It’s been a big year for this superstar, who entered 2024 with the P924-million hit Rewind, following it up with a Cinemalaya Best Actress win for her work in gritty indie Balota. Add to that her trendsetting charm that helped give rise to the Molly, Skullpanda and Labubu craze in the Philippines, and one could say that everything Marian touches, indeed, turns to gold.
By BÜM D. TENORIO JR.
Still, it is the radiance of motherhood that casts a halo around Marian’s head. It’s the untarnished crown that she wears every day — from 5 a.m., when she bathes her two children before they go to school, up to the time she and her husband Dingdong Dantes tuck them into bed after saying their evening prayers.
The award-winning actress displays an intrinsic warmth every time she talks about Zia, nine, and Sixto, five. All the glow is emanating from Marian’s devotion to her family. “My being a mother has allowed me to
realize the sense of life. It made me a more patient human being,” says Marian in the vernacular.
She admits that when she was still single and younger, she was feisty, impulsive. “Pinapatulan ko lahat [I make a fuss out of everything].”
But her perspective changed when she got married to Dingdong in December 2014, the man she personally met while they were doing the hit teleserye Marimar on GMA. When she became a mother for the first time to Zia, all the more did she realize what truly matters in life. The blessing of becoming a mother the second time to Sixto allowed her to focus her energy on “important things.”
“Taking care of my family is also loving myself,” she says.
Hands-on Mom
Marian is a hands-on mother, saying with conviction that she makes it a point to be there for her children every time there is a special occasion at school. Without hesitation, she says that she did not experience being brought to and picked up from school by her own parents, who separated when she was two years old.
She grew up in Bacoor, Cavite in the care of her very pious grandmother Francisca Rivera, now 94, who told her, “Never carry a grudge against your mother and father. Be thankful for the life they gave you.” Many times, her grandmother told her this lesson after their weekly devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Baclaran Church. “Isinasama ako ni Nanay (her term for her grandmother) sa Baclaran. Maraming beses lumalakad kami ng
paluhod papunta sa altar.”
Marian grew up with no rancor towards her mom and dad. “I come from a broken family. But my spirit, my ambition, my life was never broken,” she says. In times when Marian or Dingdong cannot bring Zia and Sixto to school, Marian’s mom Amalia Rivera comes to the rescue. Her Spanish father, Francisco Javier Gracia Alonso, is also present in her life “because we talk every day.”
What is her greatest contribution to the lives of her two children?
“That they are my priorities in life — that’s my greatest contribution to them. That I am always there for them. I always adjust my work schedule according to the schedule of my children. I’m grateful GMA allows me to do that,” she says.
Primetime Queen
The Kapuso primetime queen had just finished her last soap with GMA, My Guardian Alien. Another teleserye is in the pipeline. But Marian has begged off from her home network for the meantime because her heart tells her she needs to devote her time solely to her family.
She and Dingdong were the frontrunners of last year’s Metro Manila Film Festival for the movie Rewind, with P924 million earnings in the box-office worldwide.
“Lumalaki na ang mga bata. Gusto namin ni Dong na samantalahin ang panahon na nandiyan kami sa tabi nila. [The kids are growing up fast. Dong and I want to make the most of those years that they spend by our side],” adds Marian, who also won the Best Actress trophy — her first, would you believe? — at this year’s Cinemalaya Film Festival for her gritty performance as Emmy, a teacher who pays a high price for protecting the democratic process of the election, in the critically acclaimed film Balota.
Marian confesses she and her husband give their children the freedom to decide on their own. Freedom at home is equated to the respect they give their children. To become respectful individuals is one of the lessons Zia and Sixto learn at home.
“For example, I always like my daughter and me to go twinning when we dress up. That was before. Now, Zia has her own style. She tells me, ‘Mama, I know you want me to wear a dress but that’s not my style. I hope you don’t get mad at me because it’s how I want to style myself.’ So, I need to respect her for her choice.
“Zia is chill. She does not like to be bongga. Once she had to sing in school with a requirement to ‘wear something colorful.’ She just said, ‘Just please buy me a top and I will wear a pair of white shorts.’ Eh, I found a nice dress with the colors of the rainbow. Zia smiled and said, ‘That’s too much, Mama. I don’t want to stand out. I just want to be simple.’ I need to respect that,” Marian says.
If Zia is chill, what about Sixto?
“Oh, mas chill!” Marian quickly quips.
“Sixto is a chill boy. I can leave him for hours at home as he plays with his Lego. And I can go on with whatever I am doing at home,” Marian says, adding that corporal punishment is never introduced at home because “neither Dingdong nor I experienced that when we were kids.”
Cellphones and other gadgets are also not allowed at home for the two kids, except, of course, when they need them for their occasional online classes.
Motherhood brings many lessons to Marian. She’s living proof that mothers, too, learn from their kids.
“From Zia, I learned simplicity,” Marian says. Her world as a celebrity is always glossy, having started as a model when she was a kid. “Zia tells me that if she will stand out, she will stand out not because of her appearance
but because of her talent.”
Zia’s talents, aside from singing, include playing the piano, joining the school theater and swimming (“She’s a champion swimmer in school”). Recently, her daughter joined the student council “because she wants to be able to help other students with school matters.
“She delivered a speech, her platform in class for the student council. She made her own speech. She did not ask help from us because she thought that was cheating,” Marian proudly says.
From Sixto, who loves to play basketball and football, Marian learned composure, “to be cool.”
“When I am about to lose my cool, Sixto will say, ‘Mom, “ne. Don’t get mad. Please say it nicely. Come on, let’s love each other.’ Then he will give me a hug. Tapos na. Bati na,” she says with a hearty laugh.
Motherhood allows her for self-discovery all the more. Once, she adds, she attended a school activity of her kids. !e parents of other kids who have become her friends were not present. She was on her own. She watched her children in glee, alone. It was the first time she was alone and she was fine with it.
“There were many tables, many people with many friends. And I was alone. It was a beautiful experience because I discovered strength in being alone. I was simply happy watching my children play. I told Dong about that experience and my husband said, ‘You have felt and discovered the meaning of life if you can be happy being on your own’.”
Proud to be a celebrity
Marian and Dingdong love their jobs as actors “because that’s a noble job and it’s our bread and butter.” But family matters are the front, back and center of their lives.
She also has no qualms, should her kids want to follow in their famous parents’ footsteps. She has fair advice though. “We’re proud of what we do. Marangal na trabaho ang pagiging artista [Being an actor is an honest profession]. But if my kids one day want to enter showbiz, they should do it after completing their education.”
Marian, who finished a degree in Psychology at De La Salle University in Dasmarinas, Cavite, helps children with cleft lips and palates at Smile Train Philippines with their free treatment.
She has also advocated for a long time for the causes of “little people,” speaking about their needs and feelings and validating their contributions to society during National Dwarfism Awareness Month. It helps that Dingdong also supports her with her many socio-civic activities.
What’s her language of love for her handsome husband of 10 years?
“I love giving him surprise gifts even if there’s no occasion. But what he really appreciates is when I fix his man cave, his closet. Pag inayos ko ang gamit n’ya, that’s heaven for him. Talo pa niya ang nakatanggap ng mga mamahaling regalo. That’s my language of love for him,” says Marian. The klieg lights are shining bright in the career of Marian Rivera-Dantes. But it is family life that makes her radiant.
Photography by ANDREA BELDUA
Art direction by DEXTER FRANCIS DE VERA
Styling by MELVILLE SY
Makeup by JUAN SARTE III
Hair by NANTE ALINGASA
Shot on location at the Specialty Suite
of New World Hotel Makati
Special thanks to Nantha Kumar,
Lu Jean Ong and Francine Arias
