From ‘Beauty Queen’ to drag queen

SHE was the reigning “Beauty Queen” of primetime TV, and is now the newest host of Eat Bulaga, poster girl for Flawless aesthetic clinic and the latest endorser of vitamin brand Myra 400E. And she was supposed to be “taking things slow.”

Iza Calzado faces one of the biggest challenges in her career yet—making the transition from beauty queen to drag queen. The versatile actress was tapped to replace Regine Velasquez-Alcasid in the primetime series I Heart You Pare (IHYP). Since Monday, Iza has assumed the role of Tonya and her gay persona Tonette, and so far, the actress is proving to be a good choice.

Regine, who has been besieged by pregnancy rumors for the past couple of weeks, announced she was leaving the series on Sunday over Party Pilipinas. According to the official statement released by GMA 7, Regine has been advised by her physician to refrain from working long and late hours and to get as much rest as possible because of the severe migraine.

Iza said she was initially quite reluctant to accept the role because she hadn’t watched an episode of IHYP. She said she was also concerned about portraying a gay character, as well as the singing parts.

To prepare, Iza said she asked for some background information and watched several clips on YouTube to familiarize herself with the series. The actress also talked to Regine on the phone for about 20 minutes to ask about certain mannerisms of her character.

Asked if she feels pressured, the actress answered, “Hindi ko na lang iniisip yung pressure. Kailangan lang magawa ko kahit paano. I’m not competing with anyone.”

For her fans, Iza said, “I hope that you will appreciate my work. Kakayanin ko at gagawin ko ang lahat para maaliw kayo in my own special way.”

Aside for IHYP, Iza will also be doing a sitcom with Cesar Montano entitled Andres de Saya and Ang Panday 2 with Bong Revilla and Marian Rivera.

Iza in bloom
Prior to IHYP, Iza was launched as the newest endorser for Myra 400E.

From teen idol to beauty queen, from supporting actress to a lead star, everyone bore witness to Iza’s rise to stardom.

The road to success was not easy and her transformation is something truly inspiring. Once overweight, Iza used discipline and commitment to become one of the sexiest and sought-after celebrities in the country today. Yet despite her busy schedule, Iza still finds time to participate in advocacies like Gawad Kalinga and give hope to kids with cancer.

This is why the company chose Iza to be its endorser—because the actress embodies beauty that is more than just skin deep. She blooms and glows because her beauty is from within.