As she starred in a string of teleseryes and movies in the past years, there’s definitely no doubt that Jodi Sta. Maria is one of the most sought-after stars in the country at present. And she passionately talked about her prolific and stellar acting career, as well as some of her struggles and processes as an actor, during her guesting in the latest vlog of Diamond Star Maricel Soriano.

When asked what her initial reaction was upon receiving the great news that she would be part of  “Lavender Fields,” Jodi gushed, “Super akong na-excite!” Aside from the fact that it’s a completely new genre for her, she was also ecstatic to be working again with the Diamond Star, whom she previously got to work with in the 2020 series “Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin.” Furthermore, she was thrilled to work with their other castmates, such as Edu Manzano, Jericho Rosales, and Janine Gutierrez.

Contrary to the serious and intense tone of their series, Maricel, whom the Jodi fondly addresses as “Mama,” mentioned that they actually have a fun and easy set. The latter seconded it by saying, “’Yong serye na ginagawa natin ang bigat na ng tema kasi most of the time ang tataas na ng emosyon natin, iyakan tayo. Hindi naman maganda na parang behind the scenes parang ang dra-drama pa natin. Blessed din ako na makasama kayo. Magaan talaga ang set.”

Maricel then had Jodi reminisce on her unforgettable experiences, fondest memories, and struggles while doing some of her previous remarkable teleserye projects, namely, “Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin” (2020-2021), “Unbreak My Heart” (2023), “Be Careful With My Heart” (2012-2014), “Pangako Sa ‘Yo” (2015), and “The Broken Marriage Vow” (2022).

Throughout her more than two-decade acting career, Jodi has never failed to astound us with her remarkable portrayals both on film and TV. When quizzed on how she feels about being bestowed iconic roles, she confessed actually having mixed reactions towards it.

“Siyempre, una, thankful ako na pinagkakatiwalaan ako sa mga magagandang roles or sa isang magandang project. But, at the same time, nandoon din ‘yong feeling na nakaka-pressure kasi palagi kong iniisip, ‘Mapu-pull off ko ba ‘to? Magagawa ko ba ‘to? Kaya ko ba ‘to?” she conveyed. “Nagwo-work ako towards na dapat kaya ko ‘to. Pinagkatiwalaan ako, so dapat gawin ko ‘to nang tama.”

In 2022, it can be recalled that she snagged the Best Actress in a Leading Role trophy from the Asian Academy Awards for her performance in “The Broken Marriage Vow,” the Pinoy adaptation of the hit British drama series “Doctor Foster,” playing the lead character of Dra. Jill Victorino. Jodi recounted how she was in total disbelief when the Philippines was announced as the winner for the said category, making her feel like she already made a great contribution to our country.

With regard to her process as an actor, the Silent Superstar revealed that it has changed from the time she was just starting to now that she’s among the most esteemed talents in the country. She recalled how she used to always go back and remember her experiences in life and heartbreaks as her way of motivating herself. However, she has experiences in life that were no longer effective to be used as motivation as she already healed from them, which compelled her to learn other acting techniques.

Jodi then recalled how her passion for acting began, saying that all she ever wanted before was only to be recognized. It was actually never her dream to become an artista yet she’s passionate about the performing arts. During her student days, she used to join in various school competitions, such as declamation contests, because those provided her with the feeling of being in her own world.

So, when an opportunity knocked, she auditioned immediately and successfully made it to the industry. She grabbed every project given to her and achieved her goal of becoming a household name. However, by the time that she was slowly getting famous, she decided to choose love by getting married to her now ex-husband Pampi Lacson and giving birth to their only child, Thirdy.

She attempted to go back to her previous job when they returned to the Philippines from the United States, but she was told that it didn’t work that way in showbiz. Thus, she was compelled to re-establish herself and start afresh in her career from 2006 to 2012, which meant having to take on supporting roles and character roles again. But she didn’t have any qualms about it since she truly enjoyed what she was doing, and acting has been her passion.

“Naghintay lang din po ako. Sabi ko, ‘naniniwala ako na darating din ‘yong time ko’. It’s just a matter of when. Pero hindi po akong parang pinanghinaan ng loob. Naghintay lang po ako nang naghintay, na parang one day mano-notice n’yo rin ako. One day, mabibigyan din ako ng leading role. So ‘yon, naghintay lang. Nag-pay off naman ang waiting,” she told Maricel.

Furthermore, she believes that everything that happened to her and all her experiences have molded her into the person that she is, which she really needed for that certain new chapter of her life. If she hadn’t gone through all those, her perspective on life would probably have been different.

“Doon sa waiting period na ‘yon, parang si God talaga really helped develop ‘yong character na kinakailangan. ‘Yong waiting period was necessary na kapag dumating ‘yong blessing na iha-hand sa’yo ni Lord, hindi mo siya sasayangin. Kumbaga, magiging thankful ka…Kung ano ‘tong blessing na ‘to, imu-multiply mo pa,” she said.