An international breakthrough often represents a departure, charting a career path that moves away from home; however, for Dolly De Leon, it has simply provided a grander stage.

Since her breakout performance in Triangle of Sadness earning historic BAFTA and Golden Globe acting nominations, the veteran actress has steadily become a familiar face in global productions. This year alone, she joins Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2, stars in Apple TV+’s Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, and lends her voice to DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island, a feature inspired by Philippine mythology.

Despite a growing slate of international projects, De Leon says she has never approached her career as a choice between the local and global industries.

During a media night with De Leon, ZEEN asked how she navigates opportunities on both fronts following her international breakout.

Rather than separating Hollywood from Philippine cinema, she said every project is measured by the same standards.

“Yung choices ko of doing the kind of work that I do has nothing to do with where the offer is coming from. It’s really more of the kind of projects that are available. Para sakin mas importante yung does the project excite me, is this a creator or filmmaker I want to work with, yung cast ba are the kind of actors I want to work with. Pwedeng maging Pinoy yun, pwedeng from Timbuktu, kung ano mang bansa yun, open ako.”

“Yung choices ko of doing the kind of work that I do has nothing to do with where the offer is coming from. It’s really more of the kind of projects that are available. Para sakin mas importante yung does the project excite me, is this a creator or filmmaker I want to work with, yung cast ba are the kind of actors I want to work with. Pwedeng maging Pinoy yun, pwedeng from Timbuktu, kung ano mang bansa yun, open ako.”

De Leon didn’t point to bigger franchises or more overseas opportunities. Instead, she returned to the stories themselves.

“Para sakin ang pinaka importante is that we tell our stories. Tama na yung we’re telling other people’s stories and representing them. Let’s talk about our stories. Let’s talk about us. Ang dami nating kwento eh. There are many things to share with the world about us. Yun talaga ang gusto ko na it’s really more about just being authentically Pinoy and telling our story.”

That belief is reflected in one of her most anticipated projects, Forgotten Island. Rather than using Filipino culture as a backdrop, De Leon described the DreamWorks animated film as “super Filipino-based,” saying its creators immersed themselves in Philippine folklore, family traditions, and mythology to tell a story that is distinctly Filipino while reaching audiences around the world.

For De Leon, greater visibility is only the beginning. The real breakthrough is what comes after Filipino artists enter the room: the opportunity to tell stories that are unmistakably their own.

As more Filipino creatives find audiences across the world, De Leon hopes the conversation moves beyond representation alone. For her, success isn’t simply about seeing more Filipinos on screen—it’s about seeing the richness of Filipino life, history, and imagination become stories the rest of the world is eager to hear.