Dolly DeLeon. Image credit: Instagram/@dollyedeleon
For Dolly DeLeon, reporting on someone’s craft should be the focus, not their personal life, which she stressed is none of their business.
“Maybe we should focus more on what people do in the arts rather than what they do in their personal lives. Because it’s a personal thing,” De Leon told INQUIRER.net on the sidelines of the Rolling Stone Philippines edition launch in Makati when asked how mainstream media should improve in terms of coverage of arts, culture, theater and other related media.
She made the comments after winning the Best Supporting Actress award at the Critics’ Choice (CCA) Asian Pacific American Film and Television Celebration in Los Angeles last November.
De León has also starred in the films Between the Temples, Ghost Lights and 2024’s Jackpot!, and will appear in the TV series Nine Perfect Strangers and Severino: The First Serial Killer next year.
“We should pay more attention to the art they create rather than what they do behind closed doors because it’s none of our business,” she said, noting that having more platforms covering arts, culture, film, theatre and entertainment “makes sense” because it lets the public know that local artists are “alive and kicking.”
Speaking on the topic for the local magazine, De Leon also shared that one of the “most rockin’ things” she’s ever done was swimming in the fountains of a posh hotel in Makati.
“Swimming in the fountains of the Manila Peninsula. Teenagers ako n’un. Galing akong inuman and sabi ko may pool, “Tara Swimming tayo.” Tapos kasama ko ang friends Kong like adventure. Tumalong kami. Walang nakakita sa’min, madaling araw na ‘yun,” she recalled.
(When I was a teenager, I once swam in the fountain at the Peninsula Manila. I was drunk and said to my adventurous friend, “Come on, let’s go swimming.” So we jumped in. It was early in the morning so no one saw us.)
The actress was among the celebrities invited to the launch of the Philippine edition of Rolling Stone, which is published by Modern Media Group Inc., the parent company of Manila Nylon and Billboard Philippines. Ely Buendia and Janno Gibbs were also in attendance.
The star-studded event was hosted by the agency’s CEO Archie Carrasco, COO Anne Bernisca, and the platform’s editorial content director Jonty Cruz and digital editor Sai Versailles.
The entertainment and lifestyle platform aims to “reinvigorate attitudes in the media industry,” Cruz said. “When you ask people what ‘The Rolling Stones’ is, they say rock and roll and music. But I think when all is said and done and you see our content, you’re going to have a sense of, ‘Oh, this is another level of storytelling.’”