Lea Salonga responds to viral video of her asking her fans to leave her dressing room
Lea Salonga has briefly addressed a viral video showing how she dealt with some fans who approached her while she was in her dressing room.
The video was posted by a fan on Facebook, who claimed that Lea was rude to them when they asked for a photo after the play Here Lies Love.
"GUSTO KO LANG PO IPOST. Bahala na po kayo humusga," the now-deleted post said.
In the 2-minute clip, the Broadway actress, who was clearly not happy to be ambushed, said that she doesn't know who they were and that they cannot have them backstage unless they were on the guest list.
"If I allow this now, other people are gonna take advantage of this," she said.
Another fan responded, claiming that she knows the co-producer of the show, former actress G Tongi.
Still, Lea insisted that they go outside by the door and explained that they needed people on the list "for security purposes."
"Please don't do this again," Lea said.
The fan then apologized and praised the singer-actress for her beauty and talent, to which Lea responded: "Thank you very much. But again, I have to be really strict about this."
Lea then instructed the other fans to the exit door, before heeding to their request for a photo.
The video quickly became popular online and sparked a conversation among internet users.
"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?" said one user.
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?pic.twitter.com/dRuJWY1HdX
— Erwin 🇵🇭🇪🇸 (@erwinaurella) July 16, 2023
Another one wrote: "With all these Lea Salonga dressing room fiascos, all I can say is Lea's true fan wouldn't dare to do what those people did! All these years she taught us how to respect her boundaries and have a so-called etiquette!"
One Twitter user enumerated why he is siding with the singer. "3. There is a protocol. Your ticket does not give you the rights to barge in the actor’s dressing room. As she said, there is a list. 4. If someone asks for their space, give it to them. It’s a sign of respect. The act is actually borderline obsessive and scary," he said.
On Twitter, the singer-actress replied to a fan who tagged G Tongi. She said she asked her if she knew the people.
"I checked in with G after that happened... she had no idea who they were," Lea replied to a tweet.
In another tweet, The Voice Philippines coach replied to an entertainment columnist who said that the venue, Broadway Theatre in New York, "needs tighter security."
"Hi Ruel! Actually, we have multiple levels of security at the theater. But I had a ton of guests that night and perhaps they folded right into them. Security policies have been even more tightened. Thanks for your concern, and hope to see you on our dance floor soon! It'll be good to see you again!" Lea said.
In the play, Lea portrays the role of Aurora, the mother of the late senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino III.
Here Lies Love was created by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim.