Patrick Garcia’s daughter Michelle Celeste is set to carve her own path in the entertainment industry.
Introduced as a “multi-talented performer,” Michelle was youngest among the new breed of artists who signed with ABS-CBN's premier talent agency, Star Magic.
In an exclusive interview with PUSH ABS-CBN on Friday, July 25, the proud dad admitted that he has “mixed emotions” over his 12-year-old daughter’s early showbiz entry.
“Well, a little bit scared, a little bit excited – mixed emotions,” he said.
According to Patrick, Michelle already knew at a young age that this was the path that she wanted to pursue.
“Pwede naman niya sabihin sa akin na ‘Daddy I wanna become a lawyer or a doctor.’ Pero sabi niya sa akin, ‘Daddy I wanna perform. I wanna be on stage. I feel calm when I’m on stage.’ (I’m like) what? (laughs),” he said.
Patrick admitted that he always feels nervous every time Michelle performs on stage, but she never fails to amaze him with the talent that she has been gifted with.
“Syempre kinakabahan and proud din of course kasi ang galing niya eh. Sometimes I get nervous, but when I see her on stage and natapos niya ‘yung dance, parang there’s nothing to be nervous about. She carries it like a pro,” he said.
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Now that Michelle has embarked on her own journey in showbiz, the long-time actor imparted a simple piece of advice: to enjoy.
“Siyempre, for me, as long as she follows passion, which is dancing, performing, singing — what can go wrong? Basta i-enjoy lang. She’s 12 years old. She should enjoy it like a 12-year-old,” she said.
“No pressure naman, it should be enjoyable and fun for her as a 12-year-old,” he added.
Patrick also instilled in her the value of humility and respect for the people surrounding her.
In the same interview, the celebrity dad described his relationship with his kids.
“As you can see, we’re very close. I am the comedian daddy to them. I am not the serious person most of you know. So (it is) very different from how people know me. I’m different with my children,” he said.
It can be recalled that in a 2024 interview, Patrick was hesitant at the idea of his kids entering showbiz at a young age.
“As of now, being a child in this industry, ‘wag muna,” he said. “If they are old enough, kung gusto nila ‘yung industriya and they are old to decide. For me, I don’t want them to [do it] for popularity, for the people. I don’t want them to join it for that reason.”
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“You join it because you want to do something. You want to act or you want to dance. You want to express the talent of yours and you know, share it to people, then you are in the right place. But if it’s just for likes, to be popular or money, no,” he stated.