Aubrey: Not so very ordinary girl or name

Oh, yes, Aubrey is her name. Not so very ordinary girl or name, as the Bread song puts it. Even her screen surname was taken from another song, Miles Away, by German "Kuya Germs" Moreno when Aubrey Miles was in the cast of Kuya Germs’ short-lived GMA TV production called Friends.

A deadringer for Vivian Velez, whom she idolizes (along with Tetchie Agbayani whom she remembers seeing in Playboy magazine when she was a little girl), Aubrey is being launched as a bold star in her movie debut, Regal Films’ Prosti (as the title role of a student who moonlights as a prostitute at night).

"She has class," says Regal Matriarch Mother Lily. "Not just a beautiful body but lots of brains."

Talk to Aubrey and you realize that Mother Lily is right. A high school graduate of La Consolacion College and a UST Conservatory of Music undergraduate, she is articulate, unlike most boldies who talk nonsense. Her classiness will be showcased in the FHM 2003 Calendar (now being processed) and in the forthcoming San Miguel Beer commercial. She has also been tapped as the newest Bench underwear model (together with Assunta de Rossi).

So what does Aubrey think make her, well, "not ordinary"?

She flashes a toothy smile, her dimples punctuating her fair face, and wonders, "I don’t know. Siguro, in my own way I can make people feel special. Confident ako sa sarili. I know how to handle people."

In Prosti, directed by Erik Matti, Aubrey is both a good girl (as a student) and a bad girl (as a prostitute), a girl with two faces who intrigues Aubrey no end.

"Am I a good girl? I guess I am. Good in the sense that I’m a hard worker. Am I bad? I think bad in the sense na madali akong magsawa, lalo na sa lalaki."

Why did she decide to throw clothes and caution to the wind and be a boldie (after essaying comedy in GMA 7’s Beh Bote Nga!)?

"I trust Mother (Lily)," she said. "The offer is good, the movie is good, the role is good, the director is good. So why not?"

In Prosti, Aubrey will prove that, according to predictions, she’s got what it takes to dislodge from the "sex throne" the likes of Rica Peralejo, Maui Taylor and even Assunta de Rossi whom she’s said to be replacing as "Regal Queen of the Bold" (now that Assunta, as "Mrs. Jules Ledesma," is starting to, well, "cover up").

"I have three talagang bold scenes with Jay (Manalo, her leading man). One, against the cabinet; two, in the tricycle; and three, against the wall." (In another scene, she casually gives a professor, played by an unknown, what she calls "a manual treatment" to get a passing grade. Lucky guy!) "During the shooting," said Aubrey who was willing to show her frontal asset had direk Erik or the script asked her to, "I didn’t took at ‘it.’ It was part of my job as an actress, so okay lang."

She could be the country’s first real singing boldie, having enrolled at the UST Conservatory of Music (she reached only second year), inheriting her talent from her elders.

"That’s why I’m glad that my name is taken from songs," said Aubrey (real name) whose real surname is Sandel.

Did she have to, uh, "enhance" any part of her anatomy prior to jumping into the bold-wagon?

"Every inch of me is natural and original," she said, challenging anybody who says otherwise. "Touch it," she dared. (We didn’t.)

The second to the youngest among four children of an average family, Aubrey described her upbringing as "simple," saying, "Kung ano’ng mayroon, ’yon lang; kung wala, wala." Her parents, now separated, used to be in the furniture business before putting up pawnshops. She’s staying with her mom.

"I was 15 when they broke up," said Aubrey who turned 20 last March 16. "Was I badly affected by the break-up? Not at all. My parents are now better off away from each other. It was even us children who kept pushing our mom into living apart from our dad. We kept telling her, ‘Sige na, Mom, move on, move on!’ I don’t think I can put up a front and pretend that life is heaven with a man who is hell to live with."

What kind of a guy turns her on?

"Tall, dark and handsome. Maski hindi masyadong intelligent basta may sense, spontaneous. At may sense of humor."

And moneyed?

"Financially stable enough to support me. One thing I hate is a guy who makes me spend for him. Luckily, I haven’t met such a guy and I hope I never will. Bakit ako gagastos sa lalaki? Not even if I’m crazy about him."

Admitting that she has been in love and lost her innocence before she turned 18, Aubrey would rather stay away from guys at the moment, with her heart and mind focused on her career.

"There are so many guys around," she said. "Hindi ako mauubusan."

Come to think of it, if she were to seduce a guy, who would he be?

"Richard Gomez!" she exclaimed, her Vivian Velez eyes lighting up. "But I wouldn’t dare. He’s already married."

Actually, Aubrey doesn’t have to. In her second movie, Una at Huli (also directed by Erik Matti), Aubrey has Richard as leading man. Their first scene together, shot a few days ago, was a passionate one – and she didn’t even have to seduce Richard (who plays a professor half older than Aubrey, as the enamored student).

"Why do I like Richard? He’s tall, dark and handsome, isn’t it? Besides, feeling ko malandi din siya katulad ko."

If and when, how would she seduce a guy (not necessarily Richard)?

"I’ll start it on the phone. I’ll talk ‘dirty’ to him. ‘Yon ang appetizer ko."

Is that the craziest thing she has done thus far?

"I haven’t done that – yet. The craziest thing I’ve ever done? Yes, when I splurged P200,000 on a shopping spree. Buong mall inubos ko. That was my first biggest salary, and I bought all the clothes and all the shoes and all the things that I couldn’t afford before."

A lover of fast cars ("I’m a crazy driver; overtake ako nang overtake"), Aubrey is a true Piscean – "Flexible and transparent." And adventurous, too. "I joined this and that beauty contest for adventure... Miss Caloocan because we once lived in Caloocan City... Miss San Juan because we also lived there... Miss Ever-Gotesco... Miss Lions Club... Miss Wellkom... Miss PAGCOR. I even joined Miss Globe Philippines and I finished fourth runner-up. My sister, Angelica, who used a different surname (Santos) para hindi kami ma-disqualify, was first runner-up. We faked our ages. Angelica and I joined all those contests together but we never revealed that we were sisters. Siya, Santos; ako, Sandel."

If she were to go to bed with a man, on screen or off, who would he be?

"Richard Gomez is No. 1. Jay Manalo is No. 2. And Carlos Agassi is No. 3. Either of the three – if not all three together."

The good thing about Aubrey as she herself swears, is that she’s approachable, sweet, trust-worthy and honest to a fault ("I’m a lousy liar").

And the bad thing about Aubrey Miles?

"I get easily irritated by tsismis. Madali akong ma-rattle."