toast as White Castle Whisky girl Roxanne Guinoo gets wet… but not wild.

The only thing on Roxanne Guinoo's mind, as she wraps up her final layout for her MAXIM cover shoot, is a bowl of chicken teriyaki.

And it's not just because it's already past three in the afternoon and she has been shooting for around four hours straight, right through lunch. For the 21-year-old actress, it has been a long two-weeks wait before she finally could enjoy some rice.

“Before I'd eat a little but afterwards I totally dropped rice from my diet because I gain weight easily. Nasa laki namin yung may tiyan,” she confesses after looking at the photos of her shoot. Overly self-critical like most women are, she winces about her figure; she thinks she's still fat. “My arms are okay but I still have to flatten my stomach,” she pouts.

She listens as the staff of ABS-CBN Star Magic debates over the merits of dieting. Roxanne says she takes a fat-burning pill to help her slim down and frowns when told that the only way to really lose weight is to exercise.

Roxanne knows only too well the importance of keeping her whistle-bait figure. Last December, she shot for her now-famous billboards endorsing White Castle Whisky, making her the latest in a long, illustrious line of alluring actresses to pitch for the whisky brand.

And she still has to shoot the TV commercial, which would feature her riding the brand's famous white horse—a task that excites her and scares her at the same time, especially since she has never ridden a horse, not even on a lousy pony in Baguio or Tagaytay.

“I want to have some training first before we shoot the commercial. It might look bad if I don't know how to ride,” she says. But first thing first, she has to give up rice or start hitting the gym. “Totohanan na ito,” she swears about her diet.

Roxanne has endured hours of doubt and trepidation, as well as criticism, when she accepted the challenge of slipping into the famous White Castle red bikini. She's not about so squander away such an opportunity over a steaming bowl of soft, fluffy, white long-grain rice.

How did you feel when you were offered the White Castle gig?

It was also a long process. We talked about it with Star Magic for a week. I had a hard time deciding at first because I felt it wasn't the career direction I wanted. But they made it clear to me that it wasn't in preparation for sexy roles; it's just to do something different naman.

And since, I'm not getting younger, I also have to show that I can do mature roles but not super sexy. More like the roles of Ate Claudine [Barretto] in her movies. She's my idol. I am a big fan of Ate Claudine, I admit. This is like a step towards that. It's hard to answer why I did this but I didn't do this because I want to bare myself. I'm just a product endorser for White Castle .

Where you happy they chose you?

Yeah. But I was a bit nervous. I had mixed emotions because I knew there'd be consequences once the ad comes out. You'll hear both positive and negative comments. So I had to prepare myself before I even did the shoot.

What's the most negative comment you've heard?

Stuff like saying naman si Rox, she showed some skin na. There are others who said I'd lose my career. But I have faith in Star Magic and I talked to Mr. M. [Johnny Manahan] and he assured me that they'll take care of me. I told him I'll take the project but I hope that after that my offers won't be for bold roles. I'm not a sexy star. I'm just a product endorser. I didn't take the project because I'm looking for opportunities to bare myself.

When you did White Castle , you were no longer with your boyfriend Joross Gamboa?

No more. We had separated for more than a year already.

Was he surprised?

He found it okay. Hindi naman daw bastos. I think he said I was still covered so it's okay. I appreciated what he said.

Your cover shoot is for our summer issue. When going on a vacation, do you prefer the water or the mountains?

I like the beach. It's just that I don't get the chance to go unless it's part of my work. But every time we did out-of-town shows—usually I was with Joross—I really liked to play in the sand. So this summer, I'd like to go to Boracay because I've never been there.

Really, you haven't been to Bora?

No. we've been to many resorts and we've practically gone around the country for our out-of-town shows…

Except Boracay.

Yes. And Palawan . Those two I haven't been to. I've been to Bohol , Cagayan…

We'll take you. What was the most fun you had on a summer vacation?

I was still a kid then. We would always go to Riyadh to visit my dad. Puro sand… but not beaches. Hahaha. But we'd go shopping galore. It's nice there even if it's a desert.

Have you had a summer romance?

It wasn't in summer eh. Hahaha. But last, last year. I went to the resort with my ex, Joross, because their family has a resort in Batangas… But I was also with my family. He brought us there and those were our happy moments together that summer. That's it.

And now you're being linked to Mark Herras?

Mark? Hahaha. I met Mark during the birthday party of Sandara [Park] at Zirkoh. Mark was her special guest and that's where we met. Then we'd meet when I was promoting Shake, Rattle and Roll, and he was promoting Super Noypi. He's a nice guy.

So any new guy after Joross?

None. I wish there were. Hahaha. I do meet some guys so at least I have choices on who would be the right one for me. But I don't want to rush myself.

Any traumatic summer experience?

Sorry, it's with Joross again because during out-of-town shows, we're always together. We were in the pool and Mel [Melissa Ricks] was seated on the edge. Joross and I were trying to see who could hold their breath longer underwater. We didn't know it was like 10 feet deep and we both didn't know how to swim…

Joross can't swim?

No. Langoy aso lang. Hindi kami makaahon. Sumasampa ako sa kanya. He got mad pa and told me that I was only thinking of myself. Mel thought we were just playing. She didn't know we almost drowned in the pool. After that, Joross and I got a bit traumatized and didn't want to go near the pool.

Do you still see your SCQ friends these days?

Only Mel. We're looking forward to working together again. Our wish is that for our batch to have a reunion, like in an episode in Love Spell. Every time we see Direk Lauren [Dyogi], I tell him I want to have a reunion. When he saw me, I just did White Castle and then he heard that I was doing MAXIM, so he said, “Dalaga na ang mga anak ko… ngayon nagpapa-sexy na ang mga anak ko.”

You and Michelle Madrigal have now both appeared on the cover of MAXIM. Sandara was in another magazine last year. Who do you think was the hottest?

All of us. We each have our own unique beauty. Hahaha.

What did you think of Michelle's MAXIM cover?

If I were a guy, I'd be in love with her body. She's really sexy and she's also nice. The good thing with Michelle is what you see is what you get. She's a frank person. She's a fighter. We're opposites. I'm weak. I cry easily. When I hear something negative, I really take it personally. They say I lack confidence. I think it's because when I joined showbiz, it wasn't planned. I was just an ordinary school girl. When I auditioned for SCQ, I was luck I was taken in, but I wasn't ready. Like now, I did White Castle and then MAXIM. I'm happy but I also have lots of worries, like how would I handle what people would say. I feel I have to defend myself from time to time, that's the stage that's difficult.

What do you expect to happen after this?

After this, hopefully I'd be given the chance to shine. I did this not because I want to show off my body to the world but to prove that I am ready to do other roles. I've been given this big chance and I'm already of age.

If there are those who say negative things about me, I just don't mind them. The owners of White Castle trusted me, and MAXIM trusted me, so I know I'm doing the right thing.

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