MANILA — Was Liza Soberano invited by Marvel to audition for the role of Mary Jane in a “Spider-Man” film in 2016?

This was the claim of Jeffrey Oh, co-founder and CEO of Careless, the current talent agency of the newly “rebranded” actress.

Oh alleged that Soberano was “not allowed” to audition for the role, despite being invited, during his turn to speak at a panel discussion at the recent 2nd Philippine Creative Industries Summit, about branding in the local creative industry.

“Who loves the character of Zendaya, MJ, from ‘Spider-Man’ with Tom Holland?” he asked the audience, referring to lead actress in the film franchise which started in 2017 with “Homecoming.”

“Liza was offered to audition for that role. They reached out for her to audition to be Mary Jane, one of the most iconic characters — and she was not allowed, because she had to do the same things she’s always been doing,” Oh claimed, saying that was “truth.”

He went on to criticize Soberano’s past management arrangement as “unheard of,” in terms of duration.

“It’s the truth!” he emphasized. “Imagine, a Filipina actress was a star in one of the biggest Marvel movies in history. Imagine, she was Mary Jane, what that would do for Philippine entertainment. But then, she was in a 10-year contract which is also unheard of anywhere else in the world.”

Soberano, 25, was previously co-managed by ABS-CBN’s Star Magic and Ogie Diaz.

• Ogie Diaz responds to Liza Soberano on screen name, career decisions

As Oh’s statements circulated on social media, Diaz took to his showbiz-oriented talk vlog to address the Careless founder’s claims about his former ward.

Diaz first debunked the supposed “offer” for Soberano to audition for the film that would become “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” which starred Zendaya and Holland.

“Isisingit ko lang ‘tong isyung ito ha, kasi ‘pag dinedma ko ‘to, baka ang feeling nila totoong nangyari ito. Ito’y may kinalaman doon sa sinabi ni Mr. Jeffrey Oh, ang CEO ng Careless management ni Liza Soberano, tungkol doon sa nanghihinayang sila kung bakit, sana ay si Liza Soberano ang gumanap na Mary Jane na leading lady ni Spider-Man noong 2016 o 2017,” he said.

Diaz explained that a fan of Soberano merely tweeted their excitement about the prospect of the actress being cast in a Hollywood project such as “Spider-Man.”

“Si Liza Soberano na rin po ang nagsabi na walang imbitasyon na galing sa Marvel. Iyong tweet na ‘yun ay galing sa isang fan na nagpakalat na naniniwala na posible na makapasok si Liza bilang isa sa mga extra o mga may role doon sa Spider-Man kung siya ay sakaling mag-o-audition,” he said.

• Liza denies getting offer to play Mary Jane in 'Spider-Man'

Soberano herself denied being invited to audition for “Spider-Man” in June 2016, in an interview with ABS-CBN News’ MJ Felipe. She said at the time: “It’s not really an invitation. I think it was what the fans wanted lang, fans of Marvel. And I think one of them were Pinay and she, parang, tweeted that, parang, kung merong magiging Mary Jane Watson, she would want it to be me.”

In his vlog, Diaz went on to ask Oh for proof that Soberano was indeed offered to screen for the character, saying he would willingly apologize to his former talent if she really did get an invitation.

“Hindi ko alam kung dito nanggagaling si Mr. Jeffrey Oh, doon sa tweet ng fan na ‘yun, o baka naman meron siyang resibo. Mr. Jeffrey, you might want to release the receipt or the proof that Liza received an invitation from Marvel to audition for the role of Mary Jane.

“Dahil ako, bilang former manager ni Liza — at ang Star Magic at ang ABS-CBN — as far as we know, walang imbitasyon mula sa Marvel. At iyan ay sinegundahan ni Liza, kaya hindi ko alam kung saan nanggagaling si Mr. Jeffrey. Kaya nga hinihingan ko ng resibo, kasi baka ‘pag may resibo e makapag-sorry kami kay Liza,” he said.

Diaz then responded to Oh’s specific allegation that Soberano was “not allowed” to audition, saying that if the actress had indeed been contacted by Marvel, he and ABS-CBN would not oppose the opportunity.

“Sino ba naman ang ayaw? Lead iyon, ano. Hollywood movie ‘yun, ano, na pangarap ni Liza. Pero wala nga pong imbitasyon. Alangan namang mag-gate-crash ka sa audition? Wala namang gano’n. Ba’t naman hindi namin i-a-allow ‘yung bata?

“Although that time, marami talagang ginagawa si Liza, kasi may pangalan na noon si Liza, popular na si Liza noon. Alangan namang naka-tanghod lang iyan sa bahay at naghihintay lang siya kung meron siyang audition mula sa Hollywood, hindi ba,” he said.

Diaz surmised that there was a lack of communication between Soberano and her current management, pointing out the actress’ past denial and Oh’s recent claims on the same topic.

“Sana nag-uusap sina Liza at ‘yung bago niyang management, o kinausap muna ni Mr. Jeffrey Oh si Liza kung ano’ng pakakawalan na statement. Kasi, dahil diyan sa statement na ‘yan, binash tuloy nang binash si Liza, pinagmumukhang ilusyonada si Liza.

“Diyos ko naman, hindi naman starlet si Liza. Sikat pa rin naman si Liza. Bakit kailangang dumaan sa ganitong ka-cheapan si Liza, hindi ba? Hindi natin alam kung strategy ito ng Careless, ‘di ba, na lumikha ng ingay. If that is the case, aba, bongga, they did it!” he said.

• EXCLUSIVE: Liza Soberano responds to people calling her 'ungrateful'

Diaz ended his statement by emphasizing the success and popularity of his former ward, in response to Oh’s critical remark about the duration of Soberano’s past management.

“At saka, Diyos ko naman, Mr. Jeffrey, kinikuwestiyon mo ‘yung 10 years naming pag-ma-manage kay Liza. Mas nakakahiya naman siguro kung sa loob ng 10 years na ‘yun ay walang nangyari kay Liza, hindi siya sumikat, hindi siya nakilala, hindi siya naging successful.

“After all, hindi niyo rin naman kukunin si Liza kung hindi rin naman siya sikat. Kung nanatili siyang starlet sa loob ng 10 taon… You cannot erase the fact that ABS-CBN, Star Magic, and Ogie Diaz were part of Liza Soberano’s success, popularity that you are enjoying.

“I know you can take good care of her as much as we did,” he said.

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