Lea Salonga dedicates Hollywood Walk of Fame star to village that shaped her

HER VERY OWN STAR. Filipino actress and singer Lea Salonga receives her Hollywood Walk of Fame star on Saturday, September 5 (Manila time).

Screenshot from walkoffame's YouTube

'There’s something funny about a star like this because there’s only room for one name: mine. But no career is ever the work of just one person. So if they made this star big enough, there would be a lot of other names on it,' says Lea Salonga, the first Filipina to receive her own Hollywood Walk of Fame star

AT A GLANCE

• Lea Salonga became the first Filipina to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, acknowledging the support of her family and mentors throughout her career.
• Salonga expressed gratitude to her mother, brother, and various collaborators who have contributed to her success in theater and music.
• She hopes her achievement inspires future generations of Filipino artists to pursue their dreams in Hollywood.

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MANILA, Philippines – If there were space for more than just one name on a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, acclaimed theater actress and singer Lea Salonga would share that honor with all the people who have helped her get to where she is now.

Salonga received her very own Hollywood Walk of Fame star in Los Angeles on Friday, September 4 (Saturday, September 5, Manila time) — making her the first Filipina in history to achieve this feat. The star was unveiled on the iconic Hollywood Boulevard.

“Long before Hollywood, long before Broadway, there was Manila. If you had told seven-year-old Lea Salonga making her stage debut in a production of The King and I in the Philippines, that nearly 50 years later, she would be standing on Hollywood Boulevard, in front of this iconic theater, surrounded by so many wonderful friends, family, and colleagues, receiving a star on the Walk of Fame, she would have said, ‘Ha? What’s that?’” Salonga quipped.

The Tony Award winner will be the first to acknowledge and take pride in the fact that her success isn’t only the product of her own hard work.

“There’s something funny about a star like this because there’s only room for one name: mine. But no career is ever the work of just one person. So if they made this star big enough, there would be a lot of other names on it,” she said.

It was Salonga’s mother, Ligaya, who had believed in her from the very start. She had not only paid out of pocket to produce Lea’s first album, but also took it upon herself to sell them to record stores after.

“She was my manager for decades, my champion my whole life. None of this happens without her,” Salonga said about her mother.

The Miss Saigon star credited her brother, Gerard — a musical composer, conductor, and arranger — for being her first-ever duet partner and favorite accompanist. She then named her son, Nic Chien, as her biggest inspiration.

“There would be the people who have loved me, shown up for me like you all out here, supported me, protected me, encouraged me, told me the truth when I needed to hear it, and occasionally, reminded me that there actually is a life outside of show business. There would be the teachers who taught me, the directors who trusted me, the composers and lyricists who gave me extraordinary words and music to sing,” Salonga continued.

“The actors I’ve had the privilege of standing beside, the musicians who have made me sound so much better than I have any right to, the crews who somehow make everything work, the people who have represented me and fought for me and helped me navigate this very strange business, and of course, the audiences. Some of you have met me as Kim. Some as Éponine, or Fantine. Some of you heard my voice coming out of Princess Jasmine or Mulan before you had any idea who I was. And some of you have stayed with me through all of it. Thank you,” she added.

At this point in Salonga’s career, more Asian and Filipino talents have bagged roles that once seemed impossible to land. And it’s through the stories they strive to tell on stage and on screen that they work to pave the way for even more generations to receive the same opportunities.

“I hope that someday, a young Filipino kid comes to Hollywood, sees my name, and thinks, ‘Oh, maybe I can get here too.’”

Darren Criss, an American theater actor with Filipino roots, delivered a tribute speech, as well as celebrities Brandy and Ming-Na Wen. Award-winning American singer H.E.R., whose mother is from the Philippines, also graced the ceremony held in front of the historic Hollywood Pantages Theatre. 

Salonga is an award-winning actress and singer who made her stage debut with the 1978 Repertory Philippines production of The King and I. She then released her debut album Small Voice in 1981. She lent her singing voice to Disney princesses Jasmine from Aladdin and Fa Mulan in the Mulan films — later earning the “Disney Legend” title in 2011.

She had made waves for her portrayal of Kim in the Broadway production of Miss Saigon, and had gone on to win the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and the Theatre World awards for the same role. She has also become an iconic figure in the production of Les Miserables — playing Éponine in the 1995 10th anniversary concert and then Fantine in the 25th anniversary concert at the O2 in 2010.

Some of her latest projects include playing The Witch in Into the Woods in Manila, and voicing the Dreaded Manananggal in the Dreamworks animated film Forgotten Island. – Rappler.com