Dolly de Leon says Alex Eala's success made her realize importance of awards

Dolly de Leon said Alex Eala's tennis success helped her realize that winning international awards could mean a lot to Filipinos.

On Tuesday's episode of "Fast Talk With Boy Abunda," the veteran actress said she previously did not think much about it, even when she scored historic nominations at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs.

"Dati, hindi importante sa 'kin eh nung nangyayari. Pero ngayon, nakikita ko 'yung importance," she said.

"Lalo na nung nangyari 'yung kay Alex Eala, 'yung pride na na-experience ng buong country nung nanalo siya," she continued. "So parang, kailangan natin 'yung ganung enthusiasm at ganung motivation para mas galingan pa natin."

Alex recently made history at this year's Wimbledon after making it to the Round of 16. She was the first Filipino player to have achieved the feat in a Grand Slam singles tournament in the Open Era.

The Filipina tennis ace engineered an upset against former world no. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland before she bowed out of Wimbledon with her loss to Italy's Jasmine Paolini.

The tournament marked the end of Alex's impressive grass-court season, during which she captured the WTA 125 title in Birmingham and reached the semifinals of the Berlin Tennis Open.

Meanwhile, Dolly first made an impression on the global stage in 2022, playing the role of Abigail in the critically acclaimed film "Triangle of Sadness." Shortly after, she starred in her first American TV series, "Nine Perfect Strangers" Season 2.

Recently, she appeared in Netflix's "Avatar: The Last Airbender," where she plays the twins Lo and Li—fire bending mentors to Azula, the princess of the Fire Nation.

Dolly has also been cast as Lola Fatima in the DreamWorks animated film "Forgotten Island." —Nika Roque/MGP, GMA News