Marial Isabel Lopez is posing for Playboy Philippines' January 2010 edition. Photo taken from her Friendster account

MANILA, Philippines - It’s never too late.

This was how actress Maria Isabel Lopez described her stint to pose sexy, if not nude, for Playboy Magazine Philippines in its January 2010 issue.

As a matter of fact, it took so long for the 1982 Binibining Pilipinas-Universe to give in to the men’s magazine's long standing offer.

Younger and more intrepid beauties, watch out.

“Imagine, it was offered to me for many times years ago,” exclaimed Lopez.

She had been "egged on" even by the Japanese and German Playboy editions to disrobe before the cameras during her reign as ECP (Experimental Cinema of the Philippines) Queen in the mid-1980s.

“But I always turned them down. Hindi ko kaya. At least, sa pelikula, hindi mapapanood ng lahat dahil may classification. Sa magasin, kahit sino, makakabili at makakabasa,” she explained.

This time though she agreed to do the pictorial on one condition- no frontal nudity.

“What is interesting here is that director Brillante Mendoza will be with me during the shoot,” said the controversial actress.

“No, Brillante won’t pose in the nude,” she chuckled.

Mendoza has become an ardent fan of Lopez since she starred in his award-winning film “Kinatay,” which won him best director at the 2009 Cannes International Film Festival in Cannes, France.

“Kinatay” has been heralded as Mendoza’s most provocative film and this is where Playboy has zeroed in on its concept for Lopez’s poses.

Lopez played a prostitute who was butchered by unscrupulous elements of the underworld and the military.

“Magkakaroon ng mga kutsilyo sa design ng mga pahina with blood dripping all over the texts. Di ba, very creative? Tapos, sabi nila, ilalatag ang mga pictorial ko,” she informed.

Notably, Lopez, who is separated from her Japanese husband, has maintained her curvaceous figure through the years despite giving birth to children Mara and Ken. “Diet lang ang katapat ‘yan and discipline.”

The beauty queen also agreed to do daring poses. “Kung artistic naman, bakit hindi?”