Ryle Santiago dreams of opening for Sarah G

Ryle Santiago

Ryle Santiago always knew he came from a prominent show biz family. At school, staff members and other people would ask him about his mother, Sherilyn Reyes. Others would go up to him and tell him they’re fans of Randy Santiago, or that they have a crush on Raymart Santiago.

“But as a kid, you don’t give it much thought. I only realized its gravity upon entering show biz. It’s not all rainbows and butterflies,” he said in a virtual conference announcing his move to Viva Artists Agency.

“You will be compared to them inevitably. But I take that as a challenge,” added Ryle, who doesn’t feel entitled to special treatment in the industry just because he’s a Santiago.

Ryle’s biological father is ABS-CBN business unit head Junjun Santiago, brother to Randy, Rowell and Raymart. However, he grew up with Sherilyn and her second husband, former basketball player Chris Tan.

At 24, Ryle knows that receiving offers to do more “mature” or “daring roles” will be inevitable. “I’m not getting any younger,” he said. Showing some skin is something he’s willing to do—but definitely not all out and only if the project is good.

“Basta hindi po pang-porn star,” he quipped, laughing. “I’m prepared for something more mature. My parents are here to guide me. As long as the story is good, why not?”

More opportunitiesAs a Viva talent, Ryle hopes for a bigger platform and more opportunities to explore acting and music. “I hope that Viva can be my creative playground, where I can try romantic comedies, play villains. There are so many things to be excited about,” he said.

Asked what he thought were his strengths and weaknesses, Ryle cited comedy as his comfort zone and heavy drama as his biggest challenge.

“Comedy is more natural to me. Heavy drama doesn’t get any easier because I run out of experiences to draw inspiration from. You have to find the right things that will strike your heart the right way to portray the emotions required… I still struggle with it,” said Ryle, who has starred in series like ABS-CBN’s “Asintado” and “#ParangNormal Activity.”

He was also part of Hashtags, an all-male dance group formed in the noontime show “It’s Showtime.” Coincidentally, some of its members like McCoy de Leon, Nikko Natividad, Wilbert Ross and Vitto Marquez also transferred to Viva.

“I’m happy because that means there will probably be opportunities for us to work together. I hope to do a barkada film with the boys. I think that would be fun. It’s something we’ve always wanted to do, but never had the chance,” related Ryle, who also hopes to do another project with Jason Paul Laxamana, who gave him a break in the award-winning indie film “Bakwit Boys.”

Music in the futureRyle, who’s also a singer-songwriter, plans to release more music in the future. “One of my and my parents’ dreams is for me to open for a Sarah Geronimo concert,” he related. “But it’s something I have to work hard for and build on.”

When the pandemic hit, Ryle took a break from acting and worked remotely as a graphic designer for a small UK-based fintech company. He also set up a live streaming and influencer marketing agency with his brother. But while he enjoyed exploring and pursuing other fields, he couldn’t help but miss acting and performing.

“I have never thought of being anything else. My parents used to be worried because I didn’t know what I wanted when I was a child. But there were signs—I love dancing and singing. I’m interested in the performing arts,” he said. “Now I can say I found myself in the right spot.”