Rhian Ramos at 25 ready to go sexy

RHIAN says she is working out a lot and minding her diet.

The moment Rhian Ramos turned 18, offers to pose for men’s magazines and essay “more daring” roles promptly poured in. She turned them down.

Rhian didn’t want her career to take that route just yet, the GMA 7 actress said, and more so, because she still wasn’t comfortable in her own skin.

“Confidence is hard to come by when you’re young, since you tend to zero in on your flaws,” said Rhian, who admitted that it was her weight she was most insecure about growing up.

“Like my friend Solenn (Heussaff), I was on the chunky side when I was young,” she told the Inquirer at a recent press conference for her ongoing afternoon television series, “Sinungaling Mong Puso.” “I was one of those people who wears a shirt when swimming. The first time I swam in public without one on, I was already in my 20s.”

But as she got more mature, Rhian began to embrace her perceived imperfections. “Once you understand yourself, you start to care less about the things that you feel insecure about,” Rhian pointed out, adding that it’s easier for her these days “to feel sexy.”

Now at 25, Rhian, who’s now “more open” to doing projects that require her to show some skin, has finally agreed to be on the cover of FHM Philippines, for its July issue.

The soap she currently topbills—a small-screen adaptation of Maryo J. delos Reyes’ 1992 film of the same title—likewise contains sensual themes.

Some actresses look at “going sexy” as a way to further their careers. But not Rhian, who insisted that her recent choice of projects isn’t a career move. “I don’t look at it that way,” said the Kapuso talent, who’s of British and Filipino descent. “Things just fell into place in such manner.”

“I’ve been hearing the word ‘daring’ my entire career, and now I can finally say that this is it!” Rhian quipped, laughing. “So now, I’m working out a lot, running… minding my diet.”

In “Sinungaling,” Rhian plays Clara (originally played by Vilma Santos), a woman who endures the abuses of her husband Roman (Rafael Rosell). She eventually meets the considerably younger man, Jason (Kiko Estrada), with whom she develops an affair that threatens their respective marriages.

“Reprising a role played by an actress like Vilma Santos is daunting—there’s a lot of pressure. I prepared myself physically and emotionally for this,” said Rhian, who has no qualms about doing steamy scenes with her leading men.

“Those scenes are part of the plot, and not merely gimmicks,” she stressed. “The teleserye’s ‘sexy’ parts are meant to highlight the intimacy and dynamics among the main characters.”

Directed by Ricky Davao, “Singungaling Mong Puso” also features Michael de Mesa, Glydel Mercado, JC Tiuseco, Gee Canlas and Sherilyn Reyes.

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