Luis Alandy: New kid on the (drama) block

Showbiz may be sorely lacking in the kind of drama talent who will follow in the footsteps of Christopher de Leon. But at least, some young uns are trying to tread the path the award-winning actor has taken.

One of them is Luis Alandy, whose piercing eyes and smoldering looks can disarm even the snootiest of leading ladies in a classic tearjerker. The dusky, towering (5’8" tall) Luis has the intensity of someone cut out to deliver lines that could rip through the heart and leave a big, gaping wound there.

And newly-formed Maverick Films decided to focus on this – never mind if Luis Alandy’s name has yet to ring a bell among showbiz watchers. His is a meaty role as one of Judy Ann Santos’ leading man in Luv Text, which revolves around the texting craze sweeping Metro Manila these days.

Luis can’t help but gush about his very first full-length movie. He’s thrilled at the fact that he’s in good company (others in the cast include Nida Blanca, Wowie de Guzman, Carlo Muñoz and Wilma Doesnt).

And Luis is just as grateful ABS-CBN Talent Center gave him the acting workshops (basic and advanced) he needs to make it in the biz. Never mind if he came from rival network GMA, where he was one of the first contract artists.

Luis auditioned in GMA with a cousin in 1997, and was taken in (his cousin was not as lucky).

After doing such shows as SPO, Di Ba’t Ikaw, Bubble Gang and the mini-series L for GMA, Luis decided to go on a break and focus on his studies (he was a junior BSBA Management student at AMA Computer Center then) instead.

But ABS-CBN surprised him by calling him up one day and offering him a slot in their Talent Center. The keen-eyed guys over there said Luis had the potential to make it and he was convinced.

He has never looked back since. After doing Pangako Sa ’Yo, Luis is now getting maximum exposure in the telseries Sa Dulo ng Walang hanggan. Those intense eyes are cut-out for drama, and Luis can’t be any happier. His idols – tom Hanks, Al Pacino, Christopher de Leon and Cesar Montano, are dramatic actors.

No other newsomcer is cut out for drama than Luis is. His outlook in life – way ahead of his 21 years – speaks of a man dead serious in everything.

Luis rightly looks at showbiz as a nonpermanent thing. This explains why he’s saving as much as he can to put up a restaurant – his fallback position, someday.

"My uncle, who loves to cook, encouraged me to experiment in the kitchen when I spent three months in California with him," recalls Luis. His specialties, Luis proudly says, are sarsiado and a unique sauce which greatly enhances the flavor of barbeque.

He’s in showbiz yet out of it. Unlike other showbiz people whose life revolves around the world of tapings, after-shooting parties and the trappings of the celluloid world, Luis often goes straight home after shooting or taping.

This clean-living guy knows showbiz is not for keeps, and hence, doesn’t want to make his world revolve around it. So while he watches movies to learn acting styles from the masters, Luis has not forgotten his dream of finishing his studies, interrupted by showbiz.

"I plan to finish my computer course," he says with gritted teeth. In fact, this concern about his studies prevented Luis from saying yes to the ABS-CBN build-up contract at once.

"I thought long and hard about its effect on my studies," admits Luis. But now that he’s neck-deep in showbiz, the guy is giving it 100 percent attention. He’s even counting the blessings – the opportunity to learn, save as much as he can – this new world is giving him in overflowing measure.

Most of all, Luis is keeping his feet firmly planted on the ground, knowing that whatever trappings of popularity he will get is fleeting. He knows that what matters in the end is how he’s made the most of himself through the big opportunities showbiz now offers him on a silver platter.