Anna Maria Perez de Tagle:"Fame" Star is a Proud Filipino

By Yong B. Chavez
www.FilipinOnline.com Exclusive

Anna Maria Perez de Tagle is the lissome and winsome "Hannah Montana" and now, "Fame" star. The remake of the popular '80s movie is getting some serious Hollywood buzz so it's becoming more evident that when "Fame" comes out in September, her star will shine even brighter.

But no matter how successful she gets, those who know Anna Maria say she won't be a big-star-with-big-ego Hollywood cliche.

"I'm really lucky with her. Even the mom of the Jonas Brothers tuwang-tuwa sa kanya because she's really nice," her mom, Evelyn, says.



And if you think she is pretty onscreen, you'll be knocked out by her delicate beauty in person.

On a recent set visit for the Balitang America story (above), she was all decked out in her character's clothes. She plays Joy Moy, an outgoing, aspiring performer in the movie.

"I'm actually very different from Joy. She's very out there and I'm more reserved. It's cool to play someone who's the opposite of myself just because it's fun," Anna Maria says. She adds that she has no clue how she gets the confidence to play characters that are miles away from her personality. The 18-year-old talent is a bit shy in person.

"I go onstage or in front of the camera and something in me just snaps and I become a different person," she says with a big smile.

She remembers that she shares something with her "Fame" character.

"We both had to leave (regular) school because of our careers," she says.

Anna Maria was home schooled starting in the 10th grade and finished high school last September. "I'd like to go to college one day, too," she says.

She loves her plum role in "Fame" but Anna Maria's Hollywood dream is "to be in an action movie. Kind of like 'Charlie's Angels', Lucy Liu-kind of thing."

Later this year, she will reunite with the Jonas Brothers in "Camp Rock 2".

"They're like my brothers, we're constantly texting all the time. It's great to collaborate with people like them and Miley (Cyrus, "Hannah Montana" herself), too," she says. "I think they're amazing."

They must be saying the same thing about her.