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Xyriel recalls how her admiration for Judy Ann began

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Mary Ann Bardinas

She might have stepped out of the limelight for quite some time to focus on her personal life and to pursue her studies after years of endearing us with her portrayals in the Kapamilya shows and movies which she starred in, but Xyriel Manabat has astonishingly maintained her popularity when she made her showbiz comeback through <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/dirtylinen">Dirty Linen</a> and <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/seniorhigh2023">Senior High.</a>Far from the adorable kiddie roles that she used to do, she is now astonishing us with the more mature characters that she plays. While others perceive it as a huge transformation, she clarified in her recent interview with PUSH Bets that, for now, she only accepts roles that are suitable for her age and she’s not really in pursuit of completely altering her image. And this transition is something that she had prepared for before her return.And in her comeback, it wasn’t only her acting performance that impressed us, but also her team-up with Elijah Canlas which has been receiving plenty of love from their fervent shippers. Thus, she has nothing but gratitude and appreciation for all of them. “Sobrang thankful po ako sa kanila kasi grabe po nila kami suportahan, grabe po ‘yong efforts nila, ‘yong thoughts nila, ‘yong pagbibigay nila ng gifts, ng appreciation, ng posts, ng words of affirmation. Grabe, grabe silang mag-support. And sobra, sobrang thankful po ako sa kanila. Sobra ko silang naa-appreciate. Love ko sila,” she enthused.While many have been looking forward to seeing them anew in another project after the well-received debut of their tandem in <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/seniorhigh2023">Senior High </a>as Roxy and Archie, she disclosed that she is also excited about it because she believes in the good dynamics that they have and Elijah is a pleasure to work with, too.As avid viewers of the controversial series got frustrated about how the love story of their characters unfolded, Xyriel remarked that they must be thankful that it was the chosen revision of the script because in the original, Roxy and Archie were supposed to bid each other farewell for good.With how she’s becoming one of the top caliber actresses of her generation, she reiterated that “Primetime Drama Queen” Judy Ann Santos has always been her top favorite actress and ultimate idol. According to her, it was actually her parents who discovered her fascination with the seasoned actress, as clips of her scenes, probably from both her movie and television stints, were downloaded on her iPad and she watched all of them on-loop every day without her realizing it when she was still just a kid.And in 2011, as if by stroke of fate, she was given the opportunity to work with her when Juday guested in <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/100daystoheaven">100 Days To Heaven</a>, the inspirational series that she topbilled alongside veteran actress Coney Reyes. Even though her dream to share the screen with her already come true, Xyriel wishes to work with her again now that she has all grown up.While her onscreen partnership with Elijah is successful, she also has a blooming and happy love life offscreen. Xyriel imparted that she and her non-showbiz boyfriend Nat Toledo have been best friends and neighbors since they were kids. Growing up, they refrained from putting any tinge of romantic feelings in their relationship to not destroy their friendship, until a couple of years ago when he started to woo her. And it took them a long time to eliminate any awkwardness between them because they were not used to being so affectionate with one another.Contrary to popular belief that Nat gets jealous of her team-up with Elijah, she divulged in jest that it is actually her who feels that way towards them since Nat has formed an amiable bond with her male <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/seniorhigh2023">Senior High</a> castmates, particularly with Elijah. They would also request his presence every time they would go out.Nat has also been supportive of her acting comeback, imparting that it was even he who would show her clips of her performances that would pass by his social media newsfeed and would even repost or save them, too. Besides, he’s also the one who accompanies her in tapings and events, or sometimes just brings her to and fetches her from her destinations. Thus, he’s able to meet and be friends with her colleagues.Apart from being a promising actress, Xyriel is also admired for how she impressively deals with bashers, which we have witnessed ever since she returned to showbiz. While other celebrities tend to usually ignore them, she sometimes chooses to clap back at them, yet rationally and respectfully.“If kailangang i-call out, I can and I will use my voice and my platform to call them out. If wala akong maling intensiyon, if gusto ko lang naman i-defend ang sarili kong peace and sarili kong feelings, I would be very vocal and I will be outspoken to tell them it’s wrong, that I don’t deserve that kind of treatment,” she conveyed.But there are instances that she lets the bashers believe what they want to believe, especially if the issues or snide remarks that they hurl at her are just being repetitive. She emphasized that people have to understand that they’re also humans who get hurt, too, and are just public figures and not public properties.With regard to how she values her authenticity, Xyriel related that she’s not the type who would pretend to be someone or something who is not her. She wants people to accept her for who she really is and not who they expect her to be.And lastly, when asked how she would describe herself from being a child star to becoming a promising actress, Xyriel uttered “powerful”.She explained, “I think, she’s powerful not just in her craft, but even sa personal life niya ever since bata pa siya. Kahit sa family niya, sa friends niya, she has the power inside of her. Kahit ngayong tumanda na siya.”