Lorena in “Family Matters”
Liza Lorena has been in the industry for 60 years now. And she doesn’t see herself stopping anytime soon. After all, she considered the craft of acting as her “husband.”
“I don’t see myself retiring. That will only happen if I lose my ability to memorize lines. But as long as I can do that and as long as I can walk … Well, actually, even if I do become a wheelchair user, I will still work if producers think I can still be useful,” she said at a press conference for her Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry, “Family Matters.”
“This is my life. I never got married. And so, this is my husband—my profession,” stressed Liza, who has two children: actor Tonton Gutierrez with former matinee idol Eddie Gutierrez; and Wednesday with businessman Honey Boy Palanca.
Wonderful script in “Family Matters”—directed by Nuel Naval and produced by Cineko Productions—Liza is Eleanor, a doting wife who tries her best to take care of her frail husband, Francisco (Noel Trinidad), amid growing tension among their children.
Aside from the “wonderful script,” the prospect of working with Noel for the first time made the film offer too good to pass up. “I’m a big fan of his. I have yet to work with him so thank God I got to have this opportunity in my lifetime,” she said. ‘I used to watch him on ‘Champoy’ and ‘Abangan ang Susunod na Kabanata.’”
“At first, Noel was worried that I’m ‘suplada’ or ‘mataas.’ So, when we finally met, I hugged him immediately, so that he could feel comfortable with me,” she said.
Liza Lorena
Prolific show biz career Liza has had a prolific show biz career in film and television, and has delivered memorable and award-winning performances in such movies as “Oro, Plata, Mata” (1983 FA Awards best supporting actress); “Halimaw” (1986 MMFF best actress); and “Miguelito” (1986 Gawad Urian best supporting actress).
“Hopefully, in my lifetime, I get another acting award,” she said.
But in an industry that puts a premium on youth, Liza observed that the roles she gets have become more limited as she grew older. But that’s OK, she said—“Lahat ay may panahon.”
“I’m just thankful to God that there’s still space for us in this industry at our age, and that the industry still wants us,” she told the Inquirer. “I’m thankful to my director and all the producers who still put their trust in us.”
Aging was something Liza never really feared or felt daunted by. Growing old is a privilege denied to many, so they say.
“You can never be young forever. I enjoyed every aspect of my life, from my youth to now. You can’t be young forever. You will get wrinkles and that’s part of the process. You won’t look the same way you did, but I still feel beautiful at my age,” she said.
‘Never been happier.’
Looking back at her life and career, Liza can proudly say that she has “never been happier.”
“I have faced so many challenges in life, but I didn’t take them to heart. That’s all part of life,” she said. “These days, I stay with positive and happy people … I try to avoid people who make me feel unhappy or ruin my mood … people whose values don’t align with mine.”
Meanwhile, asked what advice can give young aspiring actors on how to achieve the career longevity she enjoys, Liza stressed the importance of professionalism.
“You need to learn how to apologize when you’re late. You have to be courteous to the people you work with. Greet or wish them a good morning. You have to be pleasant to everyone, especially the production staff and crew,” Lorena said.
“If you ever find your career on a low, you will be able to come back if the industry loves you. But if you have a bad attitude, everyone will want you out,” she said. INQ