Azi Acosta is said to have the "magic" that directors and producers look for in a movie star.
The commercial model-turned-actor plays the lead in Vivamax's Pamasahe as Lineth, a poor young mother from the province who goes to the city to look for her husband but ends up working as a masseuse.
"Lineth faces challenges in her journey to the city," the movie's director Roman Perez Jr. said at the media conference.
He first worked with Azi in Ang Babaeng Nawawala sa Sarili. Though assigned a minor role, Azi caught the eye of Roman, who said he saw Alice Dixson in her.
Azi was cast in other Vivamax projects such as Sitio Diablo, An/Na, and Selina's Gold.
"Boss Vic (Del Rosario) and I shared the same sentiments about how she is as an actor. I suggested we test her skills in a drama, because I noticed she had a hard time in Sitio Diablo," Roman recalled.
"When I saw her in the workshop for Pamasahe, her magic… it's different. She has the potential to be Vivamax's future."
Roman compared Azi to Judy Ann Santos: "She has strong appeal… intense. She's always in character."
Azi the model has come a long way since her designer first took her to the Viva office where they waited for hours to talk to Boss Vic.
Starring with Azi are Mark Anthony Fernandez, Felix Roco, Shien Yu, Julio Diaz, Shirley Fuentes, and Erlinda Villalobos.
Pamasahe streams on Vivamax starting 9 December.
