Aljur Abrenica fires up primetime anew

CEBU, Philippines — After moving into the care of Star Magic August of last year, Aljur Abrenica finally takes center stage as one of the main characters in ABS-CBN’s action-drama teleserye “Asintado.”

The former GMA Artist Center talent first appeared as a Kapamilya on “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” as Miguel Enriquez. Aljur has also graced the drama anthology “Maalaala Mo Kaya” and children’s show “Wansapanataym.”

This time however, the 27-year-old actor unleashes his full potential as he shares the screen with Julia Montes, Shaina Magdayao and Paulo Avelino.

“Paglipat ko sa ABS-CBN, siyempre bago lahat. When I found out that I was working with Julia, and all of the other artists, kinabahan ako. Natanong ko talaga sila [management] kung sigurado ba sila,” Aljur says during an interview at Radisson Blu Cebu with co-star Julia Montes.

Aljur describes the “Asintado” cast and crew as very warm and welcoming. He even set his co-star Julia apart, noting how she was one of the first people to welcome him aboard.

“Julia is very professional. Alam niya ang ginagawa niya at humahanga ako sa kanya bilang aktres. Alam niyo nagpapatawa pa yan sa set, pero pag-action na, palaban rin yan. Iba yan, bihira kasi yung nagbibigay ka ng saya sa set,” Aljur gushes.

Julia, in turn, describes Aljur as a “giving and generous actor.”

“Masarap katrabaho si Aljur. Hindi niya nire-relax ang sarili niya sa isang trabaho at kapag sinabing work, work talaga. Hindi niya binabalewala ang bawat eksena and that’s really important as a co-actor. It feels good to know that when you give something during a scene, you know that they’re going to catch it or give something back as well,” Julia explains.

“Asintado,” airing over the Kapamilya Gold timeslot, revolves around estranged sisters Julianna and Katrina Ramirez. The Ramirez siblings are orphaned after their parents die from a fire, and are later separated as they get adopted by different people. Katrina, who blames her sister for the death of her parents is adopted by the powerful and wealthy Del Mundos and is renamed Stephanie, while Julianna now goes by Ana and is taken in by the Dimasalang family. After 16 years, the sisters meet with no idea of their relation. Stephanie is a renowned jeweler, while Ana a paramedic, saves her sister’s childhood friend and ex-boyfriend, Gael Ojeda (Paulo) in a rescue mission, and eventually fall in love. At the disapproval of Stephanie and the Ojedas about her and Gael’s relationship, Ana becomes a victim of a crime, one that was hatched to get rid of her.

Portraying the vengeful Alexander, Aljur’s character trains Ana (Julia) and lifts her from the ground up after the latter wakes up from a coma following the said attack. Alexander, whose late father is a victim of the Del Mundos, egg Ana on in her bitterness and rage as she seeks revenge on those who wronged her.

“Yung tatay ni Alexander, ng character ko — pinatay ni Salvador Del Mundo. Sunod-sunod na trahedya ang nangyari sa kanya. And the only reason na nabubuhay siya for is revenge,” says Aljur, who had to take firing lessons for this ex-military character. “As he trains Ana, he slowly gains faith and finds a new reason to live.”

As Aljur starts his brand new show, his brother Vin Abrenica is about to wrap up the well-received drama, “Wildflower.” Asked if there’s a sort of pressure when it comes to working in the same company as his brother (who became a Kapamilya earlier than Aljur after being a TV5 reality search discovery), Aljur replies in the negative.

“Not really. I always get asked about it. But Vin and I, we don’t always talk about our careers. We talk about our childhood and our humble beginnings,” Aljur reveals, adding that he helped Vin when he wanted to get into Star Magic as well.

Speaking of families, Aljur admits that fatherhood is no easy endeavor, noting that their routine and disposition now that he is a father to Alas needs a lot of getting used to, especially when he and his girlfriend Kylie Padilla decided not to hire help.

“Practice lang,” Aljur quips, more to himself. There are things that he no longer gets to spend as much time on such as working out and enjoying a good sleep.

“Hindi talaga siya madali at first. You need proper time management to be able to take care of your child. Balance lang, and we make sure that Alas gets everything he needs—attention, fresh air… I lose sleep but I make sure that it’s worth it,” says Aljur who organizes weekend getaways for his family.

With no other shows on his plate, the Starstruck alumnus says that he looks forward to new projects despite not having a concrete “dream role.”

“Halos lahat nagawa ko na eh. As an actor, I’m willing to take on anything as long as mapag-usapan. I’ll do it. Whether it’s comedy, or action. But you have to be careful and not force things when a certain role is not fitting because it also compromises the project, and the trust put unto you for a project is different.”