Liza Soberano Gets Candid About Being Called “Laos” and Relocating to America

Liza Soberano has never shied away from declaring her ambitions—or confronting the challenges that come with them. Financial setbacks, for instance, are among the sacrifices she says she has had to make while starting over.

During a recent appearance on Edward Barber’s Painfully Human podcast, the actress reflected on this struggle and how it has influenced the way people perceive her. Read on.

Before relocating to the United States in 2024, Liza had to navigate fame in the Philippines at a young age. During the podcast, she shared that she “was poor growing up,” recalling how her family had to fetch water from a well and boil it to make it safe for consumption.

Yet pursuing stardom also meant maintaining a carefully curated image.

“I was so afraid of looking poor,” she said. “Everybody just thinks that I must come from a wealthy background because I’m half American, I’m mestiza, and everything. And that’s really far from the truth.”

Liza also revealed that she was advised to keep details about her personal life and upbringing a mystery. “In order to not distract people from the brand that we were carefully curating, I never really went in depth about my story,” she shared.

That changed after her move to Los Angeles.

“I could be here in the Philippines doing the same thing I’ve been doing since I was 12, making lots of money,” she said. “I could easily still be doing that and making the same amount of money that I used to, but now I don’t. That’s what I sacrificed to be living in LA.”

According to Liza, the decision was driven by a desire to stop living on “autopilot” and pursue a career path that no longer felt repetitive. That choice, however, also meant embracing discomfort. In California, she explained, she is essentially starting over as a “new artist.”

The financial realities of that transition led her to take on smaller projects, including collaborations with emerging brands and influencers. For some observers, however, the shift was interpreted as a sign that her career had lost momentum.

“It really hurt me when people would say, ‘Oh, laos na siya. We don’t see her anywhere. She’s only doing these small little influencer gigs,’” she recalled.

She continued, “That’s how I stay alive. I’m not making as much money as I did before, and on top of that, [the] majority of my money still comes from Asia, but I’m living in the US, so the conversion is crazy. I have to do all these little gigs every now and then because that’s how I pay my bills.”

Liza also recalled spending hundreds of dollars on acting and vocal lessons—all without any guarantee of landing a role. Despite the financial uncertainty, the 28-year-old actress remains committed to her long-term goals and the sense of purpose they bring.

“That’s the price that I’m paying so that I can fulfill this ambition or dream of mine,” she said. “Money and just the comfort of not having to put in the effort to grow.”

Today, Liza is steadily building her career in Hollywood. Among her upcoming projects is Forgotten Island, an animated film from Universal Pictures in which she stars alongside fellow Filipino talents H.E.R., Manny Jacinto, and Lea Salonga.