#hashtag Zeus on the power of black

MANILA, Philippines — Zeus Collins was hamming it up in the studio, doing silly poses and making funny faces. But as soon as the photographer shouted “ready!,” the 24-year-old dancer/entertainer turned serious, his face smoldering and his muscles flexed, suddenly a model on a mission.

In time for Marvel Studio’s Black Panther (which broke box-office records in the Philippines when it opened Feb. 14), the Hashtag leader, dancer and former ramp model revisited his modeling past and gamely posed in one black-colored outfit after another, inspired by the all-black suit of Marvel’s latest superhero. Black tank tops paired with black pants, black jackets over black shirts with minimal designs — no matter what he wore, Zeus exuded confidence, sexiness and an air of mystery that always go with the color black.

In the film, Black Panther (played by Chadwick Boseman) wears a black suit that is as aesthetically pleasing as it is practical for stunts. “I liked the original Black Panther costume,” said Black Panther costume designer Ruth Carter, a two-time Oscar nominee, for her work on Malcolm X and Amistad. “I liked his helmet and I liked his boots and I liked a lot of things about it. But what we wanted to do was take it into a new millennium, a new attitude, a new technology, and make it exciting again. And then sometimes, you know, cultures can come together with superheroes. And I’ll leave it at that.”

For Zeus, one of the most striking things about Black Panther was the costume. “When I saw the trailer, the first thing I noticed was the costume of Black Panther kasi ang astig,” he said. “Palaban yung kulay. Hindi pa sila gumagalaw, nakakatakot na, nakaka-intimidate na. Kumbaga kung kontrabida ka, hindi ka na papalag dahil astig na kulay pa lang.”

Zeus said that besides the action scenes, he wanted to see the Black Panther characters come alive in their costumes, especially Black Panther and Eric Killmonger (played by Michael B. Jordan) in their battle scenes.

He may not be off to stylishly fight some villains in a beautiful technologically savvy fictional country, but Collins understands the importance of what we wear — and how we feel in them. “Confident,” Collins answered when asked to describe his own fashion sense. “Whatever is given to you, to wear, you should show confidence.” To psyche himself up no matter what he wears, he would tell himself some reassuring words, which he shared with us with a laugh: “I look handsome here. Dito ako magugustuhan ng mga tao sa suot kong ito.”

Not one to dress up in flashy clothes, Zeus told us his fashion must-have. “I prefer black since I was young. First, it makes you look slimmer,” he said with a laugh. “At syempre astig at mysterious kapag naka-black.”

Zeus has been entertaining people since he started dancing when he was six. Back in his hometown of Rizal, he used to join dancing competitions during fiesta and other barangay events. At 19, he thought about taking on a new challenge and tried modeling. Modeling eventually led to the opportunity to become part of Pinoy Big Brother, which then led to his regular gig in Showtime as part of the dance group Hashtag, which he founded.

Despite the different creative pursuits he has dabbled in, Zeus has always managed to incorporate dancing. “Na-e-enjoy ko lahat nang pantay-pantay,” he said, “But I love dancing. Hanggat nakakagalaw pa ko, magsasayaw ako. Kahit habang naglalakad ako habang nag-mo-model ako, sumasayaw ako. Nung nag-PBB ako, pinakita ko rin ang pagsayaw ko dun. Hanggang ngayon sa Showtime, sa Hashtag. Lahat ’yan na-enjoy ko dahil nandun lagi ang sayaw.”

When he was still a kid hoping to gain exposure and be discovered by joining barangay dancing contests, Zeus’ wildest showbiz dream was to become a backup dancer to local artists like Gary Valenciano. Now he’s leading his own dance group with a steady gig. While he admits that he is proud of surpassing even his own goals, Zeus said that humility is the most important quality one must possess to achieve success.

“No. 1, we should remain humble,” he said. “I haven’t changed a bit and I’m still grounded. Of course, we should never forget God.”