Lea Salonga among 'TIME100 Impact' awardees

Lea Salonga PHOTO FROM LEASALONGA.COM/RAYMUND ISAAC

By Iza Iglesias, Manila Times

(UPDATED) THE Philippines' very own Broadway superstar Lea Salonga was one of Time magazine's TIME100 Impact Awardees for 2022.

The award recognizes "global leaders who have gone above and beyond to move their industries — and the world —forward."

In a feature written by Sanya Mansoor, Salonga was described as the "Voice of Disney Princesses" and "A life-long role model for kids of color."

"In her four-decade award-winning career as an actress and singer, Salonga has emerged as not only a Disney and Broadway icon but a role model for children of color. Salonga prides herself on promoting representation in Hollywood and on Broadway, and showing underrepresented groups that their stories matter," the article read.

Time also recognized some of her notable roles on stage and on screen such as Tuptim in "The King and I," Kim in "Miss Saigon," Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeney Todd," Elodie in the HBO MAX series "Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin," Gail in "Yellow Rose," and as the voice of Disney princesses Jasmine and Mulan.

"Her Filipino heritage made playing Mulan especially meaningful. She brings honor to herself and to her family...and she does it with grace. What's more, she's one of the only princesses that doesn't end the movie with a grand wedding," Time mentioned.

"It's not easy breaking down racial barriers in historically white spaces and roles, and Salonga says she relies on her sense of humor, which she describes as sometimes inappropriate and sometimes irreverent to stay sane," it added.

Apart from Salonga, also included in the 2022 TIME100 Impact Awards are fellow musicians Ellie Goulding, Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am, actor and producer Alia Bhatt, former James Webb Space Telescope Program director Gregory L. Robinson, and computational geneticist Dr. Pardis Sabeti. Time will host Salonga and the other award winners at the National Gallery Singapore following the inaugural Time 100 Leadership Forum on October 2.