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Anne Curtis with her wax figure.
THE STARS aligned when actress and TV host Anne Curtis was chosen to be the next Filipino wax figure at Madame Tussauds’ Hong Kong branch.
She happened to be in Hong Kong with her co-hosts from ABS-CBN’s noontime variety show It’s Showtime when she received the call, she told the press at the unveiling of the wax figure at Discovery Primea last week. Ms. Curtis — known in the Philippines for hosting, modeling, and her work in movies and TV series such as No Other Woman, BuyBust, Dyosa, Dyesebel, ’Wag Kang Lilingon, and Sid & Aya: A Love Story — said the process was much easier than she expected.
“I’ve done so many fantaseryes throughout my career, and it’s a very different process. I thought I would have to lie down and get my prosthetics done and fit, but actually it turned out to be two hours of posing smiling and then it was done. A year later, here we are.” she said.
She added that the pose was a different process altogether, since they had to conceptualize one that encapsulated “an iconic moment” for her. “I chose my first comeback into the fashion industry, when I did a trip with my Tiffany family. That’s where we decided to go with this look.”
The final figure, unveiled by Ms. Curtis in front of family, friends, and select media and fans, is dressed in an elegant, cream-colored Dior gown, with a glittering Tiffany necklace around her neck. The figure is posed with a microphone ready in her hand, as if she were about to speak, in line with the museum’s goal for fans to interact with the wax figures.
It will go on display at the Hong Kong branch of the world-famous wax museum starting Dec. 9.
CONQUERING THE STAGEMs. Curtis’ image, being the first wax figure of a Filipino actress at the Hong Kong branch of Madame Tussauds, represents talent from the Philippines making itself known around the world.
“In my 27 years in the industry, I felt that the microphone has been such a powerful tool. Whether it be hosting, giving a speech as a UNICEF ambassador, doing my spiels as a TV host on It’s Showtime, or even doing concerts in the Araneta Coliseum, it has been such a powerful tool,” she said.
“I think it’s about time that Filipinos are able to introduce themselves on a worldwide stage. I feel like whether it be sports, beauty pageants, fashion shows, or acting, now is the time for Filipinos.”
The other Filipino icons at the wax museum’s Hong Kong branch are Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, and boxer Manny Pacquiao.
For Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, having Ms. Curtis’ likeness represents the former crown colony’s strong ties to the Philippines. Its head of sales and marketing, BoBo Yu, said at the launch that “remarkable contribution in their field” is the main requirement for choosing a subject, which Ms. Curtis easily fulfilled.
“Anne Curtis has been very famous in the Philippines since she started her career at age 12, very young, from modeling and acting to her evolution now as a working mom,” said Ms. Yu.
Ms. Curtis also looks at Hong Kong fondly, especially since it is a city where many overseas Filipino workers are stationed. “We have a lot of friends in Hong Kong, so a lot of core memories were made there, just from traveling, eating, seeing attractions, and shopping,” she said.
“I’m just so happy and honored. I’m so excited to see how everyone will react when they see the actual wax figure,” the actress said.
Not everyone is thrilled by the new wax figure. Her sister, actress Jasmine Curtis-Smith, who was at the unveiling, remarked, “It’s so creepy to look at.” — Brontë H. Lacsamana