When he started auditioning for commercials in 2020, Ralph de Leon admitted he was totally open-minded about trying anything and everything that showbiz had to offer to him. That’s why when he got accepted as a housemate for this year’s Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab Edition, the 24-year-old former judo athlete knew just had to give it a shot.
“Nung pandemic, nag-start ako ng modeling, nag-start ako mag-commercial and hosting sabi ko sige na nga why not try it out kasi since I’m doing all of these anyway, might as well transition to showbiz din. Thankfully, the opportunity came na ABS-CBN wanted me to sign with them tapos yun na, tuloy tuloy na,” he shared in an interview with PUSH Bets this month.
Before entering the PBB house last March, Ralph admitted living in a house full of people was nothing new to him and actually helped him adapt faster to being with housemates with many different personalities.
“Actually, nung bago pa mag-pass away yung dalawa kong lolo, bago pa mag-move out sa US yung isa kong ninang. We lived in a compound sa Cavite. So tabi-tabi po talaga yung mga bahay namin dun. So in one house it’s my family with one cousin and yung grandparents ko tapos sa kabila yung family naman ng brother ni mama. Tapos sa kabilang bahay naman yung kapatid ni lolo, yung family niya. So dun talaga nag-re-revolve yung family dynamics namin kaya medyo sanay naman na ako sa daming tao sa PBB, kasi as in long table talaga kami Sundays, nag-a-lunch, dinner. Sabay sabay talaga, tapos pati yung set up ng living room sa PBB, halos ganun din yung set up namin sa bahay. So very familiar talaga sa'kin,” he shared.
READ: EXCLUSIVE: Ralph De Leon on being a former judo varsity captain: ‘Na-in love na talaga ako’
Now that he has emerged as one of the most loved housemates during his season, Ralph said he will always be thankful for his experience in PBB and the lessons he learned during his stint in the country’s longest-running reality show competition.
“Opo, super. I think that, yung point na yun yung most desirable duo, parang dun ko talaga naramdaman na dun din lahat natanggal lahat ng overthinking ko na parang ayaw ako ng mga housemates na bakit biglang merong support sila. Before kasi every week ako na-no-nominate, like though that was the time na parang na-validate yung mga efforts ko sa loob ng bahay and sobrang grateful ako talaga sa kanila na na-recognize nila na okay din akong duo na consistent din ako, na lahat talaga binibigay ko for my duo. And, yeah I really appreciated them for that also,” he told PUSH Bets.
WATCH: Ralph de Leon: “Family guy talaga ako”
When asked what would be the biggest gift he received as a housemate, Ralph revealed how PBB inspired him to continue pursuing his career.
“Madami, maraming lessons but the one that stuck out to me talaga was that always perfect timing. You really have to trust na may plano si God. In God’s perfect timing, everything will fall into place. Kasi before PBB talaga, nawawalan na ako ng gana na, ano na ba nangyayari sa career ko? Parang ang tagal ko naghihintay. You know for work, for opportunities, pero kung iisipin ko din, like those months na nag-iisip po ako ng ganun is nothing to the years that the other previous celebrities have gone through, also waiting for their time to shine,” he said.
Ralph also gained wisdom from Vice Ganda’s experience in showbiz. “Parang sabi po ata ni Meme, tinapatan na daw siya ng spotlight nung bandang 30s nya na. So she was able to wait that long but when the time came na, the spotlight was on her, that all eyes were on her, she was able to capitalize on it and that’s what I really wanna do also,” he added.