SHE SAYS she has learned to respect herself.
DAVAO CITY—“It used to be, that when I got into a relationship, someone was always not approving. With KC, everything is the way I heard it should be,” said actress Rhian Ramos of her romance with radio jock KC Montero.
“This is the first time that I’m feeling like I have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of,” Rhian told the Inquirer during a GMA 7-hosted media gathering here in connection with the recent Araw ng Dabaw celebration.
Asked if she had recovered from her controversial breakup with DJ and TV host Mo Twister in 2011, Rhian said “I’m trying my best to be better.”
The 22-year-old said she learned a lot from that experience. “Not only do I already know how I want to be treated, I also know how to treat myself with respect. I’ve learned how to tell people not to overstep my boundaries.”
The star of the Kapuso fantasy series “Indio” elaborated: “The lesson on self-respect was the hardest thing to learn. I realized that if you don’t have it, no one will respect you, people will make fun of you, you won’t get what you need, what you want, from any relationship.”
Not easy
Bouncing back wasn’t easy, she admitted. “I heard many bad things being said about me, but I didn’t want to say anything bad about anyone else. When I say I love someone, I mean it. It doesn’t change just because I’m mad at you,” she stressed. “I can’t control how other people will act, but I can control my own actions. I try my hardest to be a good person. Not everyone understood how tempting it was to say something, especially when everyone was expecting my opinion. Everyone wanted me to fight, but at that time I just didn’t feel like being part of the commotion.”
How has being with KC changed you?
KC makes an effort to know my family and friends. Also, he’s not the jealous type. I was used to arguing on the phone because my partner would ask, “Why didn’t you call me?” This was the love I came to know when I was growing up. I’d hear hurting words like, “I don’t like your leading man. You already kiss on screen so why do you still hang out with him off-cam?” Now, with KC, what I get is, “Do your thing and then tell me when you’re done.” To him, your time is yours. Do what you have to do and don’t feel obliged to report to me.
How have you influenced KC?
He has always been a very simple guy, super laid-back. I think my being a naturally driven person has rubbed off on him. What I notice now, compared to a year ago when we started dating, is that he openly talks about his dreams. Maybe back then he never really knew what he wanted for himself, but he’s like me now. It’s cool because, even with the big age gap (KC is 34), I still feel that we’re growing together.
What made you agree to pose sexy on the cover of a men’s magazine recently?
It wasn’t actually hard to convince me. I had been asked before by a lot of different magazines but I didn’t feel comfortable. This year, I’ve been really making effort at showing people something new about myself, about making a change. I felt that, for almost seven years in show biz, I was just doing the same things.
Does this also mean you will be doing sexy roles soon?
In the past, I didn’t really want to do anything too edgy. I didn’t want to be seen doing kissing scenes when I was 19—I felt weird about that. Now that I’m 22, I believe it would be a more natural experience. It would be more believable for me to accept more edgy roles now.
What do you think of acting to win awards?
I feel really good when my work is appreciated. However, I don’t think I need an award to feel validated as an actor. Getting good reviews really means something to me. That has happened a couple of times in the past year, right after “Sosy Problems” and “My Kontrabida Girl.” I’m all the more motivated to keep doing my best and to always bring something fresh to the table. If a role wins me an award I’d be very grateful, but if it doesn’t, I’d be very happy enough with good reviews.
What can we expect from you this year?
I want to explore something that’s not mainstream, although it’s already scary for me, just thinking about it. I might find it interesting to be in a stage play—I see that it’s a completely different acting style from what I’m used to. I’m used to focusing everything on my face and not so much on acting with my body. Not only that, stage is live… no second takes. If you make a mistake, you have to just go along with it and perhaps correct it somehow later in the scene. One has to be a very disciplined actor to be in a stage play.
(E-mail mcruz@inquirer.com.ph)