As one of the stars of the upcoming romantic comedy film Meg & Ryan, lead actress Rhian Ramos shared that she could not say no to playing another complex character. Playing the titular role of carefree woman Meg Zamonte, she unexpectedly crosses paths with an idealistic man named Ryan Cañete (played by JC Santos).
“Totoong ibang Rhian naman ‘yung mapapanuod ninyo dito. Wala akong kapangyarihan, masungit, at kaya kong aminin na flawed ako dito, ganun (laughs),” she said during the Meg & Ryan grand media conference held last July 9 in Quezon City.
With an acting career that has already spanned over two decades, the 34-year-old actress admitted that she does not mind being referred to as an underrated actress. “I prefer to be underrated (laughs). I never want to hear that I’m overrated. That would break me (laughs). Mas gusto ko naman yun. It doesn’t really hurt my feelings,” she said.
“The extra work that I do to understand my characters, it’s really a part of who I am. It’s not for to get a certain title or to get a certain level of fame. If there’s anything that I want to be known as, it’s that I’m empathetic and I understand my characters no matter who they may be. So ayun lang naman,” she explained.
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The Meg & Ryan star also went on to explain that it does not mean she is already content with her current status and stressed that she is open to leveling up with each challenging project offered to her.
“If this season of getting these kinds of roles lets me exit from being underrated or takes me on a new journey, of course I accept that with open arms. I don’t know naman where it’s going to take me and I don’t do it for a certain goal. I’m really here to enjoy the journey and be present and just take every character and make sure that I don’t take it for granted and I give them the same kind of importance and treat life with gratitude. I know this all sounds very yoga (laughs) but this is really how I feel now about my life. And I just hope to continue doing that and living my dream,” she added.
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During the event, Rhian also revealed the one quality she relates to the most in her character as Meg, which she feels reflects what people go through in real life.
“Yung character ko naman na si Meg, parang marami siyang pain from her past or form her childhood na hindi niya na-o-open up sa ibang tao. So ‘yung ginagawa niya para ma-escape ‘yun is lumalabas siya with her friends, nagbabarkada siya. She does fun but crazy stuff and she drinks until mawala siya sa sarili niya. ‘Yun yung parang pinaka-escape niya from feeling her feelings,” she shared.
It is this shared experience that also made her want to play Meg’s character.
“And I can relate to those feelings na parang when you feel sad and you can’t open up to other people. Kaya gusto ko talaga siyang i-play kasi this movie also says something about that eh, and how you handle the things that you go through in life and where it takes you also. Kasi medyo pinabayaan niya talaga sarili niya just to escape the feelings. I find that very human, very relatable, and whether we show it or not, because siyempre when we face everyone, we have a smile on our face and we’re always happy, we’re always okay, we always look great, and we have a perfect life, and a perfect relationship di ba? But deep inside, alam kong lahat tayo may ganung pinagdadaanan. And I connected to that loneliness in her na sabi ko, all people have that,” she explained.
Watch Meg & Ryan when it opens in cinemas nationwide starting August 6. Directed by Catherine O. Camarillo,DGPI and written by Gina Marissa Tagasa under Pocket Media Films, the film stars JC Santos, Rhian Ramos, Cedrick Juan, Ces Quesada, Cris Villanueva, Jef Gaitan plus a promising lineup of fresh faces like J-mee Katanyag, Steven Bansil, Poca Osinaga, and Alison Black.