Body Talk with Zanjoe Marudo

You see him only in trunks in those giant Bench billboards all over the metropolis, firing up the imagination of motorists and commuters, and you wonder, how does Zanjoe Marudo feel being considered, well, a piece of meat? (Like Leonardo DiCaprio who said he felt like, that’s it, "a piece of meat" after the release of Titanic, challenging him to prove that he is an actor, recognized for his performances in succeeding films like The Aviator, The Departed and Blood Diamond.)

"I’m flattered," said Zanjoe matter-of-factly, "even if I honestly think that my body is not really that beautiful."

In the one year that he has been in showbiz, recruited from modeling by the ABS-CBN reality-TV Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition (inside which he was romantically linked with housemate Bianca Gonzales), Zanjoe has begun honing his thespic skills in TV shows like Maalaala Mo Kaya?, Aalog-Alog, ASAP, Love Spell, Your Song and Super Inggo (as the vision-challenged biological father of Makisig Morales, who plays the title role).

Whether or not Zanjoe has improved remains to be seen in his first movie, Star Cinema’s You Got Me (directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina who also megged the Star Cinema P100-M hit romance-comedy You Are The One) where he plays a pirated-DVD vendor, co-starring with Sam Milby and Toni Gonzaga (first seen together in You Are The One) as cops.

"I’m new in this business, so people shouldn’t expect me to know everything overnight. But I’m learning little by little."

Though apparently shy, Zanjoe is a natural comedian.

"People laugh at me even if I’m not doing anything," he said. "Even if I just keep quiet."

Zanjoe is a dreamboat, but not "available" even if he is "unattached," thus belying rumors that he and Bianca had an "affair" inside Big Brother’s house, causing the break-up of Bianca’s romance with TV director Lino Cayetano (now rumored to be KC Concepcion’s constant date).

"I don’t have time for a ‘commitment’," he insisted. "I’m focused on my career."

A Batangueño, Zanjoe is one of six children, the younger three of whom are with their father in New Jersey, USA, and the rest staying with Zanjoe and his mother at a townhouse in Pasig City. He finished grade school at St. Joseph College in Quezon City, high school at San Sebastian College (where he was a varsity player) and a vocational course at Mapua-Makati.

In 2002, he was runner-up to Lauren Novero in the Bodyshot contest which served as his stepping stone to modeling and eventually, to showbiz.

Zanjoe stands 6’1", weighs 170 lbs., and wears medium-sized shirt and size-31 briefs.

With your hectic schedule, do you still sleep?

"I’m not used to this kind of schedule — you know, sleeping late and waking up early. It’s so tiring that sometimes I want to give up. Nakakapagod pala sa showbiz. I used to wonder how actors are able to cope with such a schedule. But gradually, my body is getting used to it."

So how many hours of sleep do you get per night?

"Five or six. But I see to it that I make up for it when I have free time."

What’s your favorite sleep wear?

"Basketball shorts."

Never in the nude?

"Never. Hindi ko kaya."

What’s the last thing that you do before you go to sleep?

"I play with my PSP until I get drowsy."

What’s your favorite PSP game?

"Basketball pa rin."

And the first thing that you do when you wake up?

"I brush my teeth. Then, I go downstairs and check on my baby nephew, my brother’s child. If he’s asleep, I wake him up and we play. I also check on my little nephew when I come home at night, before I go up to my bedroom."

What about your diet?

"I’m lucky because my metabolism is fast, so I don’t gain weight. I slim down very easily. If I tape or shoot overnight, my weight goes down at once. That’s my problem. When I’m thin, I look bad. So I work out in the gym to gain some mass."

What sort of workout do you do?

"For three weeks now, I’ve been so busy that I can’t go to the gym. But I play basketball as often as I can."

What kind of food do you prefer?

"I eat all kinds — meat, fish, vegetables. But I don’t like food that needs to be peeled. Gusto ko ‘yung isinusubo na lang. When I want to eat a lot, I crave for sweet-and-sour dishes with fried rice."

How much water do you take per day?

"I used to take water-drinking for granted. But now, I bring with me a big jug. I was advised to drink a lot of water because it’s good for the skin daw and to flush out toxins."

Are you vain like most good-looking men?

"Not really. Sometimes, I don’t even look at the mirror when I’m called for a ‘take.’ Later, I watch TV and I see that my face is oily. I realized that you have to check your looks before you face the camera. I’m not the type of person who looks at himself in the mirror all the time."

How long does it take you to fix yourself?

"Fast! Like today, before I came to this interview (scheduled at 12 noon), I started taking a shower only at 10:45 a.m. I dress up fast. First thing I put on is my briefs, then my pants and my shirt, and then I put on my shoes. Once dressed, that’s when I begin fixing my face and my hair."

What’s your favorite perfume?

"Clinique Happy."

Do you apply anything on your face, skin?

"No, I don’t."

What part of your body is your favorite?

"My torso. I have a long torso and that’s what makes me look tall, not my legs."

What part of your body needs improvement?

"My back. It needs more mass, more flesh. When I lack time and I can’t work out, the bones on my back become visible; bumabakat talaga ang mga buto ko. So when you look at me from the back, ang payat-payat ko tingnan, I look very thin. From the front, I look okay because I have broad chest and shoulders."

What part of your body are you conscious of when you’re in trunks?

"That part." (Looking down)

Hmmmm. You don’t use any "padding"?

"Pampers. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

And what part of a girl’s body do you look at first?

"The totality. The appeal, the dating (aura). Some pretty girls don’t have dating."

What part of a girl’s body turns you on?

"The butt."

What type of girls turns you off?

"Those who smoke."

Don’t you smoke?

"No, I don’t."

Do you drink?

"I used to."

Do you do drugs?

"No, I don’t."

How do you cope with stress? Being in showbiz is very stressful, you know.

"I lie in bed and try to reflect...to sort things out...why some things happen, where I’ve gone wrong."

Don’t you listen to music?

"In my room? No, I don’t. When I’m ‘reflecting,’ I want total silence."

Any favorite hideaway or city?

"None. I seldom leave home. My room is my favorite hideaway."

How’s your night life?

"I’ve stopped going out at night. Everything’s the same, very routine. You leave and come back after 10 years and everything’s the same. Walang pagbabago."

And your love life?

"None. I don’t have a girlfriend."

Who’s your favorite fantasy figure?

"Scarlett Johansson. Alone in my room, I look at her picture and my imagination goes wild."

How do you deal with aggressive women?

"Sinasakyan ko lang. (I play along)."

Name three women you think have nice bodies.

"Scarlett Johansson, of course! Brooke Burke. Toni Gonzaga."

And three men...

"Victor Basa. Sam Milby. Diether Ocampo."

Using only body language, how would you make a woman know that you admire or like her?

"I smile at her — a smile that says something!"

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