MANILA, Philippines - One measure of having achieved superlative stature is when a person serves as standard to others.
Such is the case for award-winning singer-actress Lea Salonga, who got a special mention from Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway in her Vogue cover story for December 2012.
Anne will bring to life the legendary character of Fantine in the big screen adaptation of ''Les Miserables''-whom Lea herself played in the beloved musical's 2007 Broadway production and 25th anniversary concert. Olivier Award winner Patti LuPone took on the role in the original 1985 London staging.
''Thank you, Anne Hathaway, for mentioning my name in Vogue in the same breath as Patti Lupone. Here's hoping our paths cross someday,'' Lea tweeted on Nov. 13.
Anne, known for her portrayals in the ''Princess Diaries,'' ''Rachel Getting Married,'' ''The Devil Wears Prada,'' and recently, ''The Dark Knight Rises,'' talked to Vogue about the challenges she had to overcome in slipping into the role of Fantine.
Her biggest task was, inarguably, singing the powerful ballad ''I Dreamed A Dream''-and excellently, at that.
''A few weeks before we filmed it, I realized how I was going to have to sing it, and that it wasn't going to be pretty. First of all, it could never have compared with Patti LuPone or Lea Salonga or even my mom, really: powerful singers with big, beautiful voices.
''I knew I couldn't offer that, but I also knew it wouldn't be appropriate. If I went for sounding beautiful while looking like this tragic wreck, it would be ridiculous. And I saw an opportunity, because of the nature of film, to just go for it and let it be alive and present and raw,'' she related in the article by Vogue writer Adam Green.
''Les Mis'' is extra special to Anne whose mother was an understudy for the role in a touring production. The 30-year-old actress was introduced to the world of ''Les Mis'' at age seven-and the memory has stayed with her since.
''I just sat there sobbing. And I don't think it was just because I was watching my mother die, though that was definitely part of it. I was just so moved and felt so connected to her and the music and the whole production,'' she recounted.
