Rhian fast-forwards her career
Things have been fast-forwarding for Rhian Ramos lately she herself is aghast. The GMA Artist Center talent couldn’t believe her eyes. It’s been only one-and-a-half years since she reluctantly entered showbiz as Richard Gutierrez’s leading lady in the defunct Captain Barbell.And yet, she’s getting roles any actress would give her right arm to play. Rhian blew hot and cold — from someone so in love with Richard to one who would later let him go in The Promise. It was a pleasant surprise for someone so new in the game like Rhian, a critic said.
The positive review gave Rhian another pleasant surprise: a role in Ouija, an upcoming horror film starring Judy Ann Santos and Iza Calzado. While the offer was flattering, Rhian’s first reaction, contrary to expectations, was not that of a crocodile lunging at a piece of meat. "I was hesitant. My co-stars are so good and I was intimidated," she admits. Then Rhian read the script. It required her to play someone who joins a group that gets the shock of their young lives when they try their hand at playing an ouija game. "My character has a twist, a surprise to it, much like the one I played in The Promise," gushes Rhian. "It’s one of the most difficult roles I’ve played so far."
Add to that the fact that horror is uncharted territory for her, and you have someone who can’t wait for shooting to resume, week in and week out. Today, she has no regrets. The much-feared attack of frayed nerves never came. "Shooting is going well. Iza, Judy Ann and I have lots of bonding in-between takes and we hang out as well," states Rhian.
As in all of her roles, Rhian is looking for a reference point — a handle — from which she can base her attack on her character. It may be a movie, or Jackie Lou Blanco’s words of wisdom in The Promise, where Rhian reprised the role the former played in Hihintayin Kita sa Langit, an earlier adaptation of Wuthering Heights, from which both movies took off. Whatever it is, Rhian’s goal stays: to top her performance in previous roles. She’s still her worst critic.
"I’m not happy with my performances. There’s still a lot of room for improvement," the perfectionist in her comments. So she takes a cue from the simplest things. Rhian is an observer of people — their mannerisms, their little gestures, etc. "The important thing is to keep on improving," Rhian states. But she wasn’t that sure of herself before.
Time was when — arresting looks notwithstanding — Rhian doubted she had the makings, even of a starlet. "I wasn’t that confident with my body and my looks. I used to be conscious, especially of my body," she admits. Even after she joined Barbell, Rhian thought she’ll just have one TV series. Then, she’ll make her graceful exit from the scene.
She’ll return to modeling and the normal life as a high school sophomore. "I felt Camille Prats’ character was the favored one, not me," Rhian relates. But her parents, who prodded her to join showbiz, were right. She was cut out for a world of klieg lights and flashing cameras. Now, Rhian is turning out to be a most favored talent in the GMA backyard and even beyond.
Rhian is seldom at home these days, not because she’s out strolling in the mall. She tapes Lupin on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Rhian devotes Tuesdays and Thursdays to Ouija and her product endorsements (one of them, for Head and Shoulders, took a whole day to shoot in Subic lately). Saturdays are reserved for the youth-oriented Love Pow with Yasmien Kurdi, the Roco twins and Valerie Concepcion, among others. Rhian also appears on Nuts Entertainment. Sundays, however, are sacred for the born-again Rhian. "I want to keep Sundays, or at least half of it, free for my family. This way, I can still go to church," she reveals.
The spirituality was there even before she entered showbiz, thanks to her parents, born-again Christians both. And it shows. The words "praise God" come easily to her when you tell her about the good reviews she had for The Promise.
And she looks at everything around her these days as blessings. Even that incident where Ara Mina lashed out at Rhian for not greeting her (Ara) with Polo Ravales around? Rhian says, "I think I’ve grown too much to make a big deal out of things like that." But she does feel sorry Ara "felt disrespected." Rhian would rather keep her eye on the ball, knowing that it is the only thing she can forge ahead of the pack.
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