Showbiz newcomer Maricar Reyes is excited to be playing the role of Candy, Armando’s (John Lloyd Cruz) first love on the hit series I Love Betty La Fea. “When I first found out, siyempre natuwa ako sobra. Kasi ‘di ba ang laki laki nung show tapos ilalagay ako doon tapos baguhan lang ako. I’m just overly thankful kasi I never thought I’d get this kind of opportunity. I can’t tell you how lucky I felt when they told me,” she recalls.

The 24-year-old Ateneo BS Biology graduate had been attending Talent Center acting workshops weekly since August before she got the news that she was chosen for the role. Before entering showbiz, Maricar’s only experience in acting was TV commercials, where she did ads for several major products. “I think Mr. Johnny Manahan saw a commercial I did for a fast food company before and then they asked me to come in. Ayun, punta naman ako (laughs),” she says.

During her first taping day, Maricar couldn’t help but be touched by how nice the other cast members were to her, especially John Lloyd. “They were all very nice. Akala mo nga hindi sila superstar eh. They’re really nice. When I first got there, napansin ko lagi silang naka-smile kahit puyat sila. I must admit, yung past few days ko sa Betty was fun. It’s fun to work in this set-up. Although admittedly there’s more time involved than in commercials. Sa commercials, two lang tapos ka na pero yung mga tao masaya kasama, kulitan and all. And even before he was paired with Bea (Alonzo), I would see John Lloyd sa billboards and I really found him cute. Kaya yun nga, nung nakit ko na siya, talagang, ‘Wow.’ I must say, he looks better in person. He supported me, kasi alam niyang newbie ako. All of them, they understood na since it was my first time to act, baka hindi ko makuha kaagad. Okay lang naman sa kanila,” she admits.

Maricar also recalls the first scene she had to shoot opposite Vhong Navarro. “It was very challenging because of the emotions required of me. Pero nakatulong talaga yung workshops because sinabi sa amin what to expect after that. The very, very first scene that we shot was with Vhong, si Nicolas. It was a very light moment. We were in an Internet café, yung store ni Nicolas. It was fun kasi he’s a very funny guy. They were really nice about shooting light scenes first para maging mas comfortable ako,” she says.

Maricar also sees the big difference between the work involved in commercials and in doing a TV series. “Sa acting, siyempre yung range of emotions. With commercials kasi, usually you smile, act nice, and feel good. That’s the biggest difference. Mas malaki rin yung waiting time ‘pag tapings but I think that’s part of it eh. Okay lang din. It’s part of the whole job. That’s why your there and you can’t help it that you have to wait because there are other things so it’s not just about me. They have things to fix, so okay lang din. Naiintindihan ko lang din,” she explains.

Now that she’s just signed on to be co-managed by Star Magic, Maricar admits she would like to get the chance to pursue a showbiz career. “I can’t say I planned to enter showbiz as a child, but I’m glad I got to see what it would be like na I got the opportunity. It was nice that they gave this to me. I would like to continue showbiz if they would give me the opportunity to do this. I like the experience of it. Ang dami mong matututunan,” she humbly says.

Aside from acting, Maricar also hopes to add singing and directing to her portfolio in the future. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to sing. I can sing, like sing in the bathroom but I also want to learn how to sing well (laughs). I’d like to learn how to sing and also, if there are more projects and then I’d also like to learn from the production people behind the scenes, the directors. Ang galing kasi it’s like a different atmosphere. I like that,” she says matter-of-factly.

A self-admitted gym buff, Maricar shares that she loves working out and keeping healthy. “I love to work out at the gym. I think it’s my addiction. Before showbiz I’d work out five to six times a week. I also swim, bike, and run. I’m trying to train for a triathlon. It’s a really challenging and interesting sport. But it takes a long time to train for it,” she says.

Maricar admits that out of all the male celebrities, she admires Love Me Again star Piolo Pascual the most. “Nakakatuwa kasi yung billboard ni Piolo. It’s really nice. Crush ko yung picture niyang yun (laughs),” she admits. Maricar also shares what she is attracted to in a guy. “It’s more of if he knows how to handle himself. If he’s self-supporting, hindi umaasa sa iba. Physically, face and height. I’m a sucker for tall guys,” she says with a smile.

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