Cristine Reyes has had enough of portraying sexy roles in her projects.
The actress opened up about her decision to start declining such roles while guesting on Liza Soberano's podcast, An Open Mind With Liza Soberano.
"The only thing that hinders me from loving my job is doing some roles that I, myself, [am] not comfortable [with] and movies that are advocating about affairs and endorsing liquor and wearing a two-piece," Cristine shared.
"For me, 'God, I'm so tired.' I don't want to do it anymore. It makes me uncomfortable, first, second, you lose your self-respect. That's the only thing that bothers me a lot with my career, 'cause I've always [been] seen in a different light, that I'm an object."
Cristine, who entered showbiz at the tender age of 14, recalls how she endured sexy projects to escape her traumatic childhood, which involved being told by her biological mother that she "should have died" and should have never been born.
"I had to freaking go in a bikini and pose for the camera for a magazine," she recalled. "I was helpless and I was portrayed like, 'Oh, she's one of those girls.'"
"I am more irritated with men," Cristine added. "Because you know how they portrayed me in movies and [in] TV commercials, so whenever a guy looks at me, especially in the gym or any… I'm always pissed. That’s me. That's why I always have this angry face."
In 2021, Cristine spent some time in LA to take a course on self-love. After returning to the Philippines, she felt terrified declining another sexy role for fear she would lose projects. Thankfully, she was offered three other gigs to choose from.
"I cried. I was sobbing 'cause I didn't expect this coming back from LA, from doing a lot of self-work with myself," Cristine confessed. "Now, I'm faced with this again. So I'm like, am I gonna be pushed over again? 'Cause I'm scared if I decline. If I decline, would I still get work? What I did in LA, I had to really step up and learn to value myself more, so I said, 'No' and I did it and I was so scared. I think I'm just so blessed because the next day, they offered me three projects that are really, really good."
Cristine's constant source of strength and inspiration is her daughter, Amarah, who turns seven this year.
Cristine: "Amarah reminds me of the things I didn't have when I was young so it's for me my way of... I want to shower her with things that I didn't have so it's kind of like... I wouldn't say therapy but it's a way for me to…"
Liza: "Make up for whatever you didn't have?'"
Cristine: "Exactly."
Listen to the podcast here: