Ara Mina

The Metamorphosis of Hazel Khen

Hazel Khen Ho Reyes first entered television studios in 1986 under the wing of German Moreno. She was a child on the variety show That's Entertainment, and there she learned that show business in the Philippines doesn't forgive silences. Her stage name started as a generic brand that would soon gain its own weight in Manila's entertainment industry.

In the late nineties, her career took a direction many considered risky. She left behind her image as an innocent teen to star in films that exploited her physique. It was a time of fast shoots and heavy exposure in the sensationalist press.

And the gamble paid off.

In 1999, she recorded her debut album under the Sony Music label. The track Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, Mo played on radio stations across the country for months. But music was just a stepping stone toward the roles she was truly interested in: those in art-house films.

Critical acclaim in 2003

The year 2003 defined her place in the film industry. She won the FAMAS Award for Best Actress for her role in Ang Huling Birhen sa Lupa, a film that moved her away from purely physical roles and into psychological drama. On that shoot, she worked under the direction of Joven Tan and proved her dramatic range to the most skeptical critics.

But success at film festivals did not pull her away from commercial television. She took part in comedies such as Bubble Gang, where the tone was completely different. In 2004, she won awards again for her work on Mano Po 2: My Home, which allowed her to choose projects with greater financial freedom.

Film never fully defined her.

She launched businesses in the beauty and food service industries under the Hazelberry Cafe brand. In 2017, she opened her first brick-and-mortar location and expanded the franchise to several areas of Quezon City. Her personal investments have always followed a diversification strategy so she wouldn't have to rely on calls from producers.

She personally managed her advertising contracts.

Resilience on the Small Screen

Between 2019 and 2022, she played Ellen Padua in the series FPJ's Ang Probinsyano. It was one of the longest-running productions in Philippine television. That role gave her financial and professional stability that few actors manage to maintain after three decades of constant exposure.

In 2021, she married Dave Almarinez in a ceremony held in Baguio. The press covered the event with obsessive attention, but she kept control of the information on her social media. By then, she already knew how to manage the media's timing.

The entertainment industry often devours its young stars.

In 2023, she appeared in the film Yerma, produced by T-Rex Entertainment. Filming wrapped in less than four weeks on a budget in line with local independent film standards.