Dingdong Dantes gets more ‘audacious’ in acting, business
MANILA, Philippines — Dingdong Dantes has shared how he honestly felt about having his image appear on a New York Times Square billboard.
This recently happened because the Kapuso Primetime King was chosen to be the first and only Filipino global ambassador of the Italian lifestyle brand Police.
“If there’s any opportunity for you to represent your country in whatever way you can, you should really be proud of it. And for me, this is one of them. I really feel honored that this was entrusted to me and much more during the 40th anniversary of Police,” he told The STAR in a one-on-one after leading the launch at the SM Mall of Asia of the latest Police campaign Audacity Wanted, which meant “being cool goes beyond conforming to norms. That a real man doesn’t have to be your typical macho.”
“For me, it’s very exciting because I grew up in New York, Cubao, you know, around that area,” he quipped. “Joke parati namin sa pamilya, dati nasa New York, Cubao ka lang naglalakad. Ngayon nakikita ka na sa New York, Manhattan. I’m very, very grateful it happened.”
“But more than that, it’s really the campaign and the overall theme that I’m excited about — Audacity Wanted. I think it’s very, very relevant nowadays, especially with the lifestyle of many people and particularly men. Mostly yun ang kini-cater ng line na yun but it’s a unisex brand.”
According to Dingdong, in his acting profession, “audacity is really a requirement.”
“We always have to go beyond our limits. Kumbaga, we have to make bold and exciting and big decisions when it comes to our performances in order for us to push ourselves always,” he shared.
On the mention of “audacity,” he would consider his role in the upcoming GMA primetime series Royal Blood as one of his more audacious projects yet.
“I think my role in Royal Blood, it’s one of the things that I want to push, in terms of overall look and characterization because ito talaga ang trabahong alam kong gawin eh, my work on television.”
He further teased: “It’s a story about brothers, sisters, murder, mystery. So, buong-buo na ang character ng bawat isa and very, very exciting kapag nagsasama na sa isang screen.”
There’s a love story arc in the series, but Dingdong said it’s going to be focused more on the suspense element of the show.
“Hindi mawawala ‘yon (love) kasi, siyempre, karamihan ng kuwento nating mga Filipino, nag-uugat diyan sa pagmamahal. And it’s not just love for your partner or spouse, there’s also love for your child, which in my case, would be very evident in the show, Royal Blood, kasi may anak ako ro’n na seven years old and it’s very, very close to my heart because I also have a seven-year-old,” he noted, referring to daughter Zia.
Dingdong has also increasingly explored his hosting side.
“Even Family Feud, that’s something that I really pushed very hard (for) because I wanted to present something that’s not usually seen. I said, I’ll just be myself and not think of the cameras around me so I will just really enjoy the show.”
He further said of the hit game show: “We will be having a break and but we will return right away. It will just be a season break, but very, very soon this year, it’s coming back,” he said.
By all accounts, Dingdong is the “busiest” Kapuso star.
Besides Family Feud as well as Amazing Earth, he is also going to lend his hosting skills to The Voice: Generation. Apart from starring soon in Royal Blood, he will also start filming Firefly, a movie under GMA News and Public Affairs. There are also reports of a possible reunion movie with wife Marian Rivera as an entry for the Metro Manila Film Festival this year.
On the business aspect, it appears that Dingdong is bringing out more the techpreneur in him.
“We’re finally launching our app very, very soon. It’s also something that I’ve been dreaming of and working on for so many years already. And finally, mangyayari na. Hindi lang naman ako but sa tulong ng maraming tao,” he revealed to The STAR.
Asked if this was his “next phase” in life, he said, “As long as I can manage and balance everything, I think that should be the name of the game. You know, you have to do other things that motivate you, but without your beliefs in life suffering. Lahat naman na ito, mga passion ko talaga sa buhay. Wala akong ginagawa na hindi ko gusto. Everything is very much in line with my passion.”
With Father’s Day fast-approaching, The STAR also asked Dingdong about the potential and possibility of his kids — Zia and Sixto — joining the entertainment industry.
“One thing I can say, as parents we’re proud of our work here in the industry, and if we’re proud, we want them to understand what we are doing and that’s for them to decide later on — if they really want this,” he said.
“Because for us, yung trabahong bumuhay sa amin at bumuhay sa inyo, pinagmamalaki namin ito sa anak namin. Kung ganung klase (na trabaho) ang gusto nila, that will be their decision later on. What’s important is we’re here to guide them.”
As parents, they just let their kids experience and try out everything — from taekwondo, swimming to piano lessons. “Whatever sticks with them, that’s what we push them to do,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dingdong was gifted with a limited-edition 40th year Police sunglasses as global endorser. He is also traveling to Japan this June for the global gathering of the celebrity influencers of Police. One of the most prominent brand ambassadors is F1 superstar Lewis Hemsworth.
He said, “It’s going to be a breather for me to take this short trip and at the same time, attend this very, very important launching. And of course, maybe a bit of a side trip, if may extension nang konti.”
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