Rhian Ramos got a little excited upon learning that she would be immersing herself in the Intramuros student life for this Students and Campuses photo shoot. The young actress said that she has never really been around the famous Walled City and was definitely looking forward to it.

Yes, we tried and we did our best to bring her around. But the crowd around her just swelled and swelled that we had to cut our little “field trip’’ abruptly.

Amidst the people who hovered, Rhian accommodated requests for picture taking, even signing autograph on a pedicab! Obviously, she has gotten used to being the center of attention, but certainly is not the type who has to work too hard to get it.

“I don’t know if you’ll ever get used to it but I see it in a different light now. Lalo na when I was new at it, when someone would make pa-picture, I wouldn’t get it. I’ll say yes, pero hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit. You don’t understand what all the fuss is about. Now, because I’ve been doing it for a longer time, you get it na rin. It’s part of the job. Before kasi I was just a student, I didn’t go anywhere I could meet people. Now that I’m working, I get to see people that I look up to, so now I understand the feeling kasi nagpapa-picture na rin ako with them,” the 18-year old Rhian says.

Off-screen, Rhian isn’t very different from many young ladies. But her oozing confidence really sets her apart. For this photo shoot for instance, she arrives garbed only in a pair of denim shorts paired with a black tank top, accessorized only by a scarf – but she looks so impeccably put together. In the interview, on the other hand, she is extremely chatty and never flinched at a question.

“When I was a kid I wanted to be an astronaut, basta anything spectacular and out of this world. I didn’t think I would be an actor, because I just wanted to study. I really had too much fun in school,” she enthuses.

RELUCTANT ACTRESS

Barely four years in showbiz, Rhian has already managed to bag lead roles on TV and on film.

She starred in her own telenovela playing Lola, the female alter ego of a successful philandering executive in “La Lola.” She’s done the sultry damsel-in-distress bit in “Zorro.” Now, she takes on the role of Jodi in GMAMA’s new primetime series “Stairway To Heaven” opposite heartthrob Dingdong Dantes.

“My parents encouraged me to try acting. I was kinda iffy about it because I love school so much. I never wanted to get sick and be absent. I would even go to school even when I was sick. I was friends with all my teachers,” she adds.

Noticed by a GMA executive after appearing in an ad for a fastfood chain, Rhian made that abrupt transition to show business, cast as one of the female leads in the fantasy-action-drama TV series “Captain Barbell.’’ She was 15 years old then.

“I was asked to audition for Captain Barbell. I didn’t want to but my parents just didn’t want me to regret it in the future. What if it was the thing for me, and they’re absolutely right, it’s the thing for me. I love it. I love what I do now,” she says.

At a certain point, Rhian had to juggle high school and work. But she willed it and did it. “You will be surprised what people can do if they have to. When you have to do both, you just do it.”

Today, being in front of the camera comes naturally for Rhian. “I thought before dinadaya lang yun. But I’ve learned that you could actually lose yourself to the role until you hear the word ‘cut.’ I had no idea that you could really feel that you’re someone else and believe that that’s happening. When it’s the kind of scene na iniwan ka, ang hirap to snap out of it,’’ she relates.

FAMILY TIES

Although she can very well afford to fend for herself, Rhian refuses to leave the comforts of her mom’s home.

“She cooks for me. Recently, I got busier, hindi na kami nagkikita sa bahay so pinapadalhan na lang nya ako ng food sa taping,’’ she relates.

On the other hand, Rhian’s father, who is now based in Dubai, is her biggest fan. “He reads all of the websites that could possibly have stories about me. Sometimes he’s more aware of what chismis is out there. These days I don’t get to see him often but we talk on the phone a lot,” she reveals.

“I used to go out watch movies, go out on Sundays with my sister. I used to be that person,” Rhian says about what she misses before fame set in. “I don’t get to spend a lot of time with my sister anymore but I still think she’s my best friend,” she continues.

If she weren’t in showbiz, Rhian still sees herself doing something creative, pursuing a degree in Interior Design or Psychology. “I will go back to school, maybe in a couple of years. I wanna design. I wanna be able to make a space look nice, to give you a certain energy when you walk in,” she says.

EXCITED TO VOTE

It’s easy to forget that Rhian is part-British and part-Filipino because she displays such a strong sense of Filipino patriotism.

“To an extent I was raised by my family that way, to be aware of what’s happening around. It would be talked about in the house. I would get two different views, of two different kinds of government, parliament and democracy.

Siyempre I understand the Filipino politics more since I was raised here,” she says.

Likewise, the upcoming presidential elections is something she feels strongly about. “I’m excited to vote and at the same time I realized what a big responsibility it is, to help choose the next leader of the country. It’s really a big deal for me.’’

Rhian also has her share of advocacies that she is able to support largely because of her celebrity status. “I’m a member of Greenpeace. I quietly signed up in a mall one day because I love nature. I would always see them in the malls, just read about them, and then one day I just decided to do it. It felt like I wanted to be a part of that. I believe in what they stand for,” she explains.

In her free time, she either sleeps or just listens to her favorite bands on her iPod like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters and Kings of Leon. “I’m also such an Incubus fan girl. I watched both their concerts here. The first one, I was at the pinaka back row, because I was grade 7. The second time, I was in the pinaka front row because I finally started making money and I could buy a ticket,” she says.

And when asked about her role model, she readily gives actress Angelina Jolie’s name. “Because she’s proof that women don’t have to be good girls to have a big heart.” (With interviews by Ronald S. Lim)