Cristine as a single mom: No one helps me, financially

Reyes disliked working when she started in the biz.

Now that she’s 30 and a mother to a 4-year-old girl, Cristine Reyes said that life, for her, is not about seeking personal happiness anymore.

“Many things have changed. My outlook in life is different now. It’s no longer about having fun—I just  want to be with my daughter (Amarah) all the time,” Cristine, who has dyed her side-shaved hair flaming red, told reporters at a press conference for “Maria”—her first action-thriller, which opens in cinemas on March 27.

The actress admitted that work was something that didn’t particularly excite her when she was just starting in the biz. It’s the complete opposite now.

“I used to dislike working. Now, all I want to do is work, work, work—for my loved ones. I value it more these days,” Cristine said. “When something is asked of me, I study.”

For her 30th birthday last month, Cristine went on vacation in Thailand with her sisters, Ara Mina and Heidi Gatmaytan, then flew to Boracay for mother-daughter bonding with Amarah.

“I just wanted to travel and spend quality time with my family. That’s a blessing,” she said. “Being with Amarah, sobrang sarap sa feeling. I wish I could be with her every day. But, I’m a working mom. I just explain to her that I have to do it, so we can book hotel rooms when we go on vacations!”

Noticeably absent from both outings was her husband, mixed martial artist Ali Khatibi, from whom she has allegedly separated.

The entertainment press was cautious and did not to pry. Her reply, however, leaves something to the imagination, when she was asked if the reason she has been working so hard as of late was the fact that she’s raising her kid alone.

Cristine Reyes in “Maria”

“Well, ever since, it’s just me who has been working for myself. And I can really say that I’m self-made,” she said.

“I have been working for 15 years. I started in 2003, and I have been helping my family ever since,” she added. “No one helps me, financially.”

Directed by Pedring Lopez, “Maria” follows a disgraced cartel assassin named Lily (Cristine), who fakes her own death and flees to a far-flung province after a failed mission, earning the wrath of the organization she works for. She changes her name to Maria and starts a new life: She marries a businessman and gives birth to a daughter.

But just when she thinks everything is going well, the cartel manages to find Maria, forcing her to return to the life of bloody violence she used to thrive in.

“I didn’t expect I would be asked to do an action movie, because here in the Philippines, it’s the men who usually get such roles,” said Cristine, who underwent a month of extensive training for her fight scenes and stunts.

“I’m also a big fan of Angelina Jolie,” she added. “Ang astig niya. So, when I learned I was going to do action, I was like, deal!”

Asked if she showed some skin in the movie—as in many of the sexy romantic films she has done in the past—Cristine said there’s no need for that this time around. “And you don’t really have to do that to appear sexy,” she pointed out. “It’s all about how you carry yourself.”