Random public encounters with celebrities are often quick, but they can leave a lasting impression—whether good or bad. But with their lives spent most under the public eye, audiences tend to forget that celebrities are people, too. Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio, for instance, shared her two cents from the perspective of a long-time public figure.
READ: Rica Peralejo on Why Some Celebrities Decline Requests for Photos in Public
The former actress and current content creator responded to a TikTok comment where a netizen mentioned a so-called “snobbish” moment from Rica during a past encounter at a mall. While the TikTok user acknowledged that they’ve realized celebrities like her were also human, Rica took this as an opportunity to explain the situation whenever fans ask celebrities for a photo.
@ricaperalejo Replying to @Emong Tiong HONEST LANG TAYO DITO THANKS EMONG FOR EXPRESSING WHAT U FEEL & ALSO FOR UNDERSTANDING 🫰ðŸ»
♬ original sound - Rica Peralejo Bonifacio - Rica Peralejo Bonifacio
“I’ve always suffered from the ‘you need to be nice and kind and accommodate everyone when you’re going out.’ I think on so many levels, nahihirapan ako kasi first, introvert ako,” Rica said, sharing that the particular topic was one she’d always wanted to discuss, given her long tenure in the industry.

“When we're out, it's not as if we're out because we're going to engage [with] people, it's really more of like running errands or being with ourselves,” Rica continued. “So it's like catching the celebrity in a very ordinary kind of day mood. Like seriously, sino ba ’yung tao na gustong magpa-picture 24/7 ng buhay niya?”
Despite their status as public personalities, Rica hoped to disclose that much like anyone, celebrities have good and bad days. If they do decline a photo request, it’s not necessarily because of a “snobby” attitude problem—they could be sick or dealing with a problem underneath.

“Binigyan ko lang kayo ng perspective kasi siyempre minsan we also feel bad when we can’t accommodate everybody. Kasi tama [kayo], when we’re out, were actually doing normal people things. But iniintidi nalang namin na siyempre ganun [talaga] kapag public figure ka.”
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