Alden Richards delighted to snag his first TV adaptation role

MANILA, Philippines — He remains every inch a leading man on- and off-camera. But Alden Richards has made great strides to nurture the actor in him.

A previous virtual group chat with him, then as the lead of The World Between Us, revealed his thoughts that newness and diversity, project- and role-wise, are healthy aspects in an actor’s life. He even intimated that “acting is a never-ending learning process,” has no dead end and it only presents different possibilities for one to explore.

Alden has begun a new acting adventure by headlining Start-Up PH, the GMA adaptation of the hit 2020 South Korean series.

“I got excited when the role of Good Boy was offered to me,” said Alden of his character, who also carries the name Tristan, in a recent virtual press conference for his upcoming primetime series with Bea Alonzo. “It’s something new… what I like about Good Boy, kahit gaano siya ka-cold, kahit gaano siya ka-suplado, nanduon pa rin yung… (at) sumisilip-silip pa rin na meron siyang mabuting puso kahit papaano, hindi naman siya ganun talaga kasamang tao (In spite of his being cold and a snob, there’s goodness in him. He is not that totally bad). It’s just that he has a problem in expressing himself in a good way.”

Alden attributed Good Boy’s quirks to the latter’s childhood experiences and implied that the character gets misinterpreted by people around him. These are some of the exciting tidbits about the actor’s newest role.

“My roles before and even the last one, (Louie Asuncion in) The World Between Us, they would begin as kawawa (poor and maltreated) and eventually strive to change their life, (sila) yung laging inaapi sa simula,” Alden took a quick mental survey of his characters. “As (compared) to my new character, from the start, masungit na (he is already grumpy).”

Aside from the interesting character and the narrative path Good Boy may take, Alden also gave his yes to the upcoming drama-romance because it’s his first adaptation series.

“Start-Up was a very successful series in Korea and now, we have the opportunity to do an adaptation,” said he. “It’s a great opportunity and we also want to show everyone kung ano naman yung take ng mga Pinoy sa teleserye na galing sa Korea.”

Although he has shown his mettle in acting time and time again, Alden takes each work with enthusiasm and commitment. “Every role is difficult, for me,” said he. “Ayoko pong isipin na merong role na madali, kailangan po lahat ay pinaghihirapan (I don’t want to think that there are easy roles to play and I should work hard for each one that comes my way).”

He is also making a conscious effort to provide a new and fresh portrayal, especially when roles then and now seem to share commonalities. This boils down to the idea of Alden also studying specific features of a character such as “the slightest eye movement, physical (aspect), clothing and hairstyle,” said the actor, who added that “it’s one of my principles as an actor that there are no similar roles that will be given to you, you just have to really do your assignment, make it your own and make it different all the time.”

From being a heartthrob and leading man, Alden is showing signs that he enjoys the craft of acting and leans towards the actor side. “When you’re an actor by heart, you put your everything into it,” said he, “you love your job, you put your creativity, your inputs, lahat ng pwede mong maibigay para (maging) maganda yung proyekto na ginagawa mo, yun kasi ang puso ng aktor (everything that you can give and contribute to better the project. That’s the heart of an actor.)”

Start-Up PH has also allowed Alden to work with veteran directors Dominic Zapata and Jerry Sineneng.

“I take it as (working with) two great minds (who are) bringing their input(s) to the series,” said he, “parang iba yung treatment ni direk Jerry with the scenes. I’ve worked with direk Dom, I know how he handles scenes, but iba rin yung ginawa niya dito, marami akong nakikitang bago sa kanya (He is doing something different here and I have been seeing a lot of new things from him).

“Ang galing kasi aligned naman po yung dalawang directors natin (What amazes me is they are aligned). They both have one goal in mind. It’s to really make the show work and beautiful. It’s my first time to have worked with two directors in one project. It makes me happy that they are both very collaborative, actually, we are all (collaborative). Ang daming bago dito sa series na ito.”

That collaboration again shows that the Start-Up PH ensemble cast, creative and production crew are on the same page, something that Alden appreciates.

“Yung inputs namin kung paano pa namin siya mapapaganda. We’re not limited to the script. Everyone is so into their characters… input kung input yan,” said he, whose Good Boy is an entrepreneur, who supports new movers and shakers in starting up their businesses.

Alden and the rest have also acquainted themselves with technical terminologies and jargons. “Alam mong inaral nilang lahat ang dapat nilang gawin (You can tell that they have studied their tasks),” he added. “It’s a nice feeling that I get to work with these people who have the same passion as mine… aligned kami lahat kaya ang sarap pumunta sa set.”

Playing Good Boy is in a way close to Alden, who has business ventures and a foundation that raises and grants funds for scholars to his name.

With Start-Up PH, viewers perhaps can expect a combination of the original and local flavors. For his part, Alden is bent to deliver another engaging performance.