The unconventional Celia

With Celia Rodriguez, what you see is what you get. No ifs and buts. No in-betweens. She calls a spade a spade.

Asked how she reacts to aspiring stars who this early are already showing diva tendencies, Celia says, “I’m not insecure. I don’t get into fights with never-heards.”

Or how about “I don’t follow trends. Trends follow me.”?

Her words are as blunt as a knife. She says them with a pout, a self-assured straightforwardness. Some people would take it for aloofness. But the same people admit they’re the truth and nothing but.

At the launch of the Calayan celebrity models, Celia stole the show in her off-white feathered gown. Deluged with compliments and questions on who created the outfit, Celia points to her long-time friend and designer, Eddie Ocampo.

And while she gives the seasoned designer his fair share of the limelight, Celia has her own take on how to register well with the audience.

“Attitude is number one,” the former ramp model declares. “What’s more important is that you’re beautiful inside.”

Celia’s inner beauty springs from her faith. A born-again Christian, she proclaims that she’s “at peace with myself and in the world.” In fact, her only beauty secret is sleep.

Celia need not get assignments left and right to prove her self-worth. She’s too self-contained to worry about things like showbiz presence and recognition.

Living alone in her house for years with a motley of friends to keep her company, she is alone but far from lonely. She putters in her garden, reads, and — especially at this time of the year — decorates her home.

This Christmas stands out among the rest because Celia’s children — one based in Sydney and the other in the US — are coming home after two years. The excited mom is decking her home in shiny silver and red. The giant tree, the Christmas balls — all these will carry Celia’s Christmas colors.

Her decision to shun the traditional red and green motif of the season shows how offbeat she can be. Her habit of changing her Christmas colors yearly (next year, it will be turquoise and gold) shows her refusal to stay stagnant.

The painstaking way she herself wraps Christmas presents shows how much she values friends.

“My helper is amazed that it takes me an hour to finish my Christmas box,” Celia reveals. “I don’t buy pre-designed wrappers. I design the entire package myself.”

She chooses a bright-colored paper, uses it to perk up a plain gift box, ties a big gold bow around the spruced-up box and voila! You have a gift so nicely-wrapped you hate to tear its wrapper this Christmas, or any other time of the year.

This utmost care in making gifts reflects the kind of friend Celia can be.

Dr. Pie Calayan says, “Celia is a friend as much as she is a client for years. She always comes to the clinic with food for my children.”

One thing the lady doctor learned throughout her long friendship with Celia is no amount of convincing will make her go under the knife.

“I’m afraid of blood,” Celia shudders. Thus, everything about her is natural. Lipo and other kinds of operations are not for her.

Celia would rather follow nature’s way to keep her looks.

“An actress should always look good,” she intones. “She shouldn’t step out of the house looking as if she’s on her way to the wet market or she’s just given birth.”

Her models are icons of style: Jackie Kennedy, Liz Taylor, Joan Crawford. 

Eddie Ocampo says his long-time model herself is an icon of glamour and mystique.  

Look deeper and you see discipline and the humility to admit one can’t stay on top of the game without hard work.

“It’s harder to stay on top,” observes Celia. “You need discipline, you need dedication to your craft as an artist.”

The voice of experience has spoken. Celia’s words are both a warning and source of advice.

Young stars out there, be forewarned, and forearmed.