With her striking looks, slender figure, intelligence, and charm, Maris Racal could definitely pass for a beauty queen. She might not believe it but the team behind newest iWant originals “Beauty Queens” saw her potential, thus crowning her with the role of Tarsila Zamora-Rodriguez for the said series. Maris portrays the role of the first titleholder in a breed of beauty queens, a pivotal character that would set the standards and beliefs of the empire’s next generations.
“Hindi naman ako beauty queen,” was her unassuming reaction when she was tapped for the role. Working alongside legit pageant virtuosos like Gloria Diaz, Maxine Medina, and Winwyn Marquez brought her massive pressure. “Parang nasa pagkatao na talaga nila ‘yung pagiging beauty queen,” she described her co-stars.
The closest thing she ever had to a beauty pageant was a Miss Intramurals competition a long time ago. She won, of course, but she didn’t like the pressure on stage. “Ganito pala maging beauty queen parang ayoko,” Maris realized that time. So, Maris did not entertain the idea of participating in a bigger pageant despite her mom’s insistence. She did not even dream of joining showbiz, either.
But, what if Maris changes her mind? Will she rock the nerve-wracking Q and A portion? In this Hotspot episode, Maris’ wit and intelligence are put to the test as she answers pageant questions a la true beauty queen.
Question: If you are given another chance, what chance would it be?
Maris: “If I were given another chance, I would want to live again and live rightfully”
Question: Who is the most influential person in your life?
Maris: “The most influential person in my life would be my mom because she taught me how to love, how to understand life, how to know that life isn’t perfect, and she taught me how to be unapologetically me.”
Question: If you have to live your life again, what part of your life would you change?
Maris: “If I had to live my life again, what part would I change? I wouldn’t change anything. I would still live my life like how I lived mine, still meet the friends that I want to meet and learn a lot of lessons from them, and go on with my life like how it’s supposed to be”
Maris has definitely got the capacity to inspire others with her positivity and smart opinion on anything about life. For her, embracing one’s inner truth and keeping it real are the keys to giving out articulate answers. She added that pretending to portray a fake image of yourself will only shake your core, resulting to panic and incoherence. It is important, she stressed, to be updated about what’s happening in the world as well.
In the midst of uncertainties and difficulties we all face, Maris finds the courage to still remain positive.“Kunwari kapag magbabasa ako ng news, I always make sure that I am ready to read bad news,” Maris shared. While still in the quarantine period, the Kapamilya actress broadens her knowledge by enrolling in short online courses. She recently finished an online class on oral communication, and she plans to take another one on hosting. She’s getting more in love with quarantine cooking as well.
Catch Maris in the newest iWant digital series “Beauty Queens” streaming on July 15.