For her role as a fledgling lycanthrope in the supernatural drama series Lobo (2008), Locsin earned an International Emmy Award nomination for Best Actress.

The family drama One More Try (2012), in which she played a single mother caring for her sick son, garnered her Best Actress wins at the Box Office Entertainment, FAMAS, Luna, and Star Awards.

She received a Star Award for Best Drama Actress for her portrayal of an indoctrinated military nurse in the spy-action thriller series The General's Daughter (2019).

[1][2] Locsin's father was a swimmer who earned a bronze medal when the Philippine team won the 4×200-meter freestyle relay during the 1954 Asian Games in Manila.

[8] During this period, she was spotted running errands at SM City North EDSA by a talent scout, who arranged for her to audition for television commercials.

[11] She then signed a management deal with GMA Network and received her first television part as a series regular in the second season of the teen show Click.

[18] Dominic Zapata, the show's director, intended the concept of mythology to be a "break from Tagalized soaps", but also kept its "novelty" focused on the lead characters.

[26] Similarly, Pepe Diokno, also from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, wrote that "the [show's] success can be attributed to [Locsin], as she attracts every block and wing of Pinoy society.

[35] In the coming-of-age drama The Promise (2007), loosely based on Emily Brontë's 1847 novel Wuthering Heights,[36] Locsin portrayed a woman who falls in love with her adoptive brother.

[47] Set in Bukidnon and Darwin, Northern Territory, the Rory Quintos-directed romantic drama Love Me Again (2009) featured Locsin and Piolo Pascual as ranchers going through financial struggles.

"[51] Journalist Earl Villanueva, however, commended Locsin's character and storyline for its "easy transition into a logical sequel", and said the series "seems to be on the right track".

[54][55] Critic Julia Allende praised her portrayal, and pairing with Aga Muhlach, describing it as "the most daring she [Locsin] has ever played" and deemed it a "beautifully nuanced performance".

[62] The 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival saw the release of One More Try, a family drama about a single mother, played by Locsin, forced to reconnect with her estranged husband to be their son's stem cell donor.

[63] Her performance was well-received by critics; film reviewer Mark Ching called it "praise-worthy" and "formidable",[63] while Torre believed her portrayal showed "no such inhibiting problem".

[69] She starred alongside Bea Alonzo, Shaina Magdayao, and Toni Gonzaga, as siblings with deliberate plans to prevent their brother from getting married.

[70] Rito Asilo of the Philippine Daily Inquirer was particularly impressed with her performance, writing, "[Locsin] also does well in a focused portrayal that is devoid of ego and vanity, you can sense her stepping back when the spotlight is on her co-actresses.

[44] The Philippine Daily Inquirer was critical of the show's "mundane" and "predictable" theme,[76] and Torre found Locsin's acting to be intolerable and "too livid".

[78] Stephanie Mayo of the Daily Tribune termed Locsin's and Santos's portrayals as "effortless, natural, and searing";[79] The Philippine Star lauded the cast's acting as "compelling" and called the film a "finely-crafted family drama".

[86] She reprised the part of Lia Ortega from Imortal in the premiere episode,[86][87] and later returned in a guest role as a vigilante vampire named Jacintha Magsaysay.

[90] She volunteered at the Armed Forces of the Philippines General Hospital before filming began, and in preparation, trained in Krav Maga, Muay Thai, and knife fighting.

"[92] Mozart Pastrano of the Philippine Daily Inquirer wrote of Locsin's performance, "She brought moral gravitas to her role, displaying her luminous looks, as well as uncommon physical stamina and skills.

[104][97] Two years later, Locsin pledged to donate ₱2 million to the Office of the Vice President of the Philippines to help the victims of Typhoon Rai (Odette).

[110] Locsin first witnessed the plight of the indigenous Lumads during a visit in Marawi, Lanao del Sur, to reconnect with her maternal relatives in 2009,[111] an experience she later credited with having brought her a greater understanding of the situation.

[114] In the following weeks, Locsin travelled to Mindanao and met with internally displaced persons at settlement camps in Baloi, Iligan, and Marawi, where she provided food supplies and financial aid.

In December 2019, Forbes magazine named her one of Asia's Heroes of Philanthropy for a decade of contributions to various philanthropic causes,[97] and she was appointed an Ambassador for Peace and a Humanitarian Advocate by the Gawad Filipino Awards.

[119] Metro magazine noted that as a young actress on the teen series Click, Locsin plays the "boyish but charming girl-next-door, which is not unlike the star's real down-to-earth persona".

[92][120] Nathalie Tomada of The Philippine Star wrote, "No other actress but [Locsin], who first shot to fame through fantaseryes, can claim a record of strong and kickass female roles as extensive as hers.

[123] Cathy Garcia-Molina, who directed Locsin in La Luna Sangre, and Robin Padilla, her co-star in Asian Treasures, commended her for doing her own stunts.

[126][127][128] Writing for Mega magazine, Rose Estellas lauded her for having the "heart to serve others" and for using her "influence and platform to continuously help and change the lives of Filipinos".

"[126] Since her portrayal of the superhero Darna, Locsin has been cited as a sex symbol by many sources,[131][132] including FHM Philippines who named her the world's sexiest woman in 2005 and 2010.