"I guess I just put myself out there. Doing stuff, magazine, so people will remember; Ohh, she’s still alive”
Men adores her, women look up to this woman. Mariana is more than just a pretty face.
The first time I met Mariana back 7 years ago in a photoshoot session, she (of course) looked pretty and very reversed. We exchanged words just about style direction. Today I meet her again in another photoshoot session and she isn’t much changed. The last time we met she wore tank top, jeans and sandals. This time she sports herself a tank top with cardigan, mini skirt and a pair of Converse shoes. Still casual as ever and pretty as if times never leaves any remarks on her. Is she still shy? “Silent, shy mostly,” she says when I ask her what most people think of her.
“I am not reserved. Actually in front of my best friends, I talk a lot. I know if I’m in Jakarta people see me as silent, shy girl. Sometimes I’m just, what the heck, I’m not reserved. It depends on my mood as well. I’m not particularly outgoing, I’m not good if it’s, like, crowded, too many people. I just listen more and be quiet. I am more comfortable talking with one or two people that close to me, like, talking interesting stuff.”
Been seen in Jakarta for only once or twice a year, people especially her fans are wondering what she’s been up to. “Life is pretty boring, I’ve been working,” she replies firmly.
Residing in Sidney, Mar is still busy with her modeling world in Australia. She joins local agency called Chic Management. She appears in some local magazines fashion spread, fashion shows and commercials. When she’s done posing for them, she’s going back and forth Jakarta for more fashion shows and photoshoots here.
What do you do when you come home (to Jakarta)? “I guess I just put myself out there. Doing stuff, magazine, so people will remember; Ohh, she’s still alive (laughing). While you away, it’s kind of hard to get a contract, you need to be present. So what I’m doing, like, meet some internal dinner event, with clients.”
As her contract with Olay being extended, now we got to have her back on screen as the Brand Ambassador for White Radiance variance. It’s pretty easy to spot her on the magazines but only once we enjoy her acting, and it seems like ages ago. It’s not that she’s got no offers, we know exactly Mariana is one to wait for.
“The only time I did movie is Janji Joni. It was interesting actually, but I don’t think I’m ready psychologically. I’m more of a model, it’s different. It’s not that easy to act, not at all. I don’t want to be in a movie and people wondering, ‘what the heck is she doing there.’ I’m just not ready on many levels. For now I just can say, we will see.”
She holds her tongue for a moment finding the right words and continues,”I’m modeling right now, and I’m happy with it. Well, we will see, we’ll see, we never know what’s gonna happen in the future. I don’t want to say I will never do movie again, because if in the future I do movie I will have to swallow my own words.”
According to her manager, despite abundant of film offers, they don’t feel like forcing it. However, they’ve already got one title to consider. So hopefully in no further we’ll get to see Mar acting again.
Besides doing stuff that she mentions earlier, she tells about her true love time killer: traveling.
“Around December 2009 I went to South America cause all my friends are going there. And I was like, heck, I’m going there. So, they all like went to New York and went to Central America. So I bought the ticket and caught them up. It’s like backpacking, three weeks in a bus, chicken buses you know, random hostels, it’s like we follow this Lonely Planet trail.
"It’s kind of dangerous. You know we almost got mugged on Christmas Eve, it’s like, so messed up. We went to the city and all we saw there are people on crack with red eyes and cranky face. At 9pm looking for hostel and we were getting lost we were like heck, heck, heck.
"But we had a good time when we were in remote area, it’s like mountains and was really nice. And we’re like, seven hours in chicken bus and took us to the opposite city that we planned to go. But it was really great, we had fiesta night and we enjoyed movie, reggaeton and stuff, play football with the kids.”
Despite her not able to be close with people easily, Mar says she’s got friends everywhere, but sometimes they have to separate physically because of them or her moving to another country. She says she always has one friend to visit every time she comes back to Jakarta, and one best girlfriend who knows her inside-out since she was six who’s residing in Brazil, and one best boyfriend who’s been friend with her since they were seven.
“I don’t really have many best friends, but they all scattered around the world. But I don’t want to name them. With my closest friend even if we’re, like, in separate place for two years, we still know what each other doing. It’s like time and distant won't change anything. If we meet again, it will be just staying the same.”
What is the most obnoxious thing from a guy when he’s trying to approach you? “Ah, it’s the bling bling. The champagne, the bling, whatever the cologne that smells suck, people who’s showing off their wealth, latest gadget, like, this is what I have. It’s the most disgusting for me, what am I…an object? A lot of guys do that, not just to me but also to people in general. Like this is what I can offer to you, I mean, if I want champagne, I could buy it myself,” she states firmly.
In contrary, what kind of guy does she like? “I don’t have certain type, like I want my boyfriend to be that way, or my husband to be that way. It’s more like chemistry, you know. I could say a guy to be sexiest on earth because I see him like that, and other people don’t see it like that. I like people who are very creative, who do art. Not really artsy people, but more of people who have their own opinion, just being himself, don’t care about bullshit.
"It’s refreshing to see people who just being their own. Doesn’t mean that people have the “f*ck u all" attitude, more like this is me, this is who I am, have strong stand point and open minded. Passionate about what they do, just simple, just being him, just confident and be yourself, sometimes it’s hard to do.”
Mariana, the woman who sits in front of me now, is far from a reserved awkward girl. Having vast experience living in different cities of the world since the very young age, she’s become a tough personality. A woman who mentions Arcade Fire as her favorite band, and Hunger as a cool movie. She’s definitely something.
via Nylon, Jan. 2011
katrina kaif
