“I want to grow and strengthen my foundation—I want to be known as an actress,” she told reporters at a recent press conference for the ABS-CBN afternoon series “Hanggang Saan,” which will air its final episode on April 27.
“Being in a relationship is hard at the moment, because there’s still a lot I want to achieve,” added the 20-year-old actress, who described herself as a “career-driven” person.
Maris, who finished second in the 11th edition of the reality television game show, “Pinoy Big Brother” (PBB), is currently being linked to singer-actor Iñigo Pascual.
But while she insisted that they were just good friends, Maris did say that they have “an understanding” that they don’t want to mess up.
“We don’t really talk about what we have because we believe that would just complicate things. We just focus on work, meeting the expectations of the people who hire us,” said Maris, who said that her holding hands with Iñigo from time to time doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s anything more than what they let on.
Maris sees Iñigo as a “genuine” person. “He loves teasing me—super bully!” the Kapamilya talent said, laughing. “But he’s one of the people who helped me break out of my shell and open up to other people more.”
But everything’s possible, she relented. “Let’s not force things,” she said.
Iñigo doesn’t mind when she gets paired with other actors, she said. After all, Iñigo gets to work with other artists, as well. It’s the fans who can be overprotective, however.
In “Hanggang Saan,” Maris is paired with Yves Flores, another “PBB” product. And not a few fans of her partnership with Iñigo couldn’t help but get jealous.
“One time, I posted a photo with Yves, and some people got mad. It can be difficult, because we’re just doing our job,” she pointed out. “I hope they’re open-minded about the fact that we’re just actors doing what’s being asked of us.”