“I Still Don’t Believe It”: Lea Salonga Reacts to Walk of Fame Honor
LEA SALONGA – When Lea Salonga was informed she would be receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, she was so shocked she thought it was a prank.
Internationally acclaimed Filipina theater icon Lea Salonga was recently announced as one of the 2025-2026 honorees to receive a star on the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame. Despite her celebrated career in both the East and West, the multi-awarded performer admitted she was in disbelief when she first heard the news.
“I first learned about it a day after I arrived in Manila. I still don’t believe it happened. I still don’t believe it’s actually going to happen. I thought, ‘Is somebody pranking me?’” she shared with reporters during a press event for Into the Woods on July 31.
The Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) earlier confirmed that Salonga will be honored under the Live Theatre/Performance category. This milestone makes her the fourth Filipino to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, joining the ranks of Rob Schneider, Bruno Mars, and Apl.de.Ap.
Salonga humbly expressed her surprise, acknowledging that her career has mostly been rooted in theater and not in mainstream Hollywood productions. “It’s just one of those things that you don’t think you’re gonna get… and given that my work is mostly in New York or Manila, it’s not something I expect because I’m not exactly a Hollywood person, the Disney voices notwithstanding,” she said, referring to her roles as the singing voice of Princess Jasmine and Mulan.
Despite the honor, she confessed the recognition still feels surreal. “Hindi ko talaga inasahan (I didn’t expect it at all). But I feel really happy that it’s going to happen. Hindi ko talaga inasahan na mangyayari ‘yun (I didn’t expect that such a thing would happen to me),” she added.
Salonga further commented, “Most of what I’ve done is focused on theater. If there is an equivalent of the Walk of Fame done in New York City, then ‘yun pa (I would understand that). But this is Los Angeles, this is Hollywood, this is film, this is television. I’m like, this is wonderful but very, very unexpected.”
‘I STILL DON’T BELIEVE IT HAPPENED’ 😱
WATCH: Lea Salonga confessed that she “still couldn’t believe” that she would be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, almost to the point where she thought it was a prank. | @HMallorcaINQ pic.twitter.com/gZAtOqfiqP
— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) July 31, 2025
Meanwhile, she is set to portray the Witch in the Manila production of Into the Woods, running from August 7 to 31 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Makati City. The show also features a star-studded cast including Eugene Domingo, Josh Dela Cruz, and Arielle Jacobs.
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