HOLLYWOOD, California — “Long before Hollywood, long before Broadway, there was Manila.”
With those words, Lea Salonga brought the Philippines to the heart of Hollywood on Friday morning as she became the first Filipino to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Tony and Olivier Award-winning actress and singer received the landmark’s 2,855th star in the Live Performance category during an 11:30 a.m. ceremony on Sept. 4 (2:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, in Manila) in front of the historic Pantages Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.
For Salonga, however, the distinction was as much about where she came from — and those who may follow — as the extraordinary career that brought her there.
“I also can’t stand here today without thinking about where I come from,” she said.
“When I began my career, I didn’t see very many people who looked like me doing the things I dreamed of doing on the world’s biggest stages and screens. There wasn’t an obvious road.”
Salonga recalled how fortunate she had been to encounter people who “opened doors” and “took chances” on her, before turning the moment toward a generation of Filipino and Asian performers whose presence on the international stage has grown since she began her career.
“Over the years, I have watched that world begin to change. Not enough. Not completely. But it has changed,” she said.
“There are so many extraordinary Filipino and Asian artists working today, telling our stories, playing roles we once could have never imagined being offered, and creating new opportunities for future generations. That means an enormous amount to me.”
Then came what was perhaps the morning’s most resonant declaration.
“I hope that someday a young Filipino kid comes to Hollywood, sees my name, and thinks, ‘Oh. Maybe I can get here too.’”
Salonga, who made her professional stage debut in the Philippines at age seven in “The King and I,” admitted the sight of her name permanently set into Hollywood Boulevard remained difficult to comprehend.
“This is surreal,” she began, characteristically breaking the emotion with humor. “I’ve walked down this street many times. I’ve stepped on a lot of famous people, and now people get to step on me, which feels strangely appropriate for show business. I love a full-circle moment.”
“But truly, to see my name here, to know that it will be here forever, is something I’m still trying to wrap my head around.”
She made clear, too, that the single name carved into the terrazzo star represented the work and love of many.
“There’s something funny about a star like this because there’s only room for one name, but no career is ever the work of just one person,” Salonga said.
First among those she credited was her mother, Ligaya Salonga, who managed her career for decades and believed in her long before international acclaim arrived.
“My mother … was there from the beginning, using her hard-earned money to record my first album,” Salonga recalled. “She loaded pressed vinyls into our family car and went door-to-door to stores back home selling copies. She was my manager for decades, my champion my whole life.”
She also paid tribute to her brother, conductor and musical director Gerard Salonga, calling him “my first duet partner, my favorite accompanist and the finest musician I know.”
And she spoke movingly of her son, Nic Chien, who has begun carving out a career of his own in acting and entertainment.
“My son, who is back East, having just started his own journey into the world of acting and entertainment. He is an inspiration, the bravest person I’ve ever met, my proudest production to date and always.”
The description carried particular resonance given Nic’s own very public journey. The 19-year-old has openly identified himself as a transgender man and spoken about realizing he was trans at 14, as well as his gender transition.
Salonga, for her part, has been an outspoken supporter of her son, previously urging parents to be proud of children “brave enough to fight for who they are.”
Nic has also followed his mother into theater, appearing with her as Jack opposite Salonga’s Witch in the 2025 Philippine staging of “Into the Woods,” and has continued pursuing acting on his own.
Salonga went on to thank the teachers, directors, composers, lyricists, actors, musicians, crews and representatives who have figured in her nearly five-decade career, before acknowledging the audiences that have followed her from one defining role to another.
“Some of you have met me as Kim. Some as Eponine, or Fantine. Some of you heard my voice coming out of Princess Jasmine or Mulan before you had any idea who I was. And some of you have stayed with me through all of it. Thank you.”
Fellow Hollywood Walk of Famers Ming-Na Wen and Brandy joined Filipino American Broadway star Darren Criss among the guest speakers at Friday’s ceremony, hosted by sports and entertainment journalist Sibley Scoles.
Criss underscored the significance of Salonga’s achievement from a Filipino perspective, noting that she is the first “homegrown, 100 percent Filipino” artist to receive the honor and speaking proudly about their shared heritage.
Salonga is officially the first Filipina to receive a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. The Manila International Film Festival (MIFF), which nominated her to the Hollywood Walk of Fame Committee, is holding its third edition in Los Angeles from Sept. 3 to 6.
During the program, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Ron Frierson called Salonga forward for presentations from the City of Los Angeles and the State of California.
Following her speech, Frierson delivered another distinction, proclaiming Sept. 4 as “Lea Salonga Day” in Hollywood.
Salonga’s star was then unveiled on Hollywood Boulevard.
The celebration continues Sunday, Sept. 6, when the MIFF presents Salonga with its Icon Award during its Closing Night Awards Gala at The Beverly Hilton.
But on Friday, standing above a star that will permanently carry her name, Salonga ended her remarks looking not backward at the career that earned it, but forward.
After thanking the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, MIFF and everyone behind the honor, she offered one last joke to the thousands who will eventually pass over her star.
“To everyone who walks down Hollywood Boulevard in the years ahead, please feel free to step on me,” she said.
“Maraming maraming salamat,” she continued — “thank you, very, very much.
“What an extraordinary journey this has been. And the best part is I’m not done yet," she ended.
