Andrew E on still reeling in the hottest leading ladies

CEBU, Philippines —  More than feeling flattered, iconic rapper-comedian Andrew E said he remains in disbelief that to this day, he is still partnered with much younger leading ladies – Viva’s hottest actresses to boot.

“Unbelievable…To be given this chance, especially in a movie,” he quipped.

The brains behind many of OPM’s rap hits also never expected to star in films one after the other during the pandemic, especially that he suffered a health crisis in February 2020 right before lockdowns in the Philippines were imposed.

As Andrew opened up about in an interview, he had cholesterol blockade under his shoulder blade that had to be operated on and so wasn’t at his maximum capacity last year when he returned to movies via the Vivamax comedy “Pakboys Takusa.”

For his next film, “Shoot! Shoot!: Di Ko Siya Titigilan!”, Andrew said he was in an improved physical state, but not yet fully there.

“First, I was hospitalized before the pandemic. Second, I was also not active sa pag-aartista that time. So if you ask me why I think I’m still here, my only solid answer is, it’s the continued belief of Boss Vic [del Rosario] in me. Maybe it’s the appreciation of Boss Vic, who until now believes I can deliver,” he said.

In his latest sexy comedy film, the “Ultimate Pakboy ng Taon” stars with Vivamax Goddesses AJ Raval (dubbed by Viva as the Maximum Crush) and Bisaya social media sensation-turned-actress Sunshine Guimary (Braless Goddess).

Directed by Andrew’s frequent collaborator, Al Tantay, “Shoot! Shoot!” is about Jack (Andrew E.), a small town guy whose ultimate dream is to become an actor. After countless auditions, Jack finally gets chosen to play the role of an heir to his wealthy relative.

While rehearsing his lines, his neighbor overhears him talking about inheriting 100 billion dollars. Jack’s misadventures start when word spreads around town that he’s now a billionaire. He suddenly gets lucky with girls who just want his “money”, but he also gets in trouble with the wrong people.

Also featuring Juliana Parizcova Segovia and Wilbert Ross, this Vivamax Original sticks to the classic ‘90s trend of slapstick and sexy comedy, inducing nostalgia for viewers who grew up watching these. Not excluding today’s generation, the flick also threw in puns and one-liners that younger audiences are familiar with.

The film is a by-product of Andrew’s original song written 18 years ago which this year resurfaced to become a hit on the popular app TikTok.

“Uso kasi noon yung mga long distance relationships, and so I thought of coming up with an imaginative song. I challenged myself that it would seem like I myself was in an LDR even if I have never experienced being in one,” he shared. “And I couldn’t believe it would be viral on TikTok 18 years later. Viva noticed it and told me we should make a movie.”

For Sunshine, acting with Andrew even in sexy scenes felt like child’s play because the veteran actor has the gift of making co-stars feel comfortable and safe with him.

“Nakakaramdam na ako ng hiyang paumanhin. That’s why I told my leading ladies pasensya na if I lose touch with my dialogue. Paki tapik na lang ng braso ko,” laughingly shared Andrew, who added that AJ’s action star father Jeric Raval belonged to the rival film outfit (OctoArts Films) during their heyday so they never got the chance to work together.

With “Shoot! Shoot!” her second film after being launched early this year via another sexy comedy, “Kaka”, Sunshine said she went into this one better equipped.

“Alam ko na paano gumalaw sa aking paligid and how to handle the pressure,” said Sunshine, whose dream is to land a role in a serious film. “More than being sexy, is how to build the character. Napag-aaralan pala kung ano ang gusto ng director. I’m enjoying it now.”

For audiences who are quick to call out sexy comedies as lacking in substance and not worth their while, this is Andrew’s two cents: “I’ll borrow the words of Janno Gibbs. Kung naghahanap kayo ng morals, hindi niyo yan makikita sa movie namin. What you will see is puro kalokohan, enjoyment and wildness.”

And for a guy famous for his double entendres whether in his films or music, Andrew was asked how he reconciles that with being such a family man, as can be seen, for one, on his social media. Where really does his cheekiness come from?

“It’s hard to explain because if I do, masisilip niyo yung core secret ko,” he began. “I’m a family man. For me it’s family first. But of course before I had a family I was an anything-goes kind of guy.”

“As a rapper and songwriter the only way to capture the attention of listeners is to tell a story that they have yet to hear. Otherwise you’re just repeating what they already know. Diba noon ang hinahanap mestizo, magandang lalaki, yung nasa pamilya ng mga artista. But I wasn’t any of those. So I told myself if I have good stories to tell…kaya binaliktad ko. Humanap ka ng pangit at ibigin mong tunay. When I came up that story, minahal ako ng buong Pilipinas.”

Andrew, who hinted that he might soon produce or direct a film in the drama genre (like Michael V did with “Family History”), said that the key to his continued relevance is not by jumping on the bandwagon, but by setting the pace yourself.

“Kung paano ako nag-isip para makasabay ngayon, yan din ang katanungan sa akin 35 years ago. My answer is always the same: I make sure na hindi ako ang sasabay. Dapat ikaw ang mag-lead,” he said.

“Kasi kung ikaw ang sasabay, may chance na maiiwan ka. In my craft, I make sure to set the trend. Huwag kang makiki-angkas.”