Drinks with Iza Calzado

If you would ask me who I think is the prettiest local actress today, my answer would be Iza Calzado. Not because we’re friends but because it’s the truth! I could do the whole “she’s beautiful inside and out” claim, but to be quite honest, it’s true. Have you seen that woman with or without makeup? She’s stunning. Lately, I’ve been teasing her about the Mama Mary thing because of her movie Starting Over Again when Toni’s character first saw her, and she went mental, screaming that she looks like Mama Mary. The woman has that very pristine and beatific face. Iza is one of the few people that’s in a business where honesty can be at its rarest form, and yet I can be totally truthful with her, and vice versa. She is a very talented individual and she’s never scared to dabble into things that she’s not comfortable with, and still gets a kick out of it. She probably tried everything, from being an actress on TV, movies, and theater. She’s also a singer, dancer, a fitness instructor (she has a fitness video out called Level Up!), and host. I’m not sure what she wants to do next, but what I’m sure of is that she’d knock whatever that is out the park. The last time I saw her was at the gig of Urbandub in Metrotent. That’s another thing I like about her, her taste in music, she’s a huge fan of OPM and rock.

We agreed to meet at The Wholesome Table, that is fast being one of my favorite places to eat and owned by Bianca Araneta – Elizalde. They serve healthy and delicious food and beverages. Iza, being the health conscious that she is, wanted me to try two of her favorite healthy smoothies at the restaurant, which I did, and they’re really tasty. It took us a while to start the Q&A since we had a lot to catch up on, but here’s what we ended up talking about that can be published. Read on.

HOW DID WE MEET?

Iza’s version

Haha! You’re asking the wrong person, I can’t remember. Because of Ira (Cruz) di ba? In one of his gigs. Ikaw si Pancit Highblood, ikaw din si unicorn. Marami akong di maalala sa life ko. Magaling akong mag auto delete, or yung iba, sadyang hindi na talaga maalala.

My version

I can’t really pinpoint exactly where we met, but it would probably be at one of my friend Ira’s gigs. Ira and Iza briefly dated, Ira used to be in a little band called Bamboo, you probably heard of them? Anyway, we started seeing each other constantly since I would also watch Bamboo’s gigs and she’ll be there, and that’s how our friendship began. We also did a shoot for UNO, I think it was her first sexy photo shoot for a magazine.

WHAT WON’T YOU DO FOR LOVE?

Iza: I won’t kill myself. I’m willing to do a lot of things for love; I have done a lot of things for love, some stupid and some very irrational things, but I would never kill myself for love. That’s something I clearly wouldn’t do.

WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU’VE LEARNED FROM YOUR PARENTS THAT YOU WILL TEACH YOUR FUTURE KIDS?

Iza: My father taught me to always look at the brighter side of things, and when it comes to doing anything in life, always put your heart into it. Ang natutunan ko sa nanay ko is to be beautiful. Ha ha! I really wish that I learned how she managed money because she was excellent at it, but I wasn’t a very good student at that time.

“My father taught me to always look at the brighter side of things, and when it comes to doing anything in life, always put your heart into it.”

IF YOU’RE NOT IN SHOWBIZ, WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD BE YOUR CAREER?

Iza: Groupie parin! Yeeees!

D: As a living nga e!

Iza: Penny Lane complex. Ha ha! Yang pelikulang Almost Famous malakas ang naging impact sa akin nyan nung kabataan ko e. But seriously, probably in advertising, that’s what I wanted to get in to but perhaps if not, basta something where I can use the skills I have, one would be probably talking to people.

D: So, accounts executive?

Iza:  No e, I want to create ads, but I never really had the chance to explore it enough. I also wanted to be a journalist. In my head, it’s a romantic but a tough job to be a journalist. Parang for them, it’s all about the story, it’s all about risking a lot to be able to write a good story.

WHAT DISH DO YOU WISH YOU CAN COOK?

Iza:  I don’t really cook so I wish could really cook. I’ve never exerted much effort into it. But I wish I could really whip up a healthy meal, like most of the stuff they serve here at The Wholesome Table. I wish I could cook a good Adobo because I’ve never tried. I’m sure that’s easy. Although mas gusto ko kumain e.

WHAT DO YOU DO TO MAKE SOMEONE FEEL SPECIAL?

Iza: Sabihin ko “Uy! You’re speyshal!”

D: Eeeeee!

Iza: I just make people special by serving them, prioritizing them, and I also like to give gifts or cards.

WHAT SONG MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER WHEN YOU’RE IN A BAD MOOD?

Iza: Any 90s song, nothing specific, I just love music. Basta relatable. Yang 90s, di ba kalian lang yan? In denial! Ha ha!

“If the society doesn’t know that we’re supposed to have superheroes, shempre you must have two lives pero kung pwede naman, e di magdaDarna outfit na ako every day.”

IF YOU WERE A SUPERHERO, WOULD YOU FIGHT CRIME FULL TIME OR WOULD YOU BE LIKE CLARK KENT, TONY STARK, OR BRUCE WAYNE, WHEREIN THEY HAVE BUSINESSES / DAY JOBS?

Iza:  Maganda sana kung may balance e pero yan yung conflict ng ibang superheroes, na meron silang other life. It would be awesome to be a female Ironman. It’s quite the struggle but it really depends on the society. If the society doesn’t know that we’re supposed to have superheroes, shempre you must have two lives pero kung pwede naman, e di magdaDarna outfit na ako every day.

D: Ha ha ha! Hindi mo na iluluwa yung bato?

Iza: Oo!

IF YOU CAN CHOOSE A LOCAL ACTRESS TO HAVE A KISSING OR A LOVE SCENE WITH, WHO WOULD IT BE?

Iza: Nagawa ko na yun kay Uge (Eugine Domingo), pero hindi naman sha romantic kiss e. I wanted before si Angel Aquino, tsaka si Mylene Dizon, girl crush ko sha nung araw e. Kailangan kasi very intense and passionate din yung babae. Pwede rin sana si Juday.

WHY ARE THESE SMOOTHIES YOUR FAVORITE DRINKS?

Iza: These smoothies are kind of like my dessert treats. I like them because they’re yummy and they’re not as sinful like your normal milk shakes or smoothies. I am conscious of what I eat, what I put in my body, although not all the time, may cheat days din naman ako.

Follow Iza on Instagram and Twitter.

Interviewed on July 18, 2015