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Rufa Mae Quinto Will Stay Relevant for a Long, Long Time—Just Ask the Internet
Rufa Mae Quinto has cemented her status as an internet-proclaimed icon. Now, it's all about the present, and how she's all "go, go, go" for the future.
Published Jun 23, 2023
Updated Jun 23, 2023
With a nearly 30-year showbiz presence tied to the backbone of Filipino pop culture, Rufa Mae Quinto has cemented her status as an internet-proclaimed icon. Now, it's all about the present—and how she's all "go, go, go" for the future.
On one weekday morning in our office studio, I find myself staring up at Rufa Mae Quinto, who, quite literally, stands perched up on a pedestal.
The comedienne poses in ways reminiscent of old glamour glossies, a stark contrast from the Rufa Mae of the movies. With her hands above her head, she gazes down the lens in a manner that’s stylishly cavalier. A crew of young millennials and Gen Zs look up at the all-too-different Rufa Mae, as she switches from one pose to another. And then, every once in a while, she blurts out one of her catchphrases that turns us back to reality, her well-known charm, and why she’s standing up there in the first place.
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Rufa Mae Quinto for Preview In Focus June 2023
The Making of an Icon
Call it a microcosm of sorts—to borrow a “nosebleed”-inducing term—to how local Film Twitter has positioned Rufa Mae in recent years. Much in par with the Y2K renaissance of the 2020s and millennials and Gen Zs embracing kitsch in retrospect, the actress has become that poster queen of the early-aughts camp. The backbone of Filipino pop culture, so to say. Pages upon pages on the internet are dedicated to her movie quotes, from the 2009 Status: Single diatribe against first-world capitalism to the “Tanggap ko na, Jane, Wanda,” monologue, which perfectly laments the woes of netizens’ single-dom.
The comedienne was recently pulled back into the spotlight of pop culture stardom, thanks to a Netflix cameo. In an ad for the Korean action film Kill Boksoon, Rufa Mae channels Jeon Do Yeon’s assassin role as she daydreams of a murderous fantasy while on an errand run at a grocery store (“Go-go-grocery,” Rufa Mae jokes). There was red velvet, there was a wakizashi sword, and there were action scenes sprinkled with Rufa Mae references that spoke to her cultural stature. The internet, of course, ate it up.
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Her celebrated status was sort of a work of destiny, as Rufa Mae tells me that show business seemed like a natural fit for a kid with a strong personality who always seemed “happy-happy.” “Gusto ko laging may gumagalaw,” she recalls. “Na-e-express ko ang feelings [ko sa showbiz]. At siguro artist talaga ako. Ito ang way ko to release and to show [myself]. Kung okay naman, dito na lang.”
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But as any person in the industry knows, climbing up the entertainment ladder isn’t without a heavy dose of hard work and grit. Before getting her big break in the ’90s with That’s Entertainment, Rufa Mae looked back on her modeling past as a teen, which involved posing for brands like Liz Claiborne and Birkenstock. “Actually, noong una pa lang, international model pala ako,” she quips.
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She auditioned for the famed GMA variety show with none other than German Moreno facilitating it. “Nandun si Kuya Germs sa gitna, ’tas mga secretary niya. Tapos isa-isa kami magpapakita ng talent,” Rufa Mae narrates. “So, sabi niya na kumanta ako. Siyempre, masyadong na-nerbyos ako. Hindi ako halos makakanta.”
Kuya Germs, seemingly resigned, had shrugged it off. “Tapos, sabi niya, ‘Sige, okay na!’”
Rufa Mae recalls the late Master Showman explaining to her that being an artista doesn’t always involve singing, no matter how the industry presents it. In hindsight, the actress thinks that he saw her potential, which, as pop culture history shows, worked out in the long run. After signing with Viva Entertainment, Rufa Mae flexed her new status as a sexy comedienne in 1997’s Gloria, Gloria Labandera, which later on paved the way for a string of cult hits like Booba (2001) and Super B (2002).
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Thus, the trademark was born. One of her unique charms comes from her line delivery, an energetic drawl that comes attached to her comedic timing. In real life, it’s somehow not surprising that the “Rufa Mae” character comes out of her like second nature, as our conversation gets peppered with her iconic lines like “todo na ’to” and “go, go, go.” Almost 30 years since her debut, these personas feel like one and the same—but with some big changes tied to them.
Double Life
In 2020, the actress shifted into a more low-profile lifestyle with her move to the United States. Years prior, she wedded the Filipino-American Trevor Magallanes, a then-financial analyst who she met during a fateful fifth visit to the US. They would have a daughter together, Athena, a six-year-old who reshaped the way Rufa Mae sees her life, and ultimately, showbiz.
“Mas serious ka na talaga kasi ’di na lang [para sa] sarili mo ’yung ginagawa mo,” Rufa Mae says. “May purpose ka na. Siyempre, gusto mong maging proud sila sa ’yo rin.”
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In the US, Rufa Mae sheds her fame and fills in her role as a full-time mom. She’s more “domestic,” she says, as she does her parental duties: She picks up her daughter from school, helps her with her homework, feeds her, then tucks her into bed. On Philippine soil, it’s a 180-degree flip with a laughing audience and back-to-back on-screen schedules, although Athena still stands at the center of it. As a perceptive kid, Athena also sees the change whenever they’re back in their homeland.
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“Akala nga niya ang yaman-yaman ko, eh,” Rufa Mae laughs. “’Why are you a queen?’ sabi [niyang] ganon. ‘Ewan ko,’ sabi ko. Sila lang nagsabi!”
Despite her relatively happy state-side life, like most Filipinos living abroad, there’s still no place like home, especially with her passion residing in it. Whatever happens, Rufa Mae says that she’ll always be drawn to a life in the limelight.
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“I feel kasi na [showbiz is] my strength. Number one is [that] they're laughing with me. That's what I love to do. Minaster ko na,” she says. “They're happy, they appreciate you. I wanna be there kung saan ako loved and respected.”
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Comedy, according to the star, is one safe outlet against life that’s often riddled with all-too-real drama. “Ang buhay talaga medyo ma-drama rin. So parang gusto ko masaya lang ako sa set kasi pag-uwi ko, baka may drama na naman,” she says. “Dati, sobrang drama sa lahat. Ngayon, wala [na akong] space for drama. Nasagad ka na, kaya puro happy na lang. I mean I try to be [positive], 'di ba? Kaysa mag-dwell sa mga 'di maganda.”
Rufa Mae handles the art of comedy in ways that lean into her bright, larger-than-life personality. She isn’t one to plan out her jokes, she states. It’s all in improvisation, a witty tool that comedians have in their arsenal that defines their high levels of cleverness, despite most being shoe-horned into “bimbo” roles.
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However, like with most conservations with comedians these days, the topic of cancel culture and its impact on the craft still lurks between us. Rufa Mae hasn’t shied away from toying around with senatorial aspirations, a topic that has picked up speculation due to recent history’s inclination for entertainers-turned-politicians. During the 2022 election season, the star was also the subject of netizen discussion when she was spotted in campaign sorties of two different presidential candidates. Some raised their eyebrows and some called her “a hustle queen.” But it also speaks to how she sees entertainment.
“With showbiz, for me, hindi ko hinahaluan ng religion at politics. Malinaw sa akin na showbiz is entertainment. ’Yun lang ’yun,” she states. “’Tsaka kung may comment man ako, hindi ’yun para ipangalandakan ko pa. Basta, I know when to shut up and when to, ano... go, go, go.”
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Right now, Rufa Mae still holds a seemingly unwavering status in the internet sphere, one she’s perfectly aware of, but no less surprised. “I’m cultured shock, kamo,” she laughs when asked about being a “pop culture icon.” She’s thankful for the impersonators who emulate her trademark voice and catchphrases, thinking of how they invest their time in trying to perfect her comedic and vocal nuances. As for her effect on the young general public, Rufa Mae’s running theory lies in how these then-kids grew up with her on screen.
“Kasi sa tingin ko, mga mommy nila ’yung nakaka-appreciate [noon]. Siguro nanunuod, 'tas nakita ng mga new generation,” she says. “’Tsaka, pini-play pa rin ang mga movies ko, kasi kahit ulit-ulitin mo, relatable pa rin sa lahat ng tao. Makatao ang Booba. Simple, pero masaya.”
Future Nostalgia
Nostalgia plays a vital part in the internet’s Rufa Mae-neissance, and so is the future that’s about to come. On an Instagram post uploaded in late April, the actress hinted at a follow-up to the 2001 classic Booba, captioning that she was set to revive the character for “a new generation.”
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While the original comedy film delved into the titular character’s adventures in searching for her long-lost sister in Manila that snowballs to her life as an NBI agent, Booba 2 will see the actress in a more mature role, but not in the industry’s sense. Like Rufa Mae, Booba is already grown, with a daughter of her own. According to the star, Booba’s daughter serves as a contrast to her character, who’s smarter and a tad more conservative. The whole film in general is posed to be “more wholesome,” Rufa Mae says.
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But Booba 2 is just among the many things squeezed into her to-do list. In between her low-key life in the US, her packed schedule in the Philippines sees her divert back to Rufa Mae, pop culture icon, who jumps from endorsements, photoshoots, tapings, to the next in-person show. And while nostalgia runs at the very roots of what makes her an icon, to her, the highlight of her career doesn’t lie in the past, but in the solid present she stands perched on.
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“Ngayon ’yung highlight kasi todong todo na,” she says. “Marami ka ng ginawa, at mas confident ka na. Hindi ka out, you’re in. ’Di ba? Very in.”
Produced by Jamie Lou Briones and Isha Fojas
Photography by Alan Segui
Photographer's Assistants: Jeo Jingco and Miles Wency
Art Direction by Bacs Arcebal
Fashion Direction and Styling by Marj Ramos-Clemente
Styling Assistant: Reg Rodriguez
Makeup by Mark Qua
Hairstyling by Aries Manal
Words by Katrina Maisie Cabral
Special thanks to Clifford Ponce
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