Dingdong defends Marian’s best actress award, sexy pictorials

DINGDONG Dantes

Actor Dingdong Dantes believes his girlfriend Marian Rivera deserved the best actress award she received recently from the Entertainment Press Society, which had sent fans of superstar Nora Aunor staging a walkout after its announcement.

“I know she deserved the award,” declared Dingdong. “There were a lot of opportunities for her to showcase her acting in ‘Amaya.’ Her character became a prisoner, a slave, a warrior and then a princess. It was very complex. The material was really something.”

But avid supporters of Nora, who was nominated for her performance in TV5’s “Sa Ngalan ng Ina,” think otherwise. They walked out of the venue while Marian was delivering her acceptance speech.

Dingdong also defended Marian’s decision to go “daring and sexy” on the cover of two glossy magazines.

Trusting

He said: “I trust her judgment. I trust her taste. I think she still looked wholesome in all of her poses.”

For the first time since she joined show biz in 2006, Marian agreed to appear on the cover of the January 2013 issue of a men’s magazine. According to reports, the issue had to be reprinted twice to fill in the demand for copies. The 28-year-old actress also posed for the summer-themed April issue of a fashion magazine in a yellow two-piece bikini.

Dingdong said they don’t consult each other on matters like that. However, he was definite Marian “first thought hard before saying ‘Yes’ to that.”

“I found that the pictorials were tastefully done. They were very classy. She’s beautiful in all of the shots, although I found her to be really stunning in yellow,” the actor said.

Not for him

While Marian got raves for going sexy, Dingdong, 32, said he wouldn’t be seen doing the same thing anytime soon. “Let’s just give it to those who are more deserving—the new ones,” he stressed. “It’s such an effort for me to get into shape, although I don’t neglect it. I’d rather concentrate on the roles I’m committed to play on TV and in the movies than do magazine shoots or fashion shows. My work gets affected whenever I go on a diet.”

Dingdong’s drama series, “Pahiram ng Sandali,” which also features Lorna Tolentino, Christopher de Leon and Max Collins, is set to air its final episode on March 15.

Dingdong plays Alex, a photojournalist who falls in love with an older woman, Janice, who happens to be the editor in chief of the publication where he is employed.

Lessons learned

Asked what he learned from playing Alex, the actor said: “You have to stand by every decision you make, may it be right or wrong—this will mold you. It’s how you rise and step up from difficulties and failures, especially in a not-so-perfect situation, that truly matters.”

He admitted to feeling relieved that the series, with a theme so “sensitive, complicated and tragic,” would soon end. “Carrying on with complicated relationships is still unacceptable to most viewers. The topic is still taboo to Pinoys. Also, the story is so melancholic. It’s too draining for us actors.”

Dingdong will soon be seen in an independently produced film called “Dance of the Steel Bars” by Cesar Apolinario and Marnie Manicad. It will be shown in SM cinemas in May.

“Pahiram ng Sandali,” directed by Maryo J. de los Reyes, also features Neil Ryan Sese, Alessandra de Rossi and Mark Gil, among others. It airs weekdays on GMA 7’s “Telebabad” block.

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