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Tootsie Guevarra reveals she always dreamed of becoming an actress and how ‘Nurse the Dead’ made it come true

Article (news)

Alyana De Guzman

Push Team

Tootsie Guevarra may have already accomplished plenty as a singer and healthcare executive, but her role in iWant&#x27;s Nurse the Dead allowed her to fulfill a dream she had carried since her early years in showbiz: becoming an actress. During the series’ finale media conference, Tootsie shared with PUSH ABS-CBN what she will cherish most from her experience of starring in the first Filipino-produced Hollywood series and the lessons she hopes to bring with her moving forward. <div> </div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/movies-series/2026/8/1/princess-punzalan-hopes-nurse-the-dead-inspires-kindness-towards-nurses-we-are-trying-our-best-0827">READ: Princess Punzalan hopes ‘Nurse the Dead’ inspires kindness towards nurses: ‘We are trying our best’</a></div><div> </div>For Tootsie, the opportunity to play Zenny will always fill her with gratitude. &quot;I am grateful to be casted when Direk Mark and Wesley reached out to me. Looking back, I&#x27;ll probably start with gratitude. You&#x27;ll always hear that from me.&quot; According to Tootsie, the project gave her an opportunity to represent Filipinos in the United States through a story centered on healthcare workers. Although she is not a nurse herself, her experience as a healthcare executive has allowed her to work closely with nurses for more than two decades. &quot;Filipinos talaga -- we are the heart of the company -- ang nurses. Napakahirap po ng trabaho ng nurses. Everyday sa hospital I see [that] my current in-charge nurses, [the] leaders, are Filipinos. Maaasahan ko talaga the way they take care and represent our hospitals, the way they treat patients, and difficult families,&quot; she explained.  <div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1786863745927SnapInsta.to_726794761_18592334848054819_8494251031894110087_n.jpg" style="width:660px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="660"/>tootsieguevara / Instagram</div>Before becoming a healthcare executive in the US, Tootsie was already a familiar name in the Philippine music scene. She established herself as an OPM icon in the 1990s, known for songs such as “Kaba,” “Sa Puso Ko,” “Pasulyap-Sulyap,” and “Nang Dahil sa Pag-Ibig,” among others. After moving to the US in the early 2000s, she shifted her focus to being a healthcare executive.  But while music became a major part of her identity, Tootsie revealed that acting had always been another dream she hoped to pursue. However, she was unable to pursue acting earlier in her career, explaining that her responsibilities as a breadwinner made it difficult for her to choose acting over singing. &quot;I appreciate that question because yes, I had those achievements. I am very grateful for all my hit songs as this Tootsie Guevarra popstar and now I re-invented myself into a different persona. But I still have it in my heart as Tootsie Guevarra. That&#x27;s why when the knock on the door came from Direk Mark and Wes, oh my God, I was so excited,&quot; she said.   It&#x27;s time for you guys to know na gusto ko po talagang maging actor even when I was based in the Philippines. But because I was the breadwinner of the family, when you&#x27;re an actor during my time, it&#x27;s very hard. Kasi you can be on the set not just for a day, but sometimes also for 24 hours. And that&#x27;s only one paycheck. But if you are a performer or a singer, I could perform, in a campaign for example, in five different stages so that&#x27;s five different paychecks,” she explained.Now that she finally is getting the opportunity to act, Tootsie considers playing as Zenny in Nurse the Dead a meaningful addition not only to her career but also to her personal journey. &quot;I think for me, that is such a huge addition not only in my resume but as a human being,&quot; Tootsie expressed. &quot;My soul right now – I am at the point of my life that it&#x27;s [now] complete...I am just so ecstatic. If we are in the future now, looking back, I could say [na] &#x27;That&#x27;s me. I nailed it.&#x27;&quot; <div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1786863907125SnapInsta.to_722910606_18590862760054819_6252758234404535718_n.jpg" style="width:660px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="660"/>tootsieguevara / Instagram</div>More than simply adding an acting credit to her resume, Tootsie also hopes the role becomes part of the &quot;legacy&quot; she wants to leave behind.  Tootsie is joined in Nurse the Dead by fellow Filipino talents who have also built careers in the Philippines, including Princess Punzalan, Ruby Rodriguez, and Gigette Reyes. When asked if they would be willing to return to the Philippines should a golden acting opportunity come their way, all four actresses answered “yes.” Nurse the Dead is currently streaming on iWant, with its first episode available for free.

After building a successful music career and spending more than two decades in the healthcare industry, Tootsie Guevarra finally fulfilled a longtime dream of becoming an actress through iWant’s Nurse the Dead.

After building a successful music career and spending more than two decades in the healthcare industry, Tootsie Guevarra finally fulfilled a longtime dream of becoming an actress through iWant’s Nurse the Dead.