Hope Elizabeth Soberano (born January 4, 1998) is a Filipino and American actress. Known for playing supporting characters in dramas and comedies as a teenager, she has since expanded her repertoire to leading roles in television and film. She has received several major accolades, including a FAMAS Award, a PMPC Star Award, and six Box Office Entertainment Awards. Tatler Asia named her one of the most influential people in Asia in 2022 and 2023.
Born in Santa Clara, California, Soberano relocated to Quezon City and began her career as a model at thirteen. She made her television debut in the fantasy anthology series Wansapanataym (2011), before her breakthrough in the second season of the romantic drama series Got to Believe (2014). She gained wider recognition for portraying the strawberry plantation farmer Agnes in the romantic drama series Forevermore (2014), which was the first of her collaborations with actor Enrique Gil.
Soberano found commercial success in several romantic films, including My Ex and Whys (2017), for which she earned the Box Office Entertainment Award for Box Office Queen. Attempting to shed her image as an on-screen couple with Gil, she sought roles in other genres and debuted as a voice actress in the animated series Trese (2021). In 2022, she returned to California to pursue an acting career in Hollywood; she has since starred in the horror comedy film Lisa Frankenstein (2024) and the animated fantasy comedy Forgotten Island (2026). She has been described by media publications as one of the most beautiful Filipino actresses of her generation. She is vocal about gender equality, women's rights, and mental health.
Early life and background Hope Elizabeth Soberano was born on January 4, 1998, in Santa Clara, California. Her father John is Filipino and a native of Pangasinan, whereas her mother Jacqulyn is an American from San Jose, California. Shortly after her birth, Soberano's parents separated. Her mother suffered from a crystal meth addiction, which her brother inherited at birth. Jacqulyn and Michael, her boyfriend at the time, were arrested after the latter kidnapped Soberano and her brother.
Her maternal grandparents Jeff, who served in the U.S. Navy, and Divina, a bank teller, adopted her. However, she and her brother were transferred to the foster care system due to concerns that her grandparents were too old to be their guardians. On the Can I Come In? podcast, Soberano alleged that her adoptive mother Melissa was severely abusive. She detailed incidents such as Melissa forcing Soberano to clean dog feces with her tongue. She and her brother returned to their grandparents after a social worker made a surprise visit and saw signs of abuse on Soberano's body. She has five half-brothers and three half-sisters from her parents' second marriages. Soberano and her grandparents later moved to Visalia, California. She considered them as adoptive parents and has stated "it always made me feel awkward when I would [say] grandma or grandpa"; she instead would refer to them as her "mommy and daddy".
As a child, Soberano wanted to become a nurse or enlist in the U.S. Army. She was drawn to the latter because of her maternal grandfather's background in military service. She became interested in modeling after watching the reality series America's Next Top Model, but saw it as an unlikely career choice. At age ten, she relocated to the Philippines and lived with her father in Pangasinan. Soberano developed an interest in acting after watching Filipino drama series such as Tayong Dalawa, Agua Bendita, and Mara Clara, despite not knowing the language. After several years, the family moved to Quezon City. At thirteen, she began appearing in television commercials and print media. Around this time, a talent scout found her on social media and introduced her to artist manager Ogie Diaz. However, a week before they met, she had signed a one-year deal with GMA Network's talent management group. At Diaz's urging, Soberano asked to be released from her contract, which then had a thirty-day waiver; she eventually signed with Diaz and he recommended that Soberano learn to speak in Tagalog in order to get acting jobs.
Career 2011–2015: Early roles and breakthrough Introduced as Hope Soberano, she began her career with a minor part in a 2011 episode of ABS-CBN's fantasy anthology television series Wansapanataym. The following year, she received her first part as a series regular when she joined the cast of the afternoon drama television series Kung Ako'y Iiwan Mo (2012). Playing the supporting role of Claire, younger sister of Paul (played by Jake Cuenca), she found that being in the drama to be an important learning experience which shaped her work ethic, and said in a 2018 interview that since earning her first salary from the project, she became the family breadwinner. During the time, she underwent a series of acting workshops and took on singing lessons. Before her cinematic debut in the coming-of-age romantic comedy film Must Be... Love (2013), she adopted the stage name Liza Soberano, taken from her middle name, at the suggestion of Star Creatives executive Malou Santos. In Must Be... Love, Soberano played a young girl caught in a love triangle between Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo; reviews criticized the film and their performances for the overdone clichés and formulaic plot. Later that year, she appeared in the romantic drama film She's the One (2013), co-starring Dingdong Dantes and Bea Alonzo.
Soberano's breakthrough came when she portrayed the love interest of Daniel Padilla's character in the second season of romantic drama television series Got to Believe, which aired from January to March 2014. Although she considered the role a turning point in her career, Soberano found it disconcerting to play the "third wheel" for a second time. She next starred opposite Enrique Gil in Cathy Garcia-Sampana's romantic drama television series Forevermore (2014). Set in La Trinidad, Benguet, the story followed two teenagers from different social classes who fall in love. She portrayed Agnes, a strawberry farmer who supervises hotel magnate Xander (Gil) after he is forced to work on the plantation. The production received a PMPC Star Award for Best Primetime Drama Series nomination, and Soberano was named Most Promising Female Star at the 2015 Box Office Entertainment Awards.
In 2015, Soberano starred in two romance films with Gil: Just the Way You Are and Everyday I Love You. In Theodore Boborol's romantic comedy Just the Way You Are, she played Sophia Taylor, an awkward, unattractive American expatriate who is seduced by an egotistic womanizer named Drake Sison (Gil) as a result of a bet. The film is an adaptation of Kimberly Joy Villanueva's Wattpad romance novel The Bet. Critical reaction to the film was negative; Oggs Cruz from Rappler termed it "completely generic" and "utterly forgettable", though he credited Soberano for lending her appeal and charm. She then starred in the Mae Cruz-Alviar-directed romantic drama Everyday I Love You. Filmed in Negros Occidental, it featured her as a woman whose boyfriend (played by Gerald Anderson) falls into a coma and she later falls in love with another man. The Philippine Daily Inquirer Rito Asilo noted how much Soberano's "disarming dramatic perspicacity and appealing presence" aided the narrative. Abigail Mendoza of the Philippine Entertainment Portal wrote, "She is a natural who displays the right restraint, pleasing to watch all the more since she doesn't try too hard." Both films were commercially successful, each grossing over million (US$million), and earned Soberano and Gil the Box Office Entertainment Award for Most Popular Love Team.
2016–2020: Rise to prominence
Dolce Amore (), her next romantic drama series with Gil, premiered in 2016. It was shot in Rome and Florence, and was directed by Garcia-Sampana again. Soberano starred as Serena Marchesa, a young aristocrat forced to marry her childhood friend Giancarlo de Luca (Matteo Guidicelli) but leaves for Manila and falls in love with Simon Vicente "Tenten" Ibarra (Gil), an impoverished man working as a male escort. In preparation for the part, Soberano learned to speak Italian and worked closely with co-actor Ruben Maria Soriquez, who served as the cast's dialect coach. Nestor Torre Jr. of the Philippine Daily Inquirer took note of her acting versatility and praised her as the production's highlight. For the role, Soberano was nominated for a PMPC Star Award for Best Drama Actress.
The romantic drama film My Ex and Whys (2017) starred Soberano as Cali Ferrer, a blogger who must work with her ex-boyfriend Gio Martinez (Gil) after their online conversations with each other go viral. Cosmopolitan Philippines' Jacina A. Lopez remarked that although My Ex and Whys is far from a "cinematic art film", she appreciated it for being "comfortable, safe, and warm". She also praised Soberano's performance, which she believed was one of the actress' "most mature" so far. The director, Garcia-Sampana, wanted Soberano to dissociate from the persona she portrayed in Dolce Amore, and thus asked her to "act lighter" and play the part by de-glamorizing. She found herself challenged by her character's pain and struggled to draw from real-life experience, as she had never experienced a break-up. Mari-An Santos of the Philippine Entertainment Portal commended Soberano and Gil's chemistry in the film. Oggs Cruz from Rappler dismissed the unoriginal plot and thought Soberano's performance lacked depth. With earnings of more than million (US$million), My Ex and Whys was one of the highest-grossing Filipino films of the year. Soberano subsequently received the Box Office Entertainment Award for Box Office Queen. Also that year, she took on a starring role in an episode of the anthology television series Maalaala Mo Kaya (), portraying Pia Wurtzbach who became known for winning Miss Universe 2015.
In 2018, Soberano starred as the tribal heroine Ganda in the epic fantasy television series Bagani. Set in the fictional kingdom of Sansinukob, the series followed a series of conflicts among the noble warriors from five regions of the realm. It featured flight sequences that required her to perform stunts while strapped into harnesses, and to prepare for the role, she trained in wushu. While filming, Soberano injured herself and sustained an arm fracture. The series was heavily criticized by media critics for whitewashing its characters; Soberano's role was meant to be a pre-colonial native of the Philippines. Dan Maglinong of Interaksyon observed that she was famous for her "Caucasian features" and was required to paint her skin darker to portray Ganda. In response, Soberano emphasized that her father is fully Filipino and that she grew up in Filipino culture. Despite the backlash, Soberano was nominated for Best Drama Actress at the 2018 PMPC Star Awards for Television.
The following year, Soberano continued to collaborate with Gil in a romantic drama film Alone/Together (2019), written and directed by Antoinette Jadaone. Playing a college couple who go through a series of relationship struggles, the pair spent some time immersing in academic experiences to prepare; she attended classes at the University of the Philippines Diliman, while Gil visited a hospital to interact with medical students. Pablo Tariman of The Philippine Star praised her "well-defined" portrayal of an overwhelmed character, and Oggs Cruz called her a "formidable performer". The film was a commercial success, grossing over million (US$million) at the box office.