For the first time since he joined showbiz in 2003, commercial model-turned-actor TJ Trinidad makes it to YES! magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful Stars list this year.
In the list’s 2017 edition, the 41-year-old mainstay of GMA-7’s fantasy series Mulawin vs Ravena is part of the Bankable Stars category, which honors those who consistently deliver good performances in whatever role or assignment they are given.
Since he made that transition from being a commercial model (PLDT, Swatch, Close-up, San Miguel, etc.) in the 90s to acting in the early 2000s, he has been working nonstop.
To date, TJ already has almost 50 TV series/shows and 30 films under his belt, making him average five projects each year for 14 years.
The actor believes that character makes a person beautiful.
“The kind of person they are inside is what matters,” he told YES! in an interview.
But the good-looking and hunky actor gets tongue-tied when asked what makes him a beautiful person.
"I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t know how to answer that question. Maybe it’s the way I am with my family…I don’t know.
"My discipline? If you’re talking characteristics, I think my determination. That would probably it."
FITNESS AND GROOMING. TJ admits to being a bit vain.
“I’m conscious about the way I look, but not too much, I think.
“I just go to the barber,” he added, mentioning the barbershop chain Bruno’s Barbers as his go-to grooming place.
To be in tip-top form, TJ goes to gym regularly.
“I’ve always been into the martial arts—boxing, karate, muay Thai, judo, konting grappling,” he said.
“Pero right now, I box. ’Yong iba, hindi ko na masyadong pina-practice. I just box until now.”
TJ also goes to the gym for specific workouts to strengthen his legs.
“Importante ’yon sa legs ko because I’ve had a lot of operations, knee operations,” he explained. “So I really need to strengthen my legs.
“Pero supplemental lang siya sa boxing. I box a lot.”
Lastly, TJ, who’s in the cast of the forthcoming crime drama movie, Smaller and Smaller Circles, shared a diet tip: “I think eating healthy is very important and having that kind of healthy lifestyle.
"I eat what I want, hindi lang sobra-sobra.”