Elijah Alejo, Hailey Mendes welcome challenges of playing lead roles in Underage

MANILA, Philippines — Sparkle GMA Artist Center teen actresses Elijah Alejo and Hailey Mendes further showcase what they are made of on GMA 7’s Underage. Elijah and Hailey, along with Lexi Gonzales, take up the challenge to portray the family-and-coming-of-age drama’s leading characters, Chynna, Carrie and Celine Serrano, respectively. They are the Tres Marias of the GMA Afternoon Prime.

“The very challenging part, for me, is the shift from being a kontrabida,” said Elijah of working on the Underage set and playing the Chynna part in a virtual press conference, “the shift (from playing) Brianna (of Prima Donnas) to Chynna of Underage. The two have different attitudes (and personalities).”

Elijah described Chynna as someone spoiled, active (bibo) and affectionate (to her siblings), a stark contrast from the kontrabida Brianna.

As for Hailey, she had initially thought that getting along with everyone was a challenge, but eventually she found her way into the group.

“On set and if we didn’t have taping, we were like family,” said she, “and oftentimes we would have a food trip… we were just happy on set kasi hindi naman po sila matataray, masusungit. I thought, at first, it would be tough for me to talk to them and introduce myself but parang matagal ko na po silang kilala nung unang usap ko sa kanila… working with them was light and easy.”

Elijah and Hailey’s characters are set against the narrative backdrop, about a single mother raising three teen daughters, who will see themselves in a predicament that changes the family dynamics and course of life. The character Chynna is a victim of a viral video.

“Not everything that we see on social media is true,” said Hailey as her advice to social media users, “that’s why we have to examine (the information we encounter in the platform). Kumbaga ‘wag po tayong maniwala kaagad, protektahan po natin ang ating sarili kasi hindi po sa lahat ng panahon eh totoo po yung nakikita natin sa social media (We should not easily believe what we read and see, we should protect ourselves because not all the time what we see on social media is true).”

She reiterated, “‘Wag pong maniwala kaagad sa kung ano-anong balita at tsaka mag-ingat po siguro sa mga pino-post natin (We should not easily believe stories circulating on social media and we should also be mindful of what we post).

“Kasi kahit naman ano po ang gawin natin ay meron at meron masasabi po talaga ang mga tao. At hindi mo kailangang patunayan sa kanila basta’t alam mo sa sarili mo na tama ang mga ginagawa mo (Whatever we do, people will always have something to say. And you have nothing to prove to them as long as you know that you’re on the side of truth).”

Since Underage engages viewers to reflect on the boon and bane of social media, which one may connect to issues about disinformation and misinformation, the young stars are one in encouraging everyone to fact-check and read beyond catchy headlines before posting any reactions.

During the group interview, Elijah and Hailey were also inquired about their takeaways from portraying their characters.

“One of the lessons I’ve learned from by playing Chynna is ‘wag mong sarilihin yung mga problems (don’t keep your problems to yourself) because (they) will only eat you up, ikaw din lang ang mapapahamak sa huli,” said Elijah.

“If you’re sad, you can message a friend, you can message your sibling. If you know you’re going through something challenging, (know that) there are many people who can help you and just pray to God.”

With Hailey, an only child in real life, playing Carrie afforded her the chance to experience what it was like to have siblings.

“I was happy that even for once in my life, I felt how it was like to have siblings (through this) show,” said Hailey, whose character Carrie did remind her about the importance of respecting one’s parents and following their pieces of advice. “Kasi mas alam nila yung tama para sa’yo. At ‘wag padalos-dalos sa mga desisyon kasi hindi mo alam yung buong senaryo kaya ‘wag kang magdesisyon ng kaagad. (They know what’s right and good for you as their child. And what I have also learned from her is not to make any hasty decisions, especially if you don’t know the complete picture.)”

Carrie’s strong personality to deal with life’s challenges is something Hailey has also appreciated.

“In real life, talagang iyakin po ako kahit masaya, malungkot, mababaw po ang luha ko, (I’m really a cry baby, I cry easily whether the situation is happy or sad), but because of Carrie, mas na-practice ko ang sarili ko na kaya ko ‘to. Kaya kong sabihin ang gusto ko, kaya kong gawin ang gusto ko at alam ko ang gagawin ko (I’m able to practice being strong and have that ‘I can do it’ attitude).”

Also joining Elijah, Hailey and Lexi in the series are Sunshine Cruz, Snooky Serna, Jean Saburit, Yayo Aguila, Smokey Manaloto, Christian Vasquez, Jome Silayan, Gil Cuerva, Nikki Co and Vince Crisostomo.

Underage airs weekdays at 4:25 p.m.