BARCELO. Durian lover—and defender.
With her soft-spoken demeanor and luminous beauty, you can’t help but root for Roxanne Barcelo, who began her foray into show business in 1998. Thereafter, she was seen in TV shows like “Click,” “Kahit Kailan” and “Hollywood Dream.” But, it wasn’t until we saw her on the popular reality show, “Pinoy Big Brother,” that we really “noticed” her.
Recently, we ran into Roxanne, who’s in the cast of “Amaya” – and she looks lovelier than ever! Now that the latest edition of “PBB” is being telecast, we reminded her of her heyday on the reality show.
“I learned a lot from that experience,” she recalls. “Pero, binaon ko na sa limot ang ibang nangyari dun [laughs].”
How has she changed since “PBB”? “It’s hard to fully understand the dynamics among housemates if you’re not part of it. Iba sa loob. I used to keep things to myself. Pero, ngayon, nilalabas ko na lahat – if I’m happy, I show it. And, if I’m sad, you’ll know it. I never liked loud arguments, but I have since learned that it’s faster to resolve problems when you talk about them.”
If there’s one thing we have in common with Roxanne, it’s our love for Davao – and the durian fruit! She recalls, “I used to go to Davao a lot because of a long-term endorsement deal. That was where I ‘discovered’ the durian – I’d go to Magsaysay ave. to satisfy my craving!
King of fruits
“In fact, I even researched on it, so I could ‘defend’ the durian from people who didn’t like it (laughs)! If you’re sad, anxious or depressed, the king of fruits will make you happy – instantly!” We laughed when Roxanne began enumerating its benefits (“It’s rich in vitamins, it’s an aphrodisiac, etc.”)!
The actress turned serious when we asked her if she was still a cry-baby: “My friends can tell you that I’m not the type who would cry easily. People think you are who they see – but, things aren’t always what they seem. The producers of ‘PBB’ understood what was going on – the audience didn’t. Don’t believe everything you see on TV. But, I have no regrets – the show taught me so much about myself!”