James Reid is the real MVP

The newest face of Sunnies Studios has got game. Get to know why James Reid is the perfect fit for the brand.

MANILA, Philippines — It’s a glorious Tuesday morning in a breezy poolside villa outside of the city. The Sunnies Studios team has been up all night, working out every little detail — from the clothes to the layouts and social media content — before the official call time. The creative energy is palpable. It’s the first shoot sans creative director Martine Cajucom (she took a personal trip) and they are about to shoot the follow up to last summer’s “The Girl On TV” campaign with Liza Soberano. Did we mention it’s going to feature the newest face of Sunnies Studios as well?

L'été: The latest Sunnies Studio campaign was inspired by the film Call Me By Your Name. James wears the Maru.

Yes: big deal.

The energy shifts when the clock strikes nine and a phone’s notification goes off. “Someone open the gate,” I overhear. What follows then is an exchange of pop culture banter and a few nervous laughs. It’s the Sunnies team’s version of a pregame huddle, I suppose. James Reid, the MVP for the day, has arrived.

Fresh from the P20 million opening weekend of Never Not Love You, his latest blockbuster with IRL bae Nadine Lustre, and a Holy Week holiday in Thailand, James is on top of his game. He is currently making more music under his music label Careless MusicManila and is in the process of filming for a new film under Viva, Miss Granny, with Sarah Geronimo. He also spends time with his family and ventures out with his best buds every time he can. We’ve seen this 24-year-old discover himself and grow so much in the years he’s been in the industry. But James is a man of one too many interests — he ain’t got time to bask in the glory and ride the waves of his own success. Instead, he goes back to the grind of simply doing what he loves.

Cool down: On days when he's not on a shoot, James works on his music.

Right now, his focus is on music. “It’s been almost a year since ‘Palm Dreams’ and I feel like it’s time to follow it up,” says James. And by that, he means he’s ready to drop a few tracks by the end of April. (You heard it here first!) “Making an album has to be everything. All the songs should be related and there should be a story. It has to be coherent. I don’t want to do that right now,” he clarifies. “I just want to release songs that I’ve always wanted to release.”

And while a huge chunk of his success can be credited to him playing by his own rules, that doesn’t mean he can’t be a team player. The campaign shoot with the Sunnies Studios team was nothing short of fun. I guess that’s what happens when creatives — even with distinct personal styles — see eye to eye. The concept was inspired by sun-dappled lights and ’80s prep vibe from the film Call Me By Your Name. But a wide selection of sunnies and specs designs (the new slim metal frames were his favorite) made him less like an “Internet boyfriend” and more like the adventurous rule breaker that we know.

Keep it shady: James wore a mix of old and new designs for the campaign. The slim metal frames were his personal favorite.

Here’s the thing with James, though: his grit and determination to change the game is far more admirable than any of his trophies will ever be. “He’s authentic, he’s chill, and he has the kind of talent that only hard work can bring,” says Martine on why James is perfect for the brand. And much like Sunnies Studios, he’s all about the game plan more than the play-by-play.

With the success of his latest movie, the upcoming release of new music, and the launch of his Sunnies Studios campaign, the spotlight on James isn’t going away anytime soon. “‘Til now, in all of this, fame is the part I like the least,” says James. “It’s really not because I wanted attention. It’s really because I wanted to do something I never thought I could do. People saw so much potential in me like my dad, my manager, our fans, and I just wanted to really see how far I could go. I just wanted an interesting life.”

And James is livin’ it up like he’s supposed to do.