Everyone was pleased when the “Pantasya ng Bayan” came home, still every inch the sexy star that she is. But it was an even better surprise when she announced that she just earned her Marketing degree in Australia. Clearly, a great body on a smart girl is an even better deal. Photos by Connie M. Tungul. Text by Jillian Q. Gatcheco. Private Joyce “I was really going there just to study. I was really going to come (home),” explains Joyce, who says she never had any plans of migrating to Australia. “If ever I would migrate I would probably migrate back to the United States.” One of the reasons why she wanted to pursue her studies was to be able to run her lingerie business, Private Joyce, more efficiently. Joyce and her manager conceptualized Private Joyce about five years ago. “She knows that show business won’t be forever. She wanted me to have something to fall back on. (The business) had to be, you know, (catering to) my interest and something (na) bagay with my image, my personality. I would always have problems looking for lingerie -- bras and panties here, ‘cos no one really offers (them) except 'yung medyo plain lang -- wala namang parang sexy or something like that. (Kung) meron, mahal. So you know, we wanna offer (something) affordable. Doon na nag-spark 'yung idea.” “I understand it more na. It’s not too much the application of me using what I’ve learned; I understand it more. Now I understand why certain things are the way they are. It helps me better in that sense; it helps me a lot in the business.” Private Joyce used to be available in Sari-Sari store. “(But) once we’ve open-up our own store we got out of Sari-sari,” says Joyce. Instead of making Private Joyce available for franchise, Joyce would rather expand the business. “Right now, we’re just trying to concentrate on the stores that we have. I would love to (make the) business (available) nationwide.” Right now she’d rather focus on her business than her acting career. “More of the business because that’s the one thing that’s a constant in my life -- I don’t really have a regular show or anything like that. But I think I’m slowly concentrating on coming back again (in showbiz). And, ‘yun nga, I’m lucky naman that people are still getting me and I’m still doing magazines and stuff like that. So, swerte talaga ako.” Career talk Although Joyce doesn’t have plans of doing a movie anytime soon, she’s been busy reading scripts. “Sana dumating na 'yung right role for me. Syempre naman, (pag dumating), why wouldn’t I (accept it)?” Joyce’s dream role is something similar to her character in Lupin, where she stayed for the show’s last few weeks. “'Yung pang action (naman) ng konti!” she shares. Joyce has also been guesting in random Kapuso shows such as Nuts Entertainment. “It’s different, ‘cos it’s not exactly a comedy. It’s more of like, you know, parlor games. Yeah, it’s been fun. It was nice. It’s a nice experience.” When asked if she’d be willing to venture into comedy in the future, she replied, “Not really, but offer it to me and I’ll try anything!” “I did have a sitcom with Aga (Mulach) naman before, so I’ve tried it (already). But I guess, being an actress, you should be able to try different kinds of genres. ‘Cos I don’t want to become stereotyped also. I’m lucky that I’ve been able to go into almost all genres.” What’s her message for her fans? “Go back to school!” she says with a laugh. “Study, it’s the most important thing you can give yourself.” She continues humbly, “If there are still some (fans) out there, I guess thanks for the support. There’s nothing else I can really say. Really, thanks for the support, and for making me be still here.” Be on the lookout for Joyce’s next move! Visit iGMA.tv regularly for the latest updates on your favorite stars!