Mothering takes effort — physically, mentally and emotionally. But Elisse Joson is not one to complain. Her real-life role as a mom has allowed to find her own fulfillment which, according to her, she was looking for a long time.
Being a mother to her and McCoy de Leon’s first-born Felize completes her and makes her see the beauty of life in a clearer perspective.
“Masarap talaga sa feeling. I think ‘yun ‘yung sense of fulfillment na hinahanap ko for a long time. It’s a nice feeling that every time you wake up and you see your child na parang who adores you, who looks up to you na wala s’yang judgment sa ‘yo and she loves you for who you are. It feels really nice to love someone na galing sa ‘yo,” said Elisse when she recently talked to select members of the press, including The STAR, in a virtual media conference to drumbeat iWantTFC’s six-episode original series The Goodbye Girl. Elisse stars in the episode titled The Legally Blind with Joshua Colet.
According to Elisse, she and McCoy are trying their best to be hands-on parents when it comes to taking care of their child, especially when they are free from showbiz commitments. “Kasi gusto namin na makilala n’ya o makita n’ya kami na laging nand’yan, taking care of her, loving her,” said she.
When it comes to accomplishing her day-to-day activities, Elisse said she’s still finding ways to make all things work with ease.
“I’m still at this stage of trying to learn how to balance things because to be a mom, it’s really a struggle to balance my schedule at ‘yun din ang struggle ko even before. But now that I have a baby, I have to master managing my time like I have to think of what is important to do, for example, this day and then, I do things one by one. I think that’s one of the superpowers of mothers — to finish everything that needs to be done.”
Elisse agreed there is no formula to better perform the role of a mother. “You just do what has to be done and everything will flow naturally.”
Being a mom does not limit her as an actress. In fact, it all the more boosts her confidence to portray roles that will challenge her acting ability.
“Sa ngayon, I feel like nag-widen pa ‘yung mga p’wede kong gawin in terms of characters because before, I felt so limited,” said she. “Now, parang mas naging matapang na ako and I don’t feel boxed (anymore). Of course, there will still be limitations but I’d like to play roles that are new to me.”
At present, the biggest struggle for her is dealing with the work setup. Lock-in tapings are required to ensure safety of everyone in the production team. Thus, Elisse has to be away from her baby for a while.
“I feel like if there are projects that will make me grow as an actress, I’ll take them,” shared she. “With Felize, I would never think na pinapabayaan ko s’ya just because I would be away for a while because of work.”
In The Legally Blind, Elisse is the hopeful bride-to-be Julia, who knows her fiancé (Joshua) is a womanizer, but believes he is only making the most out of his remaining bachelor days. She puts up with his behavior as he promises to stop having affairs with other women after they get married.
“Sa pag-ibig, meron talagang nabubulagan. Parang ang logical explanation lang na naiisip ko is because we love through our heart so, minsan hindi na nagagamit talaga ‘yung mata natin,” she reasoned when asked why some people are blinded by love.
She didn’t deny that there were times when personal experiences were useful in portraying her character.
“Sometimes when I feel I need to use my personal experience, I use it to my advantage but kung matagal na ‘yung naging experience ko, it won’t work anymore. ‘Pag ganun, I use other methods,” Elisse told The STAR regarding her acting process.
Elisse, 26, was also asked what would be the best time for her to get married, as well as her ideal wedding.
“Yes, I’m 26, but you know, hindi natin dapat minamadali ang mga bagay-bagay. Everybody has a different timeline and now (in my case), it just so happened na nauna na si Felize. We have so much things to do first like baptism ni Felize, inaayos pa lang ngayon due to the pandemic and all the unforeseen situations, then, birthday pa n’ya. I mean, we’re gonna get there because alam namin (with McCoy) we’re meant for each other already, so we just have to take our time. It’s gonna happen.”
Contrary to what other people think that they are planning for a grand wedding, Elisse prefers a simple one. “Dream ko lang talaga sa may dagat but at the same time, I want to be blessed in church,” she disclosed.
With Valentine’s Day just a few days away, how does she plan to celebrate it with McCoy?
“Of course, I have a way of making him feel special and sana s’ya rin meron, hahahaha. I can’t share much because we don’t really plan what to do on Valentine’s Day, but we both know that we have our own secret planning. I look forward to spending time with him, kahit ano pa ‘yung ma-plano namin, basta time together kasi syempre iba pa rin ‘yung quality time na kayong dalawa lang now that you have a kid,” she said.
(The Goodbye Girl is directed by Derick Cabrido and produced by Dreamscape and Cleverminds, Inc. It will begin streaming on Feb. 14, with a new episode dropping daily on the iWantTFC app and website. The Legally Blind episode will stream on Feb. 18.)