MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American actress Liza Soberano confirmed her three-year split from Enrique Gil in a heartbreaking and honest episode of documentary-podcast Can I Come In? on Thursday, August 14.
In the cinema-style tell-all, Soberano details her experiences of working with Gil as ‘LizQuen,’ the struggles that came with fabricating love teams, and the genuine love both shared behind the spotlight.
The actress described Gil as her first love, but said she had long wanted to reveal their breakup; she said they initially kept their breakup under wraps as Gil had asked her not to say anything about it first.
Speculations of their breakup started as early as 2022. Soberano denied the rumors in June 2022, saying that she and Gil were “totally fine.”
Gil appeared to have indirectly debunked the speculations when he posted his birthday greeting for Soberano in January 2023, referring to her as his “best friend and baby.”
In July 2023, Gil further denied the rumors by saying that he and Soberano were “good,” adding that they were both just busy with their own projects.
Soberano’s confirmation comes over two years after Ogie Diaz claimed in May 2023 that they had broken up.
This is what transpired for both Soberano and Gil’s careers in the past three years, while they were apparently broken up already.
Hollywood dreams
Upon moving back to America in 2022, Soberano signed under James Reid’s Careless Music for her international film debut, as said in a 2024 Rappler interview.
For Soberano, this was “the perfect time” to make a move into Hollywood, given her contract with Star Magic and former talent manager Ogie Diaz had already expired. The move to Hollywood was part of the young actress’ dreams within the broad film and television industry.
Under Reid’s management, Soberano was able to land a supporting role in the horror dramedy Lisa Frankenstein (2024), starring opposite Kathryn Newton as the titular role and Cole Sprouse as the Creature.
“When I read the script, I knew that I wanted to be in it…It was like a dream project of mine,” Soberano revealed in the interview. She further added that she initially had to tone down her excitement as she did not want to “get crushed and hurt” if the project did not push through — a reality faced by many thespians.
Soberano starred as Taffy, Lisa’s stepsister. Her performance gained critical acclaim despite the film’s lukewarm reception. She was praised for her performance, with her overall physical and comedic delivery being noteworthy.
“I would say that it is very liberating because there are a lot of cultural differences in terms of how they (Hollywood) create stories. It’s more fantastical, it’s not like reality. So, it kind of allows you to be more artistic about it, to have more fun with it, and make it whatever you want it to be,” Soberano shared about the difference between working in America compared to the Philippines.
Soberano has also starred opposite Thai artist Bright Vachirawit in a music video for his song “Long Showers” in 2024.
Currently, Soberano is under Singaporean management group WILD after she departed from Careless Music in 2024. As an advocate for Filipino film, the actress also set up her own production studio in 2024, according to Inquirer.net. She has not mentioned the company’s name.
Revitalized career
As for Enrique Gil, he has continued his career in the country with works such as Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Hospital Killer (2024) and I Am Not Big Bird (2024), both of which he produced and starred in.
When talking about Strange Frequencies on an episode of Rappler Talk, Gil said: “There’s a way of shooting Filipino horror films here in our country. There’s a very specific way and when we saw this ‘found footage’ style na horror na (that) has never been done before in Philippine cinema really drew me closer to the project.”
As a fan of the horror genre, Gil was set on getting involved in the project when it was first presented to him.
Gil shared that he is quite fond of the style. “It’s a bit more personal, there’s some rawness to it you know? It’s just in your face and it brings the audience a little bit closer to these characters,” he said.
Strange Frequencies was part of the roster of films included in the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival. The 2024 film is the first film for the franchise, as he wishes to go further with the movie’s concept and Philippine horror.
Before the films, Gil took a “three-year showbiz hiatus” back in 2020, before signing another exclusive contract with ABS-CBN in 2023.
“I’m really excited to be coming back and starting a new path,” Gil said. “I’m really excited to be doing something I’ve never done before, so hopefully you guys can watch out for that.”
As of late, Gil will be reunited with actress Julia Baretto in the new series Hi, Hello, as stated in an Inquirer report. This will mark the duo sharing the screen once more after more than 10 years since their last project together.
Beyond acting, Gil was also appointed as chief communications and impact officer for the telemedicine platform KonsultaMD in 2023.
Love in bloom
While ‘LizQuen’ may have split up, rumors regarding Soberano’s current love life have been up in the air.
The Hollywood actress has been linked with former Careless Music chief executive officer Jeffery Oh, with reports from The Daily Tribune stating that Soberano planned a private birthday celebration for Oh in Los Angeles, California, back in 2024.
However, for the actress, her main priority is herself. As she shared in her Can I Come In? episode, she is done chasing approval from anyone, but most especially from those she does not care about.
“Liza, you were so hard on Hope. You did not love her properly,” she said. By the end of the almost hour-long podcast, Soberano hopes that she can “grow and heal more,” moving past toxic habits and promising to love herself better.
‘LizQuen’ first broke into the scene in the 2014 television series Forevermore. Since then, they have worked on other projects as a beloved love team until the 2020 series Make It With You. Their works together include Dolce Amore (2016), My Ex and Whys (2017) and Alone/Together (2019). – Mikay Tormon/Rappler.com
Mikay Tormon is a Rappler intern studying Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a Minor in Sociology at the Ateneo de Manila University.
