‘Be with yourself muna.’ Nadine Lustre talks political bets and getting closure in rare podcast interview

"It’s just really, really heartbreaking to see that there are a lot of people suffering because of the pandemic, you know. A lot of people have lost their jobs, everyone is having a hard time trying to get back on their feet, everyone’s struggling, you know, mentally and emotionally as well.

"I’m one person but together, all of us, if we do something about it, it will make a difference. So, ‘yun lang. I just really want the Philippines to be better for everyone."

When asked about her political bets for the coming 2022 national elections, Nadine said that she supports Vice President Leni Robredo—but that doesn't mean she would force anyone to vote differently.

"You can support who you wanna support. And you shouldn’t be afraid to say it to people. And if you wanna support someone, you do it all the way. It’s like, why would you be ashamed of your picks. Ako naman, if you don’t like my pick, eh ‘di that’s your problem. Ako, I know who I’m gonna vote for. It’s just like that."

"I respect everyone’s preferences," she added. "I’m not gonna pa-trend you just because you wanna vote for this person. That’s yours and I respect that, and I hope people do the same to me."

Nadine, the actress

With her comeback film Greed, Nadine stars alongside the likes of Epy Quizon and Diego Loyzaga in her first lock-in taping. The film will also be Lustre's first movie since she "terminated" her contract with Viva Artists Agency in 2020 after 11 years with the management.

"Now, I wanna do crazy roles, I wanted something that’s like action or thriller. It excites me. I love stories," the Gawad Urian winner gushed. "I just find it super interesting and I kind of like being someone else for a short time.

"I'm really excited about the lock-in and for the film. It’s something new for me."

Moving on and getting closure

Finally, Nadine shared how she found the courage to get over her long-term relationship with James Reid, whom she now works with under the music label Careless.

She revealed that it took her over a year to process the breakup in lockdown and within herself, as it happened before the pandemic. 

"I was pretty much in limbo for like more than a year. I guess one piece of advice is just to take your time. I mean it’s not that wounds heal that easily. It will take time, but it’s super worth it in the end."

"Be with yourself muna for a while and learn to do things on your own. I feel like because you’ve grown with another person, you guys are growing together, I feel like it’s high time that you grow on your own."

"A lot of people kasi think na when you’re with a partner, you always should have to grow together. There’s that mentality. But in reality, you also have to grow individually. There’s a saying na in a relationship, you’ve seen your partner shed a lot of their own selves. Just really take your time."

She went on to share the lightbulb moment when she realized that she had gotten over the relationship of over three years.

"It was really weird because there were times na I was like, ‘Fuck I wish this could still work out.' At first it was hard for me, because I was like, this couldn’t happen. This can’t go away because I still wanna be with this person but one day, I just woke up and I told my friend, ‘you know what, it’s not there anymore.'"

"Sometimes, that happens. It took a while because I needed to realize that I needed to put myself first. But when I realized that, and when I decided to put myself first, it just went out the window."

Listen to the podcast in full here.