Dolly de Leon says Alex Eala taught her value of Filipino pride, awards

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MANILA, Philippines — Actress Dolly de Leon is slowly establishing herself in the international scene, but she has learned a thing or two from one of the country's rising stars.

Dolly was the guest on the July 14 episode of "Fast Talk with Boy Abunda," where she discussed her most recent projects, "Avatar: The Last Airbender," "Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed," and the upcoming "Forgotten Island."

Toward the end of the episode, Boy brought up that Dolly has been a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 2023, meaning she is eligible to vote for Oscar nominees.

The actress recalled initially thinking it was a scam but her agent assured the Academy invitation was real. She noted what an honor it was for an individual like her to let be heard as both an actress and a Filipino.

She reiterated something she had told Philstar.com in a previous exclusive interview that Filipinos in Hollywood were "a minority among minorities," and in the long run hopes that it will no longer be the case.

Dolly also assured Boy that she was a diligent Oscars voter, trying to watch as many nominees as possible to vote fairly at the Academy Awards.

Boy then asked Dolly if she hoped for a day where a Filipino actor would again be in the running at the Oscars, just as she did for her scene-stealing role in Palme d'Or winner "Triangle of Sadness."

The performance garnered Dolly historic nominations at the Golden Globes and British Film Academy Awards, but just missed out on the Academy Awards.

"It would be an honor. Dati hindi importante sa'kin noong nangyayari 'yan pero ngayon nakikita ko 'yung importance, lalo na 'yung nangyayari kay Alex Eala, 'yung pride na nae-experience ng buong country noong nanalo siya several times sa Wimbledon," Dolly shared.

The young tennis star had a dream run at the recently concluded prestigous grass tournament where she defeated Renata Zarazúa, Maya Joint, and defending champion Iga Swiatek before falling to Jasmine Paolini in a close Round of 16 match-up.

Alex's Wimbledon performance earned her even more global fans from a historic Miami Open run last year, rising up the ranks as among this generation's tennis darlings.

"Kailangan natin ng ganyang enthusiasm at motivation para mas galingan pa natin," Dolly also said.

Boy — a self-proclaimed tennis fan — took the opportunity to invite Alex on his show as the athelete was back in country for promotional events before flying to the United States for her next tournament.

Earlier in the episode, the host grabbed the chance to ask Dolly if there was any Hollywood actor courting her, and the actress said there were only those flirting with her.

"Hindi ko type! Wala akong time, ayoko, I enjoy being single. I love being alone," Dolly exclaimed, adding that she just laughs off attempts at her affections. — Video from GMA Network's YouTube channel

RELATED: Dolly de Leon addresses Fil-Am portrayal in 'Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed'