“Don’t slouch.” That was one of the first pieces of advice that Pinoy Big Brother winner Slater Young got following his TV debut. That it was Direk Lauren Dyogi who gave him the advice only made it more important, because direk Lauren, after all, is a veteran TV director who helped launch the careers of so many, including the likes of Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz.
Bea and John Lloyd are Slater’s co-stars in A Beautiful Affair. When Slater joined the show, direk Lauren (whose business unit takes care of the show) watched him and made sure to give feedback on his performance. Like a lot of newbies, Slater wasn’t really aware of how he was projecting himself on the screen until direk Lauren sat him down and told him frankly how he was doing. “Ito ang pinaka-unang soap ko di ba, nakaka-ilang taping days pa lang ako, wala pang sampu. So baguhan pa lang talaga. Si direk Lauren, tinawagan niya ako, and he asked, ‘Slater, have you seen yourself on TV?’ He said, ‘You’re slouching, Slater.’ Kasi halata. So tinuruan niya ako.”
But that wasn’t all. Even before he took on the role, direk Lauren had important advice for him. This was during the acting workshop in preparation for the show. Direk Lauren told him that this was a really big project — a John Lloyd and Bea soap — and that he should do his best and not miss out on this big opportunity. As soon as the words left direk Lauren’s mouth, Slater felt instant pressure. The Pinoy Big Brother winner, an engineer by profession before he entered the Big Brother house and ended up in show business, says he’s always like this. Pressure always makes him want to perform and do the best he can. In short, he thrives on pressure. In some cases, he actually looks for it because it is what motivates him. “Ako ‘yung type ng person na kapag pine-pressure ako, gusto ko, meaning na ipu-push ko ‘yung sarili ko. Pero kung walang pressure, I tend to take things for granted. So kung hindi ka na-i-stress, hindi ka napu-push, kailangan mo ng extra effort. Ganyan akong klaseng tao.”
It’s been an amazing experience working with seasoned actors like Bea. Slater hasn’t had scenes with John Lloyd, but working with Bea, he says, gave him that pressure that he was looking for. “N’ung una, sobrang kinakabahan, iba ‘yung kaba ko,” he recalls.
The strange thing is, at first, he found the pressure hard to deal with. They were shooting an emotionally-intense crying scene, then he needed to scream, but he kept buckling and had to repeat the scene. He can’t remember exactly, but recalls that he took up to seven or eight takes to get it right. He was so embarrassed. “Si Bea naman, sobrang bait,” he says sheepishly. “Ang linya pa niya, naalala ko, ‘Okay lang ‘yon, dumaan kaming lahat sa ganyan. Dati, naalala ko pa, ganyan din ako n’ung bata ako. Hindi ko makuha ‘yung emotion.’ Her saying that, ang laki ng assurance (na nabigay sa akin). Dagdag sa confidence.”
Slater is excited over the big acting break, although people have told him he seems better cut out to be a TV host because he’s articulate and looks good on camera — and yet Slater feels he still has more to learn in that area. Good looks and wit alone won’t cut it. “Kung ako ang papipiliin, acting talaga ang gusto ko,” he says. “Pero sa hosting, sa tingin ko kasi, hindi pa ako gan’un kagaling sa Tagalog. Sa mga expressions sa Tagalog, nahihirapan akong maging spontaneous. So I need to learn more.”
He’s been trying, though. “Yung Tagalog ko, kapag doon binibigay ang line, kapag on the set, mas kailangan ko ng a few more takes kasi minsan talaga, nag-bu-buckle ako or nakakalimutan ko ‘yung Tagalog. But when I get to study beforehand, I’m able to understand it.”
Slater is grateful that he has the support not just of direk Lauren, but also of a loyal group of fans. The first time he came out in A Beautiful Affair, his fans tweeted and some even texted him to tell him how much they appreciated his performance. Of course, Slater knows he can’t please everybody, and that’s a fact he’ll have to live with.
Despite that, he is looking forward to all the things that are yet to happen in his very young career. From this point on, it can only get better.