Crying boy no more

If the number of dramatic movies being produced didn’t significantly decline over the years, maybe 21-year-old Mikel Campos will now be hailed as his generation’s drama royalty.

But three years after he was launched in Viva Films’ family epic drama Filipinas, Mikel finds himself treading an entirely different career path as one of the country’s most promising comedians via ABS-CBN’s youth-oriented comedy Let’s Go.

Mikel, who plays Mike in the said weekly series, admits he had apprehensions before doing the show, while admitting "I have learned to like doing comedy."

However, he clarifies that the shift from drama to comedy was not abrupt. In fact, before Let’s Go, Mikel was part of the reality loveteam search Qpids, where he won the top prize with partner Paw Diaz.

"I think that’s where the management saw my potential as a comedian," he expresses. "In Qpids kasi, I was more like myself – romantic yet seriously funny."

After doing almost two seasons of Let’s Go, Mikel hopes his bosses are satisfied with his performance in the show.

Production manager Dagang Vilbar says Mikel has selflessly given his best for the show saying, "When you ask Mikel to do something, you can be assured he will give you more than what you expect."

In one special episode of Let’s Go, for example, skinny Mikel agreed to go topless for a nude sketching scene. But when the cameras started rolling, he even took his shorts out.

Asked why he did this wacky antic, he jokingly answers, "for the love of art and humiliating myself."

This is what he has learned about doing comedy – that "I have to be comfortable with myself and with what I do."

He also finds excitement in the genre’s more free-flowing exchange of lines. He adds, "With drama, one uses his emotions; with comedy, the mind should always be used."

Doing Let’s Go, he says is like doing comedy and drama because the series allows him to cry while making people laugh.

"I think it’s funnier that way," assumes Mikel. "Also, it helps that one is comfortable with his co-actors because the chemistry comes out naturally."