It is her coming-of-age party at Sequioa Hotel tonight. Her friends and family gathered to a night of celebration as she marked her 18th birthday with back-to-back milestones in her career.
Yes, folks, she’s only 18, and that makes the awards and accolades under her belt even more impressive.
After bagging the Best Supporting Actress award for both of her films, School Service and Distance, at this year’s Cinemalaya Film Festival, Therese flew to Japan to represent the latter movie at the 2018 Tokyo Film Festival last Oct. 26. This is her second time to represent a local film in the international scene.
READ: Rolling out the red carpet for the14th Cinemalaya
The GMA Artist Center star opened her grateful heart when asked about her experience in the festival, “Having the opportunity to put my passion into action is an honor, and I am thankful that I’m being trusted to tell these stories. Malaking karangalan po sa akin na maipakita ang gawang Pilipino, ang talentong Pilipino, sa ibang bansa.”
But being a multi-awarded teen actress comes with so much pressure. Therese admits that she puts her best foot forward almost all the time. She’s aware that people expect a lot from her because of the recognition she has received from her peers in the acting community.
“People expect that you would deliver, that you’d give an outstanding performance in all your projects. Although I feel the pressure, I just use it to motivate myself,” Therese told Manila Standard.
At the early age of 17, Therese already has a number of awards to her name including Best Actress at the 1st CineFilipino Film Festival 2013 for Ang Huling Cha-Cha ni Anita, Best Actress at the 11th CinemaOne Originals Film Festival, Screen International Rising Star Asia Award at the 15th New York Asian Film Festival, Award of Distinction at the 7th Inquirer’s Indie Bravo, Silver St. George Best Actress at the 38th Moscow International Film Festival, and 9th Ani ng Dangal Awardee—all for her performance in Hamog.
In 2017, she was recognized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines as one of the recipients of Artistic Excellence Award. She also won as Best Supporting Actress at the Eddys 2018 for Ilawod.
Asked how she manages to give an impressive portrayal of her characters on the big screen and on TV, Therese just humbly said, “I’m fortunate that I’ve been working with people who mentor me to be at my best. But to be more specific, I always do a character sketch. I make sure that I understand the characters I play so I could portray them as truthful as possible.”
The Kapuso star has also become a household name on the local indie scene, and as she is bound for adulthood, her grit to keep doing what she loves and tell stories that represent different facets of life remain relentless.
She will be sealing the year with a heart-warming drama with a powerhouse cast in the upcoming GMA Afternoon Prime series entitled Inagaw Na Bituin.