The Reinvention of Heart
In 2016, Heart quietly auditioned for a role in ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ — a move she would later erase from memory. Two years later, the film would become a recurring theme in her journey and reinvention as an international style star.
MANILA, Philippines — During the entire run of Crazy Rich Asians in theaters, the Internet argued that Heart Evangelista could have portrayed the character Astrid Leong-Teo naturally, leveraging her oriental looks, culling emotions from her own storied love life, and pulling out from her own Hermès-filled, Insta-famous closet.
It was a compliment that she accepted gracefully. But to her credit, she actually did try for a slot in the hit romantic comedy — albeit in secret, with hesitation, and not for the role of Astrid.
Without much fanfare, Heart auditioned for the role of resort heiress and fashionista Araminta Lee back in 2016. She would later reveal that she shot her audition at the lanai of her cozy Quezon City home. It was in that outdoor nook where she acted out excerpts from the script, including welcoming Nick Young and Rachel Chu at the arrivals area of Changi airport, and eating like a local at a hawker center. Fully aware that trying to crack Hollywood is a stressful and potentially heartbreaking process, however, Heart chose to erase that audition from memory and left the rest to fate.
When the cast list was announced in April 2017, the role that would eventually be associated with the movie’s signature barefoot, ankle-deep bridal march went to Japanese-born British actress Sonoya Mizuno. At that time, Heart was already slowly building her image as an international style star. And with a preliminary resume that included attendance in haute couture presentations in Paris, burgeoning brand partnerships with the likes of Hermès, and a small luxury handbag painting operation in Manila, she was clearly in the midst of a reinvention.
But Crazy Rich Asians would become this inevitable, recurring theme in her journey — and an integral part of her reinvention. Four months later, she would meet the book’s author Kevin Kwan in Manila during a promotional tour of Rich People Problems, the final title in the CRA trilogy. Over dinner at an event hosted by Fully Booked, luxury store Adora and fashion title Preview, Kevin would figure out Heart from the aforementioned audition reel, and discover that he was breaking bread with an actual CRA — a woman well-versed in the fields of politics, society, business, fashion, and entertainment with her own share of public romantic drama — and not just an Araminta wannabe.
Within a month of meeting Kevin, Heart would get exposure in an article in New York Magazine’s The Strategist entitled “What to Buy to Look Like A Crazy Rich Asian.” Written by Kevin himself, Heart’s handbag painting project would be mentioned alongside time-tested brands such as Goyard and Globe-Trotter — and this was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
The two would reunite in Paris for the fall couture shows in early July, together with other Asian style celebrities Michelle and Rachel Yeoh and Feiping Chang. What the Internet initially thought was just a fashionable rendezvous turned out to be content for Harper’s Bazaar’s September print issue and website, as well as promotions for CRA’s mid-August release in America. By then it was clear: Heart Evangelista had just made it to the big league just by being herself.
She is quick to clarify however that she is not everything her CRA association portrays her to be. “I think I portray a certain image on social media but in real life, it is not everything I am. Their imagination is just too wild, thinking I’m this super duper glamorous person!” She insists that she has bills to pay and that she earns her Birkins by putting in the hard work. Keeping it real, she adds, “I have a bank account for everything that I do, including a wish list account where I put the butal of all my kita!”
Watch Supreme’s interview with Heart Evangelista on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/philstarsupreme/. For more updates, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @philstarsupreme.
But all of it is pure savvy: Heart has been turning her life’s true passions — fashion, beauty, and travel — into paychecks and valuable PR. In between occasional TV and movie work, she continually enjoys premium endorsements and forges deals with brands across a variety of categories and markets. International labels such as Elie Saab, Kate Spade, Isabel Marant, Ferragamo, L’Oreal and Sequoia trust her and her Instagram feed to carry out their message. And after authoring her own beauty book “This Is Me, Love Marie” and releasing a well-received makeup line for Happy Skin, she is about to release a capsule collection of clothes bearing her artwork and a selection of flatware inspired by her love of entertaining at home.
On top of her reinvention is the launch of her website and YouTube channel last month. Taking on the role of producer, videographer, and editor, she has begun releasing content on dressing and makeup and she gives us a peek of her travels to the world’s fashion capitals. In the pipeline are videos about her personal advocacies of animal welfare and children’s health, as well as financial health tips together with her personal finance guru and husband Senator Chiz Escudero. These platforms are her way of sharing more of her real self to audiences old and new. It is also her way of asserting her relevance in the ever-evolving digital sphere where the name of the game is content.
With an image gone global and meaningful presence in various media and marketplaces, Heart agrees that all of her pursuits fit effortlessly into what can be called a dynamic personal brand. “It’s all an accumulation of what I’ve learned through the years that I hope people can relate to: lessons from home, my preferences, the things I love, and just me as a person” she muses.
If there is any valuable lesson that Heart has picked up in her reinvention and evolution into a brand, it is that timing is everything. “All of these things poured in after losing (my child) Mira. It’s tried and tested: When something bad happens and you pray a lot, be grateful, not question, and let the universe speak to you, blessings come in. Blessings happen.”
She’s found that a good nudge is just as essential. “The Harper’s Bazaar opportunity came right after my miscarriage. I felt that I wasn’t ready, that it was just too big for what I was going through. But my husband was like, ‘You know what, I think you’ve done enough crying and staying home. It’s time for you to go out.’”
There is now just one more role that Heart longs for in life — and she is now convinced that just like the blessings that she is enjoying now, it will be given to her when the time is right. “I am not gonna overthink it anymore. I will not doubt or be angry. If it’s God’s plan, it will come at the right time. It will be my sweet surprise,” she cheerfully resigns.
Photo by ARTU NEPOMUCENO
Assisted by Yuban Fujiwara and Ignacio Gador
Makeup by ALBERT KURNIAWAN
Hair by JECK AGUILAR
Styled by KAT CRUZ
Produced by KARA ORTIGA
