PEOPLE took notice of Jose Sixto Dantes III or the man we all know now as Dingdong Dantes when he fi rst appeared as a pudgy boy in TV commercials and as a looker and member of an all-male dance group. Th en, he wriggled his way into mainstream stardom by playing the boy-next-door, Iñaki Torres, in the phenomenal teen-show T.G.I.S. Since that impressive outing, which earned him instant popularity, the spotlight has continued to shine on Dantes’s every showbiz step.
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Despite the babyish sounding moniker, Dantes starred in a string of TV shows and movie roles, was one-half of a couple of love-teams and stellar pairings, and nowadays, basks in the fruit of his hard work and determination. Now considered one of the most popular young actors in the country, Dingdong has made the leap from Haring Ybrahim/Ybarro in Encantadia to the modern day prince charming Sergio Santibañez in the immensely popular Marimar. Soon, he will again be seen opposite his Marimar co-star Marian Rivera in the GMA teleserye, Dyesebel.

As testament to his stature as Hot Young Actor, Dingdong has been tapped to be the newest celebrity endorser of the clothing company Bench. Now, doing Bench is a far cry from the other products he used to hawk.

For one, Bench is no slouch when it comes to handpicking the celebs that carry their name. Richard Gomez has forever been associated with Bench, as has his wife Lucy Torres. Then there’s Kris Aquino, Richard Gutierrez, Sam Milby and Piolo Pascual.

But who can say no to a 5’10”, 165-pound hunk with a 32-inch waistline and a shoe size of 11?

Teaser

And his launch came with all the teasers and marketing hoohah guaranteed to trigger major anticipation and excitement. Indeed, the reveal did not disappoint. With his chiseled good looks, disarming smile, and to-die-for bod, Dantes and his larger-than-life billboards situated all over the metropolis (and in this photo) was a defi nite scorcher to go with the scorching summer heat. It was so hot, in fact, that a few priests – yes, priests – were said to have petitioned to have the billboards torn down.

Dingdong is understandably honored. “I am very thankful to be part of the Bench family. For me, it’s a dream come true. I never thought that one day, this would happen. When I was younger, I always see their billboards, and hindi ko alam kung kaya kong gawin o makakagawa ba ako. I was hopeful that one day I would have the opportunity to do it and the perfect opportunity came when Bench off ered me to be their latest model. Perfect timing talaga siya in the sense that I am conditioned, I am in the right shape, and I feel confident about myself. Modeling for Bench is very exciting,” Dingdong says.

As Bench’s latest stud muffin, Dingdong was photographed by Ronnie Salvacion, styled by Noel Manapat and made up by Juan Sarte. In the billboard, Dantes amps up the sex appeal in Bench’s comfy classic seamless underwear, low-rise boxer briefs, bold-colored hipster briefs, cool graphic briefs.

Not shy

Shot in Subic in February, the photo session took two weeks to complete. “I started as a dancer and I never thought that this would happen since most male models are usually lanky. Parang hindi yata ako magiging ganun. So when I was posing and hearing all the instructions to project, to look and fl irt with the camera, I felt like a legit model,” he recounts. “I was neither shy nor afraid during the whole pictorial. Kasi kung nahiya ako nung simula, hindi ko na siya matatanggal. It helps that I am in a much better shape now so that added to the confidence. In addition, the location they chose was very cinematic. I like the concept of outdoor pictorials because somehow, it motivates you to pose properly and iba siempre pag natural ang lighting.”

Aside from donning the hottest underwear, Dingdong will also be seen clothed in Bench signature items such as white hooded long sleeves, 100% cotton deep V-neck and round neck-colored tees with gold foil prints and white gold patches.