Jo Berry talks about being a little person making a big name in showbiz

Jo Berry has opened up about her experiences as a little person who’s making a name for herself in showbiz.

In an interview on “The Howie Severino Podcast,” the “Little Princess” star shared how she started her journey in the entertainment industry.

In 2016, she auditioned on “Magpakailanman” for the role of Lorna, a woman in a relationship with a man of normal height.

The character she played turned out to be based on one of her father Perry’s colleagues at the then Hobbit House bar, where little people served as staff members.

She got the part and thought it was special that she was playing a character in a story that resembled her own parents’—her mother is an average-sized woman.

While she didn’t have formal training back then, Jo said she was able to play the character well with the help of her acting coaches, her co-stars, and her own life experiences.

She said it also helped that she was familiar and comfortable with the production process after she and her father were featured on “I-Witness” in 2006, when she was a class president in grade 5.

Jo said her father had always been supportive of her dreams. Because he taught her she could be whatever she wanted, it never occurred to her that her height was a limitation.

“Opo, impluwensya po ’yun lahat ni papa kasi mula bata pa po kami, ’yun ’yung lagi niyang sinasabi, e. Kung anuman ’yung gusto naming gawin sa buhay namin, susuportahan niya kami and never kong naramdaman na may limit dati ’yung pangarap ko, e,” she said.

It didn’t mean, however, that life was easy for her. As a student, she heard all sorts of criticisms, from jokes about her height to negative comments discouraging her from finishing her studies.

With her family’s support, she soldiered on until she graduated from a computer course and got a job at a BPO company.

During this time, another acting opportunity knocked. The family encouraged her to pursue her showbiz dreams, even her older brother, who may also be small but eventually became her manager.

In 2018, Jo played the lead character on “Onanay.” She was surprised she even got considered, but she was also thankful that GMA Network trusted her with such a big role.

“Sabi ko, sigurado po ba kayo? ’Yun din po ang tanong ko. Sabi ko, susugal po kayo talaga? Kasi ’yun unang-una po, hindi naman lagi ang mga little person nabibigyan ng lead role na kagaya nu’ng binigay sa akin sa Onanay. And hindi po ako artista, wala po akong acting, wala po akong proper training in acting,” she said.

“Tapos sinabi nila, oo. So sabi ko, ay grabe. ’Yun na naramdaman ko na po na grabe na ’yung binigay agad na tiwala sa akin.”

Last year, Jo got her biggest break so far with “Little Princess,” where she played a company CEO.

“Isa po ’yun sa pinagpapa-thank you ko rin kasi ang laging ang mga ginagawa nila, sinusulat ng creative teams ng GMA for me is very inspiring lagi. And hindi lang siya nagko-concetrate sa du’n pagiging little person nu’ng character, marami pa siyang sanga-sanga na ganito siya, palaban siya,” said the actress.

Jo said she gave her all to every project not only to show gratitude but also to represent those who were like her.

“Kasi hindi naman lagi nabibigay po ’yun sa mga little people, e. Most of the roles na nakukuha ng little people kahit noon-noon pa na wala pa ako is slapstick,” she said.

“I mean, there’s nothing wrong with being funny or making people laugh pero nagiging pangit po siya in a way na nawawala na ’yung respeto, not just for the actor, but for other little people na makikita nila sa street, makikita nila na nag-aapply ng work for a decent job,” she added.

According to Jo, those who are like her preferred to be called “little people” rather than dwarf or midget, which may come off as insulting.

“’Yun po ’yung pangarap ni papa ever since na mabigyan ng disenteng trabaho ’yung mga kagaya namin, ’yung mga, puwede naman sila, capable naman sila, e. Kaya lang dahil nakikita sila lagi na ganu’n, ‘ah, pamperya lang ’yan, pang babatuk-batukan lang ’yan,” she said.

“Sabi ko, I’m not just representing myself, ’yung lahat ng little people din and other people na may disability, capable sila, hindi lang ’yung panlabas na anyo, hindi lang dahil magre-revolve lang lagi ’yung role sa pagiging iba niya.”

Jo credits her father for her strong mindset. She said her dad made her realize she could do anything, from dreaming of becoming a lawyer to entering showbiz.

“Growing up, nakita ko nga kung paano nabuhay si papa, si Kuya Jay. So ’yung mga tanong ko po, nasagot na siya agad bago ko pa siya itanong na hindi na kailangan i-explain sa akin, hindi na ako, hindi ko nakailangan magkaroon ng stage na tatanggapin ko ’yung sarili ko as a little person, as a different person sa iba kasi nandu’n si papa, nandu’n si kuya,” said Jo.

“Dati naalala ko sabi niya sa amin ni kuya na ’pag may nang-insulto sa amin na wala siya, ganyan, ngumiti lang daw po kami para at the end of the day mag-iisip ’yung tao, ‘I said something bad pero bakit nag-smile pa siya sa akin?’” she said.

“Basta ang bilin niya, iba lang kapag sinaktan ka na physically. Pero ’pag words lang, kaya mo pa ’yun.”

Unfortunately, her dad died last year due to COVID-19, just as she was about to start her lock-in taping for “Little Princess.” Her brother and grandfather also passed away last year.

While she had decided to pursue her showbiz projects, Jo said she still wanted to become a lawyer.

“Pangarap ko pa rin naman po siya hanggang ngayon and I’m planning to pursue it pa din,” she said. – RC, GMA News