Actress Rain Matienzo started her career with the beloved āConyo Girlā character. Whatās up next on her journey as a storyteller?Ā
Sparkle artist Rain Matienzo burst onto the scene during the pandemic with her hilarious āConyo Girlā skits. She has since emerged as an actress to watch, with her performances on Artikulo 247, Maria Clara at Ibarra, and more, demonstrating her range as a performer. She has also grown as a host, with her most recent gig being at the NYLON Manila Career Fair: The University Takeover stop at her alma mater, UP Diliman. There, Rain sat down with NYLON Manila to share how sheās been and what her fans can expect to see from her. Read on to find out more.Ā
Related: What Went Down When We Took Over UP for the NYLON Manila Career Fair: University Takeover
@rainmatienzo i know a lot of smart conyos actually and i love being groupmates with them cause they really do be this responsible and save me from deadlines š
ā¬ original sound – Rain Matienzo
Did you always want to be an actress/content creator? Did you always see yourself doing what you do now?
This line of work for me started as more of a joke. I remember, before I graduated college, I was telling my friends: āI will never be caught doing content online. I will never be an influencer.ā There was such a negative connotation back then of what influencers are actually doing. But then I realized it was the best avenue for me to express myself and to connect with audiences, especially when the pandemic happened. I had finished my stint as a court-side reporter and I had no outlet anymore. So TikTok was the only open door for me. And all of a sudden I was eating my words! So I would say it was accidental. When I was younger, I would always joke about wanting to be an actor and on TV. But none of it was ever done on purpose – I was just trying things out and it led me here.
What was your plan/dream in the beginning of your career?
My plan was to be in media as a reporter – I really wanted to start out as a field reporter. My five-year plan was to do that, maybe study Journalism again (because I studied Broadcasting and wanted to learn how to write better). But then, during the time I was graduating was when all the doors opened for acting and content creation, so I wasnāt able to explore News at all. Sometimes when I meet people in the industry like Atom Araullo and Kara David, they would always joke with me to still try for it.
Q: Would you say that itās very different from what youāre doing now?
I wouldnāt say itās very different, because itās still reaching people and storytelling, which is the heart of what I love doing – whether itās acting or creating content or conversing with people on my platforms. I love telling the stories of other people and learning from them. Iām more free to express my creativity here.
@rainmatienzo conyo girl as a showbiz reporter
ā¬ original sound – Rain Matienzo
With your signature āConyo Girlā, what is at the heart of that story that youāre trying to tell?
I think for me, as a creator, especially when I do skits, I love doing things very OA. I find joy in doing comedy. Thatās why, even in acting, I do comedy and I find ways to over exaggerate a character, because I believe it brings joy to a lot of people. But the very heart of Conyo Girl was really just my delulu self! I would like to talk to myself and create scenarios alone in my room and find them hilarious. So I think I was bored. I never thought people would see those videos I recorded. I think itās also a mixture of a lot of the people I met throughout my college life, which is what makes it relatable. Everyone knows a Conyo Girl or Conyo Guy in their lives. I just wanted to bring that into the space, because there were a lot of skits about public school and I wanted to add some pizzaz and show the story of a conyo student.
How did you make the jump from content creation to acting?
It was a drastic jump. Like I said, I like over exaggerating characters, and with content creation it was under my control: the script, how I act, how I post and when I post it. But when I jump into characters in acting for television, there are certain needs that the character has that are different from me. For me, joining workshops with Sparkle for the longest time, my acting coach would say that I couldnāt do characters that were far away from me. It was a struggle for a while, just fully surrendering to certain characters. That is where I found freedom to explore the bounds of a character and their needs that are totally separate from mine. Itās like jumping into a completely different world and it was very difficult.
What is the best and worst thing about showbiz?
The worst thing: I did not expect that it would take up such a huge chunk of my life. In the jobs I was able to do before, I was able to separate my personal life from the work that I do. Iāve been hosting and creating content for a while, but when I step out of that Iām just still me. But that industry hits a lot of parts of your life and you never know when people will recognize you in public. There are a lot of unexpected things that life throws at you, and a lot of relationships to consider when youāre on set. Itās not the worst part, bur itās a difficult part of it because I like keeping to myself (contrary to what I show on social media).
The best part is the relationships I have built along the way. Iāve met a lot of amazing, creative people and independent minds, and that still continues to fuel my craft because I draw inspiration from them. Whenever I step on stage I add a little new something that I learned from the last person that I met. I love that part of it.
What is your dream acting gig?
Perhaps something very difficult. An emotion I find difficult to act out is fear. So perhaps a thriller, because that takes up a lot of physical energy as well. No role specifically, but that genre since I havenāt tried it.
How do you stay inspired as a content creator, especially now that youāre busy as an actress? Do you think youāll ever give it up and dedicate your time to only being an actress?
I am not quite sure. I really love content creation. I love that it connects me to more audiences who need me in the space. I get messages from students asking me about my experiences as a court-side reporter, as a host, or even just as a student in UP and how I did it. I canāt let go of creating content because it keeps me connected to the generation of today and I want to maintain that.
I love acting, and itās a very different kind of outlet. I love connecting to the audiences there as well. But I think the challenge lies in the balance because I donāt want to give up content creation. Itās more personal in the way that it connects me to my audiences.
@rainmatienzo time fleeeeww š„¹
ā¬ Forever Young – Alphaville
If you could do it all over again, are there things you would have done differently in college or in your career, knowing what you know now?
Because I had such a negative view of creating an online platform back then, what I would do differently is I would have shaken that off and jumped into the space earlier. When I jumped in, it was the pandemic and there were already a lot of people creating content when they were in college. There was a missed opportunity for me to share my experiences when I was going through it, rather than in hindsight.
Whatās next for you? What can people expect to see from you in the near future?
I donāt know. I think I have just been enjoying my life. I donāt feel like my job is an actual job. I just want to let life surprise me. But if thereās something I want to do more of, itās creating more content and branch out of Instagram and TikTok. Maybe do a podcast? Or grow in hosting. I love storytelling, but I also want to do it in a larger capacity where I give other people a platform as well.
Is there something crazy and unexpected for you that you want to try (for your career or just for yourself)?
One crazy thing that I would want to do is go on a backpacking trip. Itās been a pending thing from me since college and I wasnāt able to do because of the pandemic. My original plan was to graduate and then spend a couple months backpacking around Southeast Asia or wherever. But when I do it I want to be disconnected, which is crazy because I do my job as a content creator and Iām always online. For this specific experience I want to disconnect and experience the Lord, nature, and connect with myself.
Anything you want to shoutout or any causes you are passionate about that you want to bring more attention to?
What a lot of people donāt know is that, before entering UP, and before doing the conyo skits, which is very different from my life before, I graduated from a public school. I came from a public science high school, and thatās a cause I want to talk about more because there are a lot of issues that havenāt been dealt with in the sector of education. Education is very close to my heart, and hopefully thereās someone I could talk to to have a better understanding of my experience and how things can be improved in that system. Hopefully more people can join the cause as well and help me figure out how we can make an impact.
How can people educate themselves responsibly, especially in todayās Information Age in the advent of fake news, deep fakes, etc.?
What I always do, and this has been a common practice I learned in college is: corroboration. Everything is so fast-paced with the information that you share and receive, so even before I share something I try to research first and check if this information is something I want to accept and see if other sources have posted it as well. Deep fakes and AI have been really scary lately, and I sometimes would hear on TikTok music that sounds like new music and it turns out itās from AI. I try to research as much as I can and check comments. With corroboration and checking multiple sources itās easy to do now with the kind of access we have to information. That small extra step, with anything – preparing talks or mentioning small facts, I try to ask people. Corroboration can come, not just in research, but in many forms. You can ask those who you think are more knowledgeable in certain topics. That is a practice people should continue to do.
How do you maintain your mental health, as a person who is in the public eye and is subject to a lot of criticisms from people who donāt know you?
Itās very difficult. It has helped me a lot to admit that oftentimes you need help. Things can get overwhelming and isolating. People around me, my family and friends, are not in this space a lot. As a public persona, I want to protect myself, too, which is why I donāt openly share about things I go through to just anyone. So it can be isolating. But admitting I need that extra help has helped. I am very therapy and counseling positive. I believe it really helps you understand your thoughts better and helps you be a better a person for the people around you so you can love them better.
Do you have a message for your fans and/or the NYLON Manila audience?
This is the time of your life. There are so many open doors for you to walk through. There shouldnāt be fear of walking through any of them because time is on your side. I think a lot of the younger generations are scared of taking the next step because of fear of not being able to start over, or certain doors closing. But thereās enough time for you to explore all the different facets of your personality and then decide later. Now, in your teens or twenties, itās too early to lock yourself and feel caged in your life. So live free!
For UP students: I passed UP Baguio and left after a while because I couldnāt take being away from my family. I was really young back then. I came back to UPD in 2017. There are a lot of ways to enter the university aside from the UPCAT. If youāre really passionate about getting an education from this university, or thereās a specific course you want to pursue and be equipped in, you should look at the other options you can try. There are a lot of doors open in this university.
Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Continue reading: DLSU Takeover: Highlights from the First Leg of NYLON Manilaās Career Fair 2024
