Ali & Clint: Half-breds rising

Hyphenated half-breds are lording over sports and showbiz, showcasing the advantage of the east-meets-west specie. Two of them are Ali Khatibi, half-Filipino/half-Iranian; and Clint Bondad, half-Filipino/half-German. They got their “Filipino-ness” from their moms.

Both are under contract with Viva, the company that boasts of many half-breds in its stable of talents. Ali, 31 (born on July 30), and Clint, 22 (last March 26) are among the 26 (13 males and 13 females) aspirants in the 2016 Century Tuna Superbods Nation which will have its grand finals on Sunday, April 10, at the Palace Pool Club in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), to be graced by Ultimate Superbods Anne Curtis and Derek Ramsay, with past Century Tuna endorsers Gerald Anderson, Isabelle Daza, KC Concepcion, Aljur Abrenica, Phil Younghusband, Xian Lim, Paulo Avelino and Solenn Heussaff.

Funfare sat down for a free-wheeling interview with the half-breds, one of whom might go home with a “Century worth of happiness” Sunday night.

Ali 

The 5’11”/150 lbs. hunk has become a byword among showbiz-watchers because he happens to be the husband of controversy-attractive Cristine Reyes, 27, with whom he has a year-old daughter, Amarah (born on Feb. 8, 2015, two months ahead of schedule, at seven months), with one more coming up maybe in three or four years (contrary to tab rumors, Cristine is not, again, pregnant).

“She wanted to have another baby again but I said, ‘not yet’ because we have other priorities,” said Ali in perfect Tagalog. “My father, who is from Iran, has been in the Philippines for more than 30 years. He has a poultry and rust-proofing business. We are four siblings; I’m second to the eldest. We were all born, raised and educated here,” adding, “I went to different high schools until I reached college where I took up a business course at Southville and flying (at Airlink). Undergraduate ako.”

Ali and Cristine were introduced to each other by a common friend. They matched, went steady for two years and got married at the Balesin Island (in Quezon, they are both Born-again Christians), witnessed by a very exclusive group that included immediate members of their families (Cristine’s big sister Ara Mina was there) and close friends.

He is said to be a “good influence” on Cristine.

“Actually, it’s vice-versa,” clarified Ali. “She has given me ‘structure.’ You see, I’m a spontaneous kind of guy. Cristine is very organized, she sticks to her schedule, always on time, and she has influenced me on that point. She has taught me to be punctual, kasi when we were dating I was usually late.” 

And how did he win Cristine’s heart?

“I was just being myself, naging totoo lang ako. I didn’t have to put up a front to impress her.”

And what was being himself?

“I’m easy to talk to, I’m positive, I don’t pretend to be what I am not, I always have a smile on my face, I’m funny at medyo makulit. That’s what Cristine and I have in common. We are both funny.”

Is he ready for showbiz, intrigues and all?

“I’m open to it,” smiled Ali who will soon be appearing in Carlo J. Caparas’ Ang Panday (with Richard Gutierrez in the titular role). “I am ready for anything, intrigues included. Especially in this kind of work, what they often say is, you know, you can’t please everybody and I don’t intend to. One little mistake can be blown out of proportion.”

Asked how he feels about Cristine being involved in issues, Ali said, “I don’t like her being involved in things like that. I know my wife better than many people do. That’s all I can say. I advise her not to be impulsive. She’s very transparent. I think what she needs is to know how to handle situations. You know, cool ka lang.”

A martial artist, Ali is scheduled to compete abroad as a member of the Philippine team. Given a choice, Ali said that he would prefer doing action roles “because they would be natural for me and don’t require much acting.”

In the meantime, Ali is beefing up for the Century Superbods finals by limiting himself to a strict diet and regular workouts.

“I owe it not only to myself but also to my family,” said Ali, “to be fit and healthy according to the Century Tuna. It’s a lifestyle.”

Asked what part of his body is his favorite, Ali said, “My oblique,” adding in jest, “it leads to a happy spot. Hahaha!!!”

Clint 

“I took my first walk in the Philippines,” related Clint who described his parents as “my father is full-blooded German and my mother is full-blooded Filipina from Mountain Province.” He said that he even keeps a video of that memorable first walk.

“My (maternal) grandmother is fond of me,” added Clint (also  fluent in Tagalog) who stands 6’2” and weighs 180 lbs. “She calls me ‘my treasure,’ and she lived through the World War II. She’s cool, she’s pro-gay. When I was 15, she asked me if I was gay without really directly doing it. She simply told me, ‘If somebody tells you I love you, regardless of gender, be happy.’ I don’t brand people. For me, people are people, humans are humans, and it’s okay for everybody to love everybody regardless, as I’ve just said, of gender.”

A deadringer for Theo James (of the Divergent trilogy), Clint described himself as a “free Christian.” He studied (but didn’t finish) B.S. Biology at Trinity College (Quezon City).

“I’m pro-active,” he shared. “At 17, I started modeling. I didn’t wait for anybody to discover me. I applied for the job. Nobody brought me to Viva. I went there and presented myself.”

In Germany, Clint played soccer. “I’m ready for whatever Viva tells me to do, whether in sport or showbiz.”

In fact, he has one foot in showbiz. After appearing as the neighbor of Andre Paras in Viva Films’ Girlfriend For Hire, Clint was cast as the good friend of Daniel Matsunaga in Be My Lady, the Kapamilya teleserye also starring Daniel’s girlfriend Erich Gonzales. “I’m the youngest in the cast and I look up to Erich as my big sister. Someday, I’d like to play Batman.”

Clint said that he joined the Century Tuna Superbods contest because he believes in the product’s “fit and healthy” advocacy. He does basic training and follows a “less salt, less sweets” diet. He showed up for this interview at Victorino’s with a baon: oats prepared by his girlfriend whom he described as an Australian model. He ordered Ilocano salad to go with it, downed by salabat.

He mentioned Mark Neumann as his good friend, so Funfare asked Clint if he also has a sex video.

“No!” he blurted out. “I’m not the kind of guy into that kind of scandal. To be honest, I know a lot about computers. You think you delete something but actually it can’t be totally deleted. Those ‘deleted’ things can be recreated. The thing to do is put them on ‘shredder.’”

Funfare asked Ali and Clint who between them would win Century Superbod.

Ali: “Dapat si Clint.”

Clint: “It should be Ali!”

There should be a tie.

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