Filipino-Australian Anthony Barion To Bare It All In Star Magic’s Digital Magazine ‘FLEX’


Meet the newest hottie who’s making waves on social media!


Anthony Mari Barion made waves when he won the title of Star Magic’s “Ultimate Flexmate.” Aside from bragging rights, he won a solo feature in the upcoming digital magazine FLEX. But who is he, exactly? Find out in this FreebieMNL exclusive.

The 24-year-old Anthony was born and raised in Australia. He describes himself as “a proud Aussie boy who grew up in the streets of western Sydney, in Rooty Hill.”

Rooty Hill is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It lies west of Sydney’s central business district, in Blacktown’s local government area. It’s also part of the Greater Western Sydney region. That area is home to many Filipinos. So although Anthony grew up away from the Philippines, he was still influenced by its culture.

“I’m from a family of four–my dad, my mum, my sister, and myself. I had a good childhood. My parents were very loving and supportive. They still are, actually. My sister is my best friend until now. They keep me grounded, but they never stopped me from trying to achieve my dreams,” he says.


His mother’s ultimatum

Anthony has always wanted to join showbiz. When he was 19, he begged his mother to let him try his luck in the Philippines. But she said no because, at the time, Anthony already had a good life in the land down under. She also felt he still had some growing up to do before he was ready to go. But she did give him an ultimatum.

“She said that if I make enough money to sustain myself in the Philippines, she’d let me go,” he reveals.

So it was that Anthony fell to work. He poured his blood, sweat, and tears into his business. After two years, he figured he already had enough to live on in Manila. He also had the support of showbiz icon Ogie Alcasid (who discovered him on Kumu) and Star Magic. Those things fueled his determination to come here, so he hopped on a plane and didn’t look back.

As Star Magic’s hottie du jour tells it, he’s having a blast so far. He’s doing all he can to fit in with his peers, although his accent gets in the way sometimes.

“Although I’m a proud Australian, the Philippines has always had a special place in my heart. I want to say I’m more Pinoy than Aussie, but everyone says I still have an Australian accent. So I guess I can’t say I’m more Pinoy until I lose that.”


Anthony Barion and his ‘sexy brain’

He may not think he’s Pinoy enough, but Filipinos have embraced him nonetheless. Aside from crowning him the Ultimate Flexmate, they also flocked to his TikTok. Anthony’s known for his TikTok skits and videos featuring his parents. As of this writing, he has 198,600-plus followers and 4.9 million likes on the platform.

“TikTok has given me the opportunity to connect with a greater audience. As you know, hindi naman ako dito lumaki. But people saw my true personality because of TikTok. It made me more relatable in their eyes. I enjoy getting DMs from people who say my videos make them happy. That touches my heart. That’s why I want to keep creating good content,” he says earnestly.

@anthonybarion

Wait for it!!

♬ original sound – Anthony Barion

Aside from his creativity, his good looks and physique are his best assets. But when asked what the sexiest part of his body is, Anthony picked his brain.

“It’s sexy when someone has a certain way of thinking. That makes them unique. For me, coming from my background as a business person, what makes me sexy is my mind. The way I can connect with others is through my wisdom. So that’s the sexiest part of my body. My fingernails are the second sexiest. Kidding!” he laughs.

Aside from being a hottie and a sweetheart, Anthony is also quite a gentleman. He thinks that’s the best way to flex one’s masculinity in today’s society.

“Admiration, pagmamahal, respect–those are things true gentlemen express. Also, a real gentleman knows how to cry. Growing up, men were always told not to do that. But being in tune with your emotions is a good thing. Women like that.”


Anthony Barion and FLEX

Anthony thinks it’s easy and hard to be a man these days. “Depende lang sa galaw mo. Mum would always tell me, ‘Nak, make sure yung gagawin mo are things you’d want others to do to me or your sister.’ Kasi if you think about it, karma is real. The things you do to other people will come back to you. I care about my family a lot. In that way, I always make sure that I walk in the light.”

When he became the Ultimate Flexmate, he came in first, ahead of It’s Showtime‘s Wise Estabillo. He also beat out Pinoy Big Brother alums Aleck Iñigo, Andrei King, and Laziz Rustamov. Anthony’s win is proof of his charm because those he was up against had large fanbases.

Anthony will have a solo feature in Star Magic’s FLEX. “As everyone knows, it’ll be like SLAY,” he says. “It’ll be a digital video magazine. I think we’re going away from the book-type magazines with pictures and thousands of words. It’s going to be more interactive. The fans will see how the campaigners will talk, how KD will talk, and how we interact. They’ll be able to relate to the content kasi makikita nila personalities namin. That’s what will set it apart from other online content.”

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After having the spotlight trained on him in FLEX, Anthony’s hoping to snag a role in a movie or teleserye. That would be the ultimate flex for this Filipino-Australian dreamer.

“To be honest, any opportunity to act is already a dream come true for me. It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was young. To be able to do something like that would make me feel super fulfilled,” he says.

Well, Anthony Barion, we wish you the best of luck!

Featured Image Daniella Sison

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