ARIELLA ARIDA won the Bb. Pilipinas Universe title in 2013 and represented our country in the Miss Universe pageant held that year in Moscow. She placed as 3rd runner up, the only Asian to make it among the top finalists.
She has now made her first movie, “Coming Home”, where she plays an OFW in Qatar who becomes the other woman of Jinggoy Estrada, whose legal wife, Sylvia Sanchez, is in Manila with their children.
In the movie’s zoom presscon, Ariella says her joining the movies wasn’t planned.
“It’s my manager, Arnold Vegafria, na nagsali sa akin sa project,” she adds. “Sa bagay, kahit yung pagiging beauty queen ko, hindi rin planned, nangyari na lang.
"Things just happen kung talagang para sa iyo. But being a beauty titlist helped in opening a lot of opportunities for me. Una yung hosting and now, acting.”
She was born in Alaminos, Laguna and got her name from her dad (Ariel, who passed last year) and her mom (Estrella).
She was already a graduate of UP Los Banos, majoring in chemistry when she joined her first beauty pageants, Miss Laguna and Miss Philippines Earth. But it was in Bb. Pilipinas Universe that she got her title.
After her reign, she joined ABS-CBN and became a host in “Umagang Kay Ganda”. She also did two soaps, “Playhouse” with Angelica Panganiban and “Killer Bride” with Maja Salvador. So how is it working with Jinggoy and Sylvia in “Coming Home”?
“They’re both very nice,” she says. “They know na first movie ko lang ito, so they helped me a lot. Sobrang bait nila, inalalayan ako, so I was not intimidated. Excited nga ako doing this, pero kinakabahan din kasi nga first movie ko, dati puro TV lang, so bagong environment ito for me.”
She was also daunted by her role.
“Kasi siempre, baguhan lang ako, tapos mistress pa ang role ko. Kaya ko ba? Nagtanong-tanong ako how to play a mistress. Our director, Adolf Alix, also helped me interpret my role. Nag-enjoy ako sa shooting, I learned a lot at ang sarap pala nitong gawin. Now, I pray that sana, I’d be given more good projects in the future.”
