Now 18, Sofia Pablo hopes to shake off ‘pabebe’ label
Now that she’s 18, the one thing Sofia Pablo looks forward to the most is “professional growth.”
“I think I will now have a wider choice of what projects and roles I can do. ‘Di na limited. Because some would say, ‘‘Di pa siya 18, ‘di pa pwede ‘yan’ … I would love to do different types of romance projects,” Sofia said at a recent media conference arranged by Sparkle GMA Artist Center for her debut party last Saturday.
Sofia, who made her show biz breakthrough in the hit 2019 series “Prima Donnas,” is known for her sweet and demure demeanor. She can also be “makulit” and playful. Some bashers describe her actions as “pabebe” (precocious). While she doesn’t mean to appear that way, it’s something she hopes to change.
“I want to change people’s perception of me that I’m pabebe. Not everyone says it, but some bashers do. I don’t mean to look that way,” she said. “But now that I’m 18, I want to change that … I think I will miss being makulit, playful.
“I’m just naturally a sweet girl, mahinhin, introverted. But of course, I also want to show that I’m 18 and more ladylike. I want to be more mature, responsible and conscious of how I act or speak,” said the teen Kapuso actress, who admitted that there’s a bit of pressure in that regard.
Respect
Being of legal age is something that Sofia equates with independence. “It’s my goal to be more independent because I’m dependent on my mommy. I’m a mommy’s girl. I can also be very shy and always turn to her for help… But now, I don’t want to stress her out [over little things],” she said.
Sofia’s “cool” parents don’t really forbid her from having a boyfriend. But should she find herself in a relationship, it would have to be with someone “respectful.” “Their rule is that, should I have a boyfriend, he has to have respect for his and my parents. Because you’ll get an idea how he will treat you from the way he treats the parents,” she said.
Her party wasn’t intended to be flashy. Sofia’s priority was to be “comfortable, “not “bongga,” during the event. That’s why she prepared only two outfits—one for the main event and the other for the after-party.
“You only get one 18th birthday, so I wanted it to be memorable in the way I want it to be.”
Treat everyone well Sofia has always enjoyed beach trips even as a child so having a tropical-themed party was a no-brainer. Instead of roses, the 18 special men in her life were expected to hand Sofia different tropical flowers, and dance with her to a song of her choice. “The songs symbolize our friendship,” she pointed out.
Moving forward, Sofia intends to continue working hard and bringing with her the lessons from her coactors. “What stuck with me is that I always have to respect my coactors and keep my feet on the ground. They would tell me that there are a lot of talented actors, but not everyone knows pakikisama,” said Sofia, who’s set to star in the upcoming series “Prinsesa ng City Jail.”
“They believe that sometimes attitude matters more,” she added. “They always remind me to treat everyone well and never belittle anyone.” INQ
