From blockbusters to music videos to teleseryes, Gen Z Superstar Belle Mariano is a commanding and focal name in Philippine show business. Here’s a look back on the roles that have marked her fascinating career.
First seen on our screens as a child star and commercial model, Belle Mariano is now a fully-rounded and engaged artist. The award-winning actress has turned fiction into her area of expertise, building a momentum of unique and fresh stories with characters that she’s proud to portray. And it’s fair to say she shines in this respect.
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In a cutthroat industry, Belle swam against the tides in her rise to stardom. Her humble beginnings, rejections from a hundred or so auditions, led her to remarkable performances in Philippine cinema and television today. As a child, Belle already had big dreams to star in front of the camera. Today, she’s doing that and more—the face of several brands, producing albums, holding her own sold-out concerts. More than her talent and dedication to her craft, it’s Belle’s humility, eagerness to improve, charisma, and sunny disposition that has her winning over the hearts of Filipinos nationwide. And with each role she plays, Belle has proven her versatility, range, and commitment to portraying complex characters.
Her beginning commercials molded her into playing minor or supporting characters for hit TV series such as Princess and I starring Kathryn Bernardo, Enrique Gil, and Daniel Padilla; Lorenzo’s Time with leads Zaijian Jaranilla and Carmina Villaroel; Juan dela Cruz starring Coco Martin; and On the Wings of Love fronting Nadine Lustre and James Reid. These eventually opened doors to movies such as Can’t Help Falling in Love where she played Kathryn Bernardo’s little sister, Love You to the Stars and Back with Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia, and James & Pat & Dave, which starred Donny Pangilinan, Belle’s now on-screen partner.
Her work with bigger names led her to an avenue of co-starring with Alexa Ilacad, Charlie Dizon, and Gillian Vicencio in Four Sisters Before the Wedding, the prequel of the 2013 Philippine box-office success, where she took on the role of Shaina Magdayao’s character, Gabbie Salazar. This major role gave Belle an opportunity to showcase her depth and skills by truly internalizing Gabbie’s personality. “More than getting into my character, mas nahirapan akong alisin siya sa sistema ko,” Belle said in an interview.
Soon after, in the year 2021, Belle snagged her first leading role as Maxpein Zin Del Valle-Moon in He’s Into Her, a teen romance drama series based on the 2012 novel by Maxine Lat. Maxpein is far from Gabbie’s character or her previous roles, where she is portrayed as ‘maangas’ and ‘palaban’. When Belle landed the role, she shared that she was nervous about not meeting expectations and under-delivering. But during the shoot, she found confidence in herself with the help of her cast, director and producers, and co-lead Donny, and was able to show a Maxpein that no one else could’ve played better.
With He’s Into Her, the star has learned to better analyze her character, develop a connection with her scene partner, and build up a scene. After she did the series, Belle said she was now better prepared to take on new projects. This determination and ownership of her journey led her to movies such as Love is Color Blind and An Inconvenient Love, both of which starred Donny as her on-screen partner as well. In both these roles, Ayef and Cara, respectively, Belle took on different personalities and different lives, but her tremendous commitment to fully transform into her characters, to be truthfully and emotionally connected to them, demanded her hard work, technique, and good direction. And it’s safe to assume that Belle Mariano’s excellence in her craft gave her the title “Gen Z Superstar”.
Belle’s transformative career choices now led her to the phenomenon that is Can’t Buy Me Love, where she wears the shoes of the magnetic role Caroline Tiu. Her authentic performance presents her as stoic and cold, but witty and complex and multi-faceted. The star embraces this role beautifully, and we can’t wait to see her in more.
Photos and Featured Image: Belle Mariano (via Instagram), MEGA ARCHIVES
