TONY-award winning Broadway superstar Lea Salonga is back on stage for Here Lies Love but another reason made her viral once again – eager fans invading her personal space backstage.
In the now-viral video of Salonga’s interaction with the Filipino fans, the singer-actress could be seen looking irate after two fans barged into her dressing room asking for a photo with her.
The fan who re-posted the video said Salonga’s reaction was understandable.
““Lea Salonga was not wrong to insist on respecting her personal space in this instance. These ‘fans’ are beyond entitled and rude. But my key takeaway here is there’s no one managing or securing their backstage area?” the netizen tweeted.
As could be seen on the video, the two fans went to the area where Salonga was staying and asked her if they could have a photo with her. This prompted the actress to ask about their identities.
“Who are you? I’m so sorry I don’t know who you are,” she told the fans.
The two replied they were just fans asking for a photo.
But Salonga said that if they were not on the official guest list, they cannot be allowed access into the dressing room and instead should just wait by the door.
“I’m sorry because if I allow this now, then other people are going to take advantage,” she said.
One of the fans then said they were friends with actress G Toengi who is one of the producers of the show.
The singer eventually permitted them to take a photo with her and then gave them specific instructions to wait by the door.
She once again explained that those on the guest list cannot be allowed to enter her dressing area for security purposes.
“Please don’t do this again,” she added.
Later, one of the fans who seemed to be taking the video as Salonga walked past backstage profusely praised the actress, saying how much they idolize her and how beautiful she is. While acknowledging the fan’s good words, Salonga still looked annoyed and insisted that she has to be strict about protocols.
“Thank you but again I have to be strict about this,” she said.
Even towards the end of the video, the singer’s annoyance about what happened can still be noticed as she directed the people to the area where they should wait.
Lea briefly responds
The singer dedicated a few tweets in response to the incident.
In one tweet, she replied to a fan who even tagged Tongi to ask about what happened. Contrary to the fans’ claims that they knew the former teen star, Salonga said, “I checked in with G after this happened….. She had no idea who they were.”
Among the personalities who quickly came to the singer’s defense is Spain-based Filipino columnist Erwin Aurella. Shortly after the video came out, Aurella tweeted that Salonga was not wrong in insisting on respect for her personal space. He also questioned the security that the management assigned to the area after the entry of fans not on the guest list.
Salonga then replied that there are, in fact, multiple levels of security at the theater, but the volume of guests might have been too overwhelming.
Netizens react
Salonga earned the sympathy of netizens who mostly understood her reaction to being ambushed by fans wanting to take a photo with her.
Several said they admired how the singer professionally handled the situation.
