Lea Salonga made history on Sept 4 when she became the first Filipino to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The star on the storied boulevard in Tinseltown is the latest accolade for Salonga, whose honours in her 45-year career include being the first Filipino to win the Laurence Olivier and Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for Miss Saigon.
She is also the first Asian to win a Tony in that category.
In the late-morning ceremony held in front of the Pantages Theatre, Salonga was cheered by a crowd as she received the 2,855th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
She drew laughs during her speech as she playfully acknowledged that fans would soon be stepping on her star. “Feel free to walk on me,” she joked.
Sibley Scoles, an Emmy Award-winning sports and entertainment journalist whose diverse heritage includes Filipino, black, white, Spanish and Native American roots, was the emcee for the programme, which was attended by Salonga’s fellow artistes, creatives and industry executives, relatives, friends and fans.
Ming-Na Wen, Darren Criss and Brandy were among the artistes who delivered remarks congratulating Salonga.
Criss, a Filipino American, is Salonga’s fellow Tony Award winner – he won for Maybe Happy Ending in 2025.
Salonga and Criss, the first artiste of Filipino descent to win a Golden Globe in 2019 for Best Actor in The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, have performed together in concerts and events.
“It’s about time,” said actress Dolly De Leon about the unprecedented honour given to a Filipino artiste.
De Leon, the first Filipina to earn a Golden Globe Award best supporting actress nomination for Swedish film-maker Ruben Ostlund’s Triangle Of Sadness (2022), was one of the artistes at the ceremony.
Aside from both being in the voice cast in the upcoming animated fantasy film, Forgotten Island (2026), Salonga and De Leon starred in Request Sa Radyo (2024), a Manila adaptation of German playwright Franz Xaver Kroetz’s 1971 landmark work Request Concert.
Salonga, in a purple pantsuit, began her speech at the podium by quipping: “I have walked down this street many times. I’ve stepped on a lot of famous people and, now, people get to step on me, which feels strangely appropriate for show business. I love a full circle moment.”
Reflecting on her career as a Filipina who broke barriers, she said: “There are so many extraordinary Filipino and Asian artistes working today, telling our stories, playing roles we once could have never imagined being offered, and creating new opportunities for future generations. That means an enormous amount to me.
“I hope that someday, a Filipino kid comes to Hollywood, sees my name and thinks, ‘maybe I can get here too'.”
Criss said: “Today, we are celebrating a hard worker. Lea and I both had fathers who served in the Navy and, as such, I think we both know that one does not make it from Manila to Hollywood with a resume as prolific as hers simply on talent alone. She is a devoted acolyte of the craftsmanship of performance.”
Referring to Salonga’s star on the popular pavement frequented by tourists, Criss joked: “I suspect it will be the only time that Lea Salonga will ever let anyone walk all over her.”
Wen collaborated with Salonga to bring to life Mulan, the popular title character of Disney’s 1998 animated classic. Salonga provided the singing voice while Wen performed the speaking voice.
Wen, who received her star on Hollywood’s famous thoroughfare in 2023, is also known for her roles in The Joy Luck Club (1989), Street Fighter (1994) and the series Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D (2013 to 2020).
She complimented Salonga: “I’ve seen you fill huge venues all by yourself, like the rock star you are. But you’ve also found the time to open doors for young artistes all around the world and have contributed to many humanitarian efforts.
“Your real legacy lives in the people you have inspired, the performers who found courage because of you, and the millions of fans who found joy in your music and the communities who see themselves represented in your success.”
Brandy, honoured as a Walk of Fame inductee earlier in 2026, and Salonga recently performed together in a duet of A Whole New World at the Disney Princess: The Ultimate Concert Celebration in August at Disney California Adventure.
Brandy said of Salonga: “Before many people knew how to speak about representation, Lea had already turned it into sound. Her voice told millions of children, ‘You are not outside of the magic. You are within it. You are a part of it.’
“Long before Hollywood knew her name, a seven-year-old girl in the Philippines stepped on stage. Her voice crossed oceans... conquered Broadway, made her the first Asian woman to win a Tony Award and made her a Disney Legend.”
Other attendees included H.E.R., Pops Fernandez, Forgotten Island directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, and Vincent Rodriguez III. – Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network
