Anatomy of a gentleman

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu’s small group in the entertainment beat has sat down at length with Alden Richards on three occasions, so this most recent visit was supposed to be just another drill.

It’s a Friday evening, and GMA-7’s Cebuano newscast is sputtering out blow-by-blow updates of the ecstatic throng gathered at Gaisano Island Mall Mactan in Lapu-Lapu City. Across my cubicle in the newsroom, a colleague yells out to no one in particular that Alden’s flight has been delayed.

It’s crunch hour for hard news reporters and their editors, but the boob tube teasing Alden’s anticipated arrival provides mighty distraction. Quite a few, I presume, would be rather fan-girling in Mactan than pounding away at their desks.

I dash to the venue where the invited media were to assemble before we all ride together to chat with Alden in a Mactan restaurant. There are new faces among the usual suspects, one of whom I recall deemed Dingdong Dantes the only one among Kapuso men worth the time of day prior to this. Our number would multiply in the restaurant as more media members from other beats surprisingly turn up.

Soon enough, the bedimpled star arrives. Fresh from performing before a roaring crowd of 15,000, he immediately did the rounds of greeting each one in the press table, reaching out to even those at the farther end. He reaches my spot and I go in for a handshake, but he outmaneuvers me with a buss on the cheek.

Alden has been consistent with this PR-savvy gesture, all instances we’ve interviewed him. Whereas other marquee names waltz in with sunglasses on and carry an aura of untouchability, Alden is as warm and accessible as they come.

“I don’t want it to sink in,” says Alden of how he’s taking in his sudden rise on the fame barometer after his AlDub love team with Maine Mendoza aka Yaya Dub on “Eat Bulaga” exploded all over. He in fact refuses to acknowledge the F-word, choosing instead another term that will remind him to plant both feet firmly on soil.

“I don’t consider it as fame. This is a blessing that allows me to be an instrument of inspiration, so I can maximize my reach to people, in terms of giving them positivity and enjoyment.”

Never mind that hyperventilating fans unintentionally leave scratch marks or bruises all over him – Alden takes all that in stride. “The physical injuries, yung mga kalmot sa mukha…I don’t blame them, and I don’t mind. Buti nga may kumukurot eh, keysa you do shows and people will just look at you and don’t react at all.”

The Laguna-bred actor is on a whirlwind period, darting from one commitment to another as he strikes while the iron is hot. The only pitfall so far to being such a hot commodity, he says, is his health giving in.

“It’s basically physical exhaustion, “ he offers. “But that’s easy to combat with meds. Ang joke ko nga, sinasabi ko na yung sakit nagpapa-schedule sa akin. Pinapa-block ko yung buong November na sana huwag magkasakit. Hindi ko ma-accommodate. That’s how busy I am.”

The guy is swift to add that getting ill and the sleep deprivation become worth it when he sees the people he affects.

“It doesn’t matter, as long as I see the smile on people’s faces every time we do Kalye Serye, every time I do mall shows like this. Nakakakilabot,” the 23-year-old remarks, shaking his head in awe.

“I’ve been to Cebu a lot of times, but this has been the most unimaginable thing. There were people atop their cars…at the barricade outside the venue, there were even more.”

Cebu holds a special spot in the heartthrob’s showbiz journey: here was where he experienced his first mall show (in January 2011 at Ayala Terraces with Louise delos Reyes and Paulo Avelino to promote his first TV show ‘Alakdana’), here was where his first Kapuso Grand Fans’ Day was mounted, and his first ever plane ride was bound for Cebu.

Times have utterly changed since his last visit. He now keeps a full calendar, with barely a moment to breathe as everyone wants a piece of him. After the launch of his McDonalds and TalkNText endorsements, Alden shares there are five more lined up (a bleach brand, coffee, milk and a dairy product). This Friday, he’s off  to Tokyo, Japan with Ai-Ai delas Alas and Aicelle Santos for a GMA Pinoy TV show. October 17 will see the release of his second album. There’s his movie shoot for the MMFF entry of Vic Sotto and Ai Ai. A soap opera is in the drawing board, while a Valentine movie with Maine is also in the cards.

All that, while he maintains hosting duties for “Sunday PinaSaya” and the daily “Eat Bulaga.”

“It was huge pressure,” admits Alden of his first few days at EB. “Coming in as a newbie…they’ve been together for so long. I had to adjust in delivering spiels, because their style is very spontaneous and they already had built-in rapport. I had to gauge myself kung ano bang pwesto ko dito, how I would react. The good thing about the Dabarkads, they helped me a lot to be a better host. They give me a lot of advice on hosting every time we have free time. They’re very easy to work with. I guess that’s the reason why their foundation is very solid. There is no contest among those in ‘Eat Bulaga.’ Everyone is treated like family.”

It’s this same healthy attitude of  not minding competition that Alden speaks of when the topic of JaDine, KathNiel and other hot team-ups come up.

“We’re not competing with anyone. We’re just enjoying every day that we’re doing Kalye Serye. We accommodate the people that support us, and we thank them as much as possible. When it comes to competition, we don’t tolerate it. There’s no time to compete. Just enjoy.”

Interestingly, Alden reveals that EB bosses don’t forbid him from communicating with Maine, only that he opted to limit their interaction to retain their onscreen magic.

“As of the moment, none at all. It’s weird because our first meeting and first conversation were on-cam. Walang nangyayari off-cam. It’s not really that we’re forbidden, but we choose not to, so that we maintain the magic of ‘Kalye Serye.’ In fact, the creative heads of ‘Eat Bulaga’ had told me, ‘Kung gusto mong i-text, go ahead.’”

“But if you think about it, it’s such a nice feeling that the only chance you get to see her is through the screen, that the only chance of talking to her is through fan signs. We surprise each other that way. As a result, what’s happening in Kalye Serye comes off natural. Mawawala yung element of surprise if nag-uusap na kami off-cam, or kung kilalang-kilala na namin ang isa’t-isa. Magiging acting na siya.”

What are the odds of him genuinely falling for Maine, as fans fervently wish so? “I really can’t say…I need to know the person first, and I’m sure that’s what Maine thinks as well. After this ‘tamang panahon’ which is coming very soon, I would love to get the chance to personally know her, have moments wherein we can talk, ask her things that she likes and dislikes, her favorite color, favorite food…”

Above all the hoopla, Alden makes sure he stays true to his roots by checking in with his family the rare moments he bumps into them at home, or when he gets solo time to pick up the phone.

“I make time. I don’t want to deprive myself of joining my family…we go to church as much as possible every Sunday. But most of the time, for the past three months, it’s been hard to do so. I just see to it that I talk to them on the phone, we talk in the sala every morning, just to catch up. I don’t want to miss out on them, even with the very demanding schedule I currently have. Even time for myself, I don’t have. But I’m not complaining. I’m enjoying this. This is what I’ve been asking for since I started.”

Nonetheless, showbiz isn’t a path he envisions for his own siblings whom he sends to school.

“This industry is hard to deal with, based on my experience. If your heart isn’t tough, it can eat you up. I’d rather have my siblings work on other professions rather than becoming actors.”

Alden should know. He didn’t become Pambansang Bae without a few heartaches and rejections along the way.