Capturing hearts in Four Sisters Before the Wedding and Fan Girl, award-winning actress Charlie Dizon admits the journey isn’t always luminous.  In her intimate interview with Alike Media, she shares her story of heartbreaks, triumph, but above all, hope.  

The Evolution of April

Born in April 1996, Charlie’s real name is actually April Rose Dizon Matienzo. She would keep this name for all her filmography until mid-2017, which was when she started adopting the screen name Charlie Dizon. But before April became Charlie, she saw her humble beginnings in South Korea, pursuing one of the most ambitious and truly unique opportunities—training to be a K-Idol.

She credits her experience in South Korea for three critical characteristics that she now strongly identifies with. Namely, her dedication to her craft, her incessant hard work, as well as her personal independence. According to Charlie, her journey in training presented challenges that only made her better as an individual, such as “dealing with hours of competitiveness amongst my peers,” and nonstop rehearsals involving singing and dancing.

As a K-Pop Idol trainee, Charlie also remembers being told that “she had no talent”. However, the Korean organization she trained under also reiterated the more important values of stern discipline and diligent work ethic, which they saw in her. This stuck with Charlie, and only fuelled her determination further; as it communicated to her at a young age that dedication and hard work, not talent or luck, are the real keys to success.

All alone in a foreign country with no prior exposure to the culture aside from her love for Korean telenovelas, Charlie was forced to immerse herself and assimilate into the Korean way of life. The language barrier and ethnic differences were a few more struggles that Charlie had to overcome, aside from the already rigorous and stringent K-Idol training. “Dun ko talaga natutunan paano makipaghalo-bilo sa lahat, and makisama talaga.” Thus, this forceful personal growth is where Charlie says she got to know herself better. In the situation that she found herself in, she had to “improvise and adjust to others, because they’re not gonna do that for you.”

Much like other evolutionary processes, this one was a natural and inexorable development that enabled what Charlie describes as “the first phase of April”.

On Her Most Memorable Roles

Upon returning to the Philippines, Charlie’s first ever acting debut was as John Lloyd’s younger sister in the 2017 movie, Finally Found Someone. She did not have any speaking lines for this character, but shares that it was through this initial acting stint that she was introduced to basic film directing and acting processes, like witnessing her co-stars exude emotion during scenes, blocking from the camera, among others.

She said she carried over some of these learnings to her next movie, Seven Sundays under Director Cathy, which was where she became aware of everything related to local showbiz. From basic film etiquette, like greeting her senior colleagues, to harnessing her acting potential.

Her portrayal as Enrique Gil’s best friend and rival of Liza Soberano in the 2018 teleseries Bagani was also a monumental moment for the actress. Her captured footages bursting into tears during a blogger’s conference displayed her  overwhelmed feeling of  gratitude.

Charlie was out of work for a while before landing the role of Tisay after auditioning for the Cinemalaya film, Pandanggo sa Hukay. Another first for her, as she had never done an indie movie before. “There I saw how passionate everyone was. We were all equal, and was there for the same purpose—love for our craft,” referring to her co-stars as well as all individuals that were working behind the scenes, such as the art department and utility personnel.

On Becoming Fan Girl

Like many of her life experiences somehow interconnecting to make her dreams slowly become reality, it was actually through her Pandanggo sa Hukay co-star, Iza Calzado, that paved the opportunity for Charlie to showcase her acting prowess through a last minute audition with Director Antoinette Jadaone for Fan Girl.

If her first phase of evolution occurred during her stay in South Korea, Charlie shares that it’s in Fan Girl that she felt she matured to another level, unlocking the second big change in her life. “Dito ako pinaka na-challenge talaga. And dito talaga nag-iba ang lahat para sa akin.”

Aside from growing significantly as a person and as an actress, it was while shooting for this role that she discovered there was truly no limits in acting. “Dito ko nagawa lahat ng kinakatakutan ko dati, and dito din ako natutong i-enjoy ang pag-aarte.”

The New Face of Hello Glow

Despite the pandemic, new breakthroughs continue to happen for Charlie as she was tapped to become the newest face and first celebrity endorser of local Korean-inspired skincare brand, Hello Glow, from the Ever Bilena Cosmetics, Inc.’s group of brands.

Charlie expresses her gratitude to the leading local cosmetics company for choosing her as the ambassador for Hello Glow and shares how quickly she resonated with the brand. “I found myself very attached agad to Hello Glow,” says Charlie.

She mentions her appreciation for Hello Glow’s thoughtful formulations, cruelty-free commitment, and Korean packaging aesthetic, somehow reminding her of her early days in South Korea. Just as Charlie is Filipino by blood, but heavily influenced by the Korean culture, she and Hello Glow are very much alike in that way.

Charlie shares that “I strongly believe that in order for your beauty to shine through, you must not only love and believe in yourself, you must also be true to yourself. Your aura and energy glow their best when you’re being kind to and when you care for yourself. Of course, on the surface, it would help if you also get on a skincare routine with products your most comfortable with — in my case, Hello Glow has definitely helped make me feel even more beautiful and confident in my skin.”

As an advocate for self-care and a self-confessed skincare enthusiast, the single product Charlie cannot live without is sunscreen. Hence, it’s no doubt that the Hello Glow 3-in-1 Lightweight Sun Care Gel is one of her favourites, describing how truly lightweight she thinks it is, perfect for the Philippines’ humid weather!

She uses SPF daily, whether she is at the beach, at home, or out and about for her usual work routine. Charlie even reveals that there’s a Korean-made sunscreen product that she’s been raving about lately from Hello Glow, but cannot divulge since the brand has not released it yet.

As an endorser who values credibility and authenticity, Charlie adds that she actually used the Acne Spot Drying Cream from the Hello Glow Acne Defense Set for a pimple on her nose, and can attest to its efficacy! “Totoong nag-peel agad yun pimple sa nose ko. Totoong nakakadry talaga siya, and gagamitin ko siya ulit pag magka-pimple ako,” gleams Charlie excitedly!

Charlie is Ready for 2021 and Beyond

Charlie’s growth in her personal life and career has been remarkable thus far. When asked how she feels about 2021, in confidence she simply says,

“ready.”

—alike.com.ph


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