part of a choral group in Cebu</strong>.</p><p>One of the iconic singers in the OPM scene, Vina has been known for her distinct voice and style. It was also this amazing talent that allowed her to enter showbiz at nine years old after winning a singing competition in Cebu.</p><p>During an interview with the King of Talk on <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/tonightwithboyabunda" target="_blank"><em><strong><u>Tonight With Boy Abunda</u></strong></em></a>, she recounted the time she was singing with the choir of Saint Vincent Ferrer Parish Church in Bogo, Cebu. Seeing her potential, Father Fritz Malinao, a priest-slash-songwriter in the community, discovered her and asked her to sing his composition as an entry in the Cebu Pop Music Festival. The song, titled “Paglaum”, won the Grand Prize and earned the Best Interpreter Award.</p><div><meta charSet="utf-8"/><u><b id="docs-internal-guid-851237af-7fff-4e77-ccea-dda0e928111a"><a href="https://youtu.be/pck_h1Gj_nE">WATCH | TWBA: How was Vina Morales discovered for showbiz?</a></b></u></div><p>Representatives of a talent agency saw her performance and offered her a singing and acting contract, compelling her and her family to move to Manila to kick off her showbiz career.</p><div> </div><div><strong>Coco Martin was a waiter in a restaurant when a former assistant director of ASAP invited him to audition</strong></div><p>Best known today for his iconic role Cardo Dalisay in <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/angprobinsyano" target="_blank"><em><strong><u>FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano</u></strong> </em></a>that he’s been portraying for almost seven years, Coco used to live a humble life before the fame and fortune.</p><p>His avid fans surely know that he studied Hotel and Restaurant Management at the National College of Business and Arts. In one of his media interviews, he imparted that he was discovered by the assistant director of <em>ASAP </em>then while serving them at a restaurant where she used to work. He accepted his invitation to audition and eventually passed. However, he wasn’t able to take part in the launching of Star Circle Batch 9, as his grandmother told him to finish his education first before pursuing a showbiz career.</p><p>Years later, he was introduced to indie films, which paved his return to the entertainment scene. However, life was tough for his family then, so he decided to stop and work as a janitor in Canada. It was on his return to the Philippines when he tried his luck again in mainstream media, especially ABS-CBN, and finally made it.</p><div> </div><div><strong>Ronaldo Valdez was spotted by the late King of Comedy Dolphy while in a basketball court</strong></div><p>Among the legends on the Philippine entertainment industry, it’s truly amazing how, despite his age, Ronaldo is still active and currently stars in the KathNiel primetime series <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/2good2betrue" target="_blank"><em><strong><u>2 Good 2 Be True</u></strong></em></a>.</p><div><meta charSet="utf-8"/><u><b id="docs-internal-guid-cd77aff4-7fff-8b71-4f4a-3e7f7dbe0d6e"><a href="https://youtu.be/EE33HzMpQPs">WATCH | TWBA: How did Dolphy discover Ronaldo Valdez?</a></b></u></div><p>But, did you know that it was actually the King of Comedy Dolphy who discovered him decades ago? In his TWBA guesting in 2017, he told Tito Boy that the late comedian-actor was actually searching for an actor to pair with Susan Roces in an upcoming movie when their paths crossed in a basketball court.</p><p>Although Susan was initially hesitant because he looked so young, she was eventually won over after Dolphy gave him an instant makeover.</p><p>These Kapamilya stars are proof that everything in our lives has their perfect timing. Thus, we should learn to be patient and trust that things will be given to us if they’re really meant for us. Don’t ever give up on your dreams, Kapamilya!</p>

Find out how eight of the biggest Kapamilya actors and actresses we look up to were discovered many years ago!