MANILA, Philippines - Meet Paulo Avelino, one of the main reasons why we're excited about television again. Here are ten things you ought to know about him before his career explodes:
1. He was born in the Year of the Dragon.
However, he’s not exactly sure if he fits the bill of a typical Dragon baby.
SUPREME: Considered the most auspicious Zodiac sign, Dragons are incredibly high-spirited and posses a magnetic personality. Brave, honest, and sensitive, they are innate leaders and make good people managers. They are full of enthusiasm and vitality.
PAULO: Um, kind of true?
S: Strengths: Noble, warm-hearted, intelligent, generous, honest, charismatic, vibrant, magnanimous, powerful with dynamic leadership qualities.
P: Mostly… I think, yeah.
S: Weaknesses: Judgmental, ruthless, arrogant, dogmatic, proud, intolerant, demanding, pompous, inflexible, self-centered.
P: No.
2. Apparently, he’s a man of few words.
“I’m more on the quiet side.”
3. He was discovered in Baguio, his hometown, and was a commercial model before joining Starstruck in 2006...
“At first I didn’t want to audition because it’s not me, eh. I’m not a good singer, I’m not a good dancer and I didn’t know if I could really act well. Then eventually, all my model friends were going to audition, so I decided to go.”
4. … but Aljur Abrenica ended up winning that season.
“Umabot ako before the finals, then I was cut off. Natanggal ako from the competition pero hindi ko masyadong dinibdib yung pagkatalo. Ako, I’m happy na that I got that far and it was a door to enter show business and I learned a lot from it, so it was win-win.”
5. That’s okay, though because he’s GOT a brand-spanking new contract with ABS-CBN.
“The main reason why I transferred (from GMA to ABS-CBN) is because I want people to see me as a new Paulo Avelino. I want to be a better actor and I want to be really good at what I do. I think I’m learning and hopefully, I’ll get better.”
6. His first major role since his transfer was street thug Andrew Jimenez in Ikaw Ay Pag-ibig whose ways are reformed after falling for a policewoman. (Go figure.)
“Playing a street thug is hard because your movements alone should be really kanto, especially since I’m portraying a guy from Binondo — a street thug. So I try to observe the way they speak; you can’t speak in a maarte way or a Tag-lish way. Another inspiration was Tito Bembol Roco (his co-star in Ikaw Ay Pag-Ibig — ed). I’ve seen Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag and he also played a thug there.”
7. His current major is sharing the lead with Julia Montes and Coco Martin in Walang Hanggan.
Loosely adapted from Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, Paulo plays Nathaniel Montenegro, the rich guy who’s hopelessly in love with Katarina Alcantara (Julia Montes), the rich girl who only has eyes for the poor boy, Daniel Valencia (Coco Martin). “My character here is a person who is bulag sa pag-ibig. With Katarina, he’s thinking, ‘I’m not really expecting you to love me. I’m just giving you my love without expecting anything back,’” Paulo says. Ain’t love grand?
8. On a personal level, though, he’d rather be Andrew in real life instead of Nathaniel.
“If I had to choose, I’d be Andrew in Ikaw Ay Pag-ibig because personally, I’m not a materialistic guy, and I would rather love someone who loves me back.” Awww.
9. But if he could really choose to be someone else, it’d probably have to be Edward Norton or Al Pacino — as an actor, at least.
“Edward Norton has this skill in acting that you can’t really explain, but when you see him, you really believe what he does or what he shows on films. Yun yung isa sa nagustuhan ko kay Edward Norton. Al Pacino naman, he’s a legend, eh. I’ve seen Scarface, I’ve seen all his films and I think he really goes really deep. Parang, ang lalim ng pinaghuhugutan niya lagi pag umaarte siya, and I think that’s one of the things that eventually I’d like to be or to learn.”
10. You probably also remember him from Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa, which he top billed alongside Rocco Nacino, but don’t expect him to go all “indie” on us.
“Personally, I would like to do both: Go mainstream and also do independent films because I don’t want to limit myself. Being an actor, I want to do (projects) as long as they’re interesting, the material’s good, and I can learn from them. If there are any future projects that that require a more mature acting, a darker character, I would love to do it. I’d go for anything.”