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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Movies and TV devider Liza Soberano says DreamWorks' 'Forgotten Island' helped heal fears after leaving PH: 'I was scared'

Liza Soberano says DreamWorks' 'Forgotten Island' helped heal fears after leaving PH: 'I was scared'

Published Jul 27, 2026 01:52 pm

Liza Soberano has opened up about the uncertainty she faced after leaving the Philippines to pursue a career in the United States, revealing that she feared the move would cost her both her career and the people closest to her.

The actress said those emotions were still fresh when she auditioned for DreamWorks Animation's "Forgotten Island," making the project especially meaningful.

"It's actually quite serendipitous how this whole project came together for me," Liza said. "I just moved back to America from the Philippines when I got asked to audition for this role, and a big part of me moving was so that I could find growth as an artist and just as a human being."

Leaving, she admitted, wasn't as exciting as it looked from the outside.

Liza recalled worrying that the backlash she received over her decision to seek opportunities abroad would follow her for years.

"I actually received a lot of kind of backlash from that," she said. "I was scared of leaving the Philippines because of that backlash. I was scared that I won't have a career to come back to, or friends and family that would still care about me after being away for so long."

Working on "Forgotten Island" gradually changed that perspective.

The film's story, she said, reminded her that the people who truly matter remain part of your life, even when distance separates you.

"Through this film, I realized that even when you are going away from home or leaving a few people behind, you have all these memories and you have this deep connection and relationship that you can always come back to," she said.

Liza also found something familiar in her character, Raissa.

As the eldest of 10 siblings, she said she's used to keeping everyone together, much like the character she voices.

"I'm the eldest daughter so I feel like in 'Forgotten Island,' Raissa's kind of that. She's always wrangling the whole gang just trying to get them to follow the plan or stick to the plan. And I am very much like that, too. If things don't go the way I imagine it, I'm gonna have a meltdown."

Related Tags

Liza Soberano DreamWorks Forgotten Island Liza Soberano Hollywood Liza Soberano US Raissa H.E.R. Lea Salonga Manny Jacinto Hollywood
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