Ria Atayde
Actress Ria Atayde swore that Zanjoe Marudo, whom she started dating late last year, has never made her feel that they have a 10-year age gap.
“He is just from an older batch, but we’re both millennials. We get along really well. I laugh a lot [when I’m with him] and, for me, that’s the most important thing,” Ria, 30, told Inquirer Entertainment during a media gathering to announce her as the newest calendar girl of the liquor brand White Castle whiskey.
“It also helps that we’re fans of each other. There’s a lot of support in relation to the work we do and our personal interests,” she pointed out, adding that she would rather hear what Zanjoe has to say before she starts talking about their romantic relationship. Ria showed support to Zanjoe when she attended the recent special screening of the pilot week of the latter’s new TV series, “Dirty Linen,” opposite Janine Gutierrez.
Body positivity
She said Zanjoe is supportive of her decision to show more skin for the White Castle campaign, although she didn’t seek his permission before agreeing to do it. “I feel like at this point in my life I don’t need to ask permission from anyone. I’m very self-sufficient. But I also feel like he has enjoyed seeing my progress throughout this whole thing.”
By “progress,” Ria meant how she has finally become more comfortable with her body and embraced her curves. “This is a campaign that resonates with me. The advocacy that the brand supports is something that I am also advocating—body positivity. It tries to say that beauty comes in different molds. It’s good that people are now a lot more open.”
Ria confessed that she never imagined herself being a calendar girl. “This is super unexpected! This is also why it was fun to do. It’s not something that I was completely comfortable about to begin with. Yes, it’s sexy, but it was done very tastefully,” she said when asked to talk about the pictorial concept for the campaign.
She added that she didn’t prepare much for the shoot, which was sort of what body positivity is about. “It’s more like embracing what’s already there. I’ve just been keeping at it in terms of working out. The concept is very modern. I was made to wear a two-piece swimsuit. I was OK with it, since I’m always on the beach, and being in a swimsuit in front of people is nothing new to me. I even posted this on my socials.”
Ria continued: “I was just grateful to have the people I trust around me during the shoot. As it turns out, the owner of White Castle was a classmate in college, so that also helped.” It also helped that Ria had the support of her family.
Family is important
The actress was asked for her reaction to the fact it was her mom, Sylvia Sanchez, who spilled the beans on what was then a budding romance between her and Zanjoe. To this, Ria said: “I understand where she is coming from. It’s not for her to conceal what’s real. There’s nothing wrong with what she did, it’s just that, as an adult, you kind of want to be the one to talk about it first. It’s OK. That’s just how she really is. Someone asked her, and she just did not want to lie to people about it.”
These days, it’s not unusual to read posts on Ria’s and her mom’s Instagram accounts about Zanjoe being really close to the Atayde family. “I didn’t make that effort—that’s all Zanjoe’s. Sometimes, I get surprised when I see him exchanging text messages with my mom. I say, good for her! That’s what she likes the most,” Ria said, laughing. “Of course, it’s good that Z (Zanjoe’s nickname) and my family are close. Family is important to me, and only their opinions matter to me.”
Ria is set to start a new “teleserye” for the Kapamilya channel along with Jane Oineza, JC de Vera and Tony Labrusca. Nathan Studios, the family-owned film production outfit, is also scheduled to release an action film, titled “Topakk,” which features Ria’s brother Arjo and is directed by Richard Somes.