Dion eyeing daring roles

MANILA, Philippines - Innamorata lead star Dion Ignacio looks forward to more challenging projects as his afternoon soap on GMA 7 is coming to a finale on June 20.

“No project yet after this but I’m auditioning now for an upcoming soap on GMA. For the meantime, I’ll be jamming with my Philia band (with Arci Muñoz as vocalist) in different gigs around the metro. I’m the guitarist,” says Dion of his plans after Innamorata during a pocket presscon held recently at GMA Network.

Dion adds he’s bent on enrolling in a fitness gym because “I want to get abs din kasi sa tagal ko sa showbiz hindi pa ako nagkakaroon niyan. So if ever in my next project, (I hope) iba naman ang i-package sa ‘kin. Maybe I can explore daring roles already, kasi if you have a sexy body naman, it gives you more confidence.”

Dion says his character Dencio is close to his heart. It has put him in “familiar territory.” He believes that like Dencio, who falls in love with co-star Max Collins’ Esper who has a skin disease called porphyria, true love goes beyond a person’s appearance.

“I think it’s the message that Innamorata shares with its viewers: When you truly love someone, you don’t care about what’s in the outside. What matters is his or her good heart,” he says.

Relating that to a personal experience prior to entering showbiz, Dion shares that he had a girlfriend once whom he describes as “hindi kagandahan; she’s black beauty and part-Arabian. At first, I didn’t really like her but I developed special feelings for her because of her attitude. I fell in love with her. She became beautiful in my eyes.”

He added that she also gave him his first taste of heartbreak. “It was the most painful thing I’ve gone through when she broke up with me. Because of that, I became a very sensitive person…but in a positive way because when I entered showbiz, I brought that to my work. I realized it helped me as an actor because it made my crying scenes easier. It’s important that you have to affect the viewers when you’re acting,” shares Dion, who has been going steady now for three years with a 22-year-old non-showbiz girl.

Meanwhile, Dion usually takes things lightly, but he can’t help contain his sadness every time he thinks of his stepfather, who is undergoing dialysis because of a kidney failure. “Siya ang kinagisnan ko and it saddens me to see him this way. He’s on maintenance na lang, parang hindi na normal. Once or twice a week, he goes through dialysis. My brother and I are supporting his medical expenses. That’s why I’m hoping for more projects to come so that I can sustain my dad’s medicines.”

The 28-year-old Kapuso star also dismisses any negativity when asked about the progress of his career in his 10 years in showbiz. “I believe that it is God’s will for me. Basta kay Lord ako dumedepende. I am happy for what they (StarStruck 1 batchmates) have achieved. It motivates me more to work harder.”

When asked about the rumors of having given in to indecent proposals, Dion breaks into laughter and says, “If it’s true, I think I should be rich by now and have a brand-new car. I am the breadwinner at kahit papaano nagtra-trabaho naman ako ng patas. What I earn from my work is a blessing from God.”

Dion says that he’s not the type who’s easily bothered by intrigues. “Others say that I don’t know how to act but I think comments like that make me stronger. It just makes me push harder to better my craft and always reminds myself that I have to prove them wrong.”