His tattoos tell the story

Andrew Schimmer is a changed man. He has completely turned his back on vices like alcohol and smoking, knowing they only make his life a living hell.

Didn’t the former teen star shy away from showbiz after the vehicle he was driving hit a man in a convenience store and struck him dead on the spot? Andrew hangs his head and recalls that he drank one too many that fateful day in 2004. But now, he has put that, and all things bad behind him to turn over a new leaf.

He didn’t go through cold sweats and withdrawal symptoms when he quit smoking just like that. The 21-year-old talent discovered by Douglas Quijano also avoids alcohol like the plague.

The guy may have 14 tattoos all over his well-sculpted body, but don’t let those intricate designs on his arms, elbows, legs, etc. fool you. He means no harm.

“I’m going straight now,” Andrew relates.

In fact, he subscribes to a healthy lifestyle. Months of gym work at Slimmers World have given him such a to-die-for body, it qualified Andrew to compete in the fitness center’s Mr. and Ms. Great Bodies grand finals on Dec. 1.

Andrew is again displaying those packed abs and well-toned physique, this time on the big screen, as Cristine Reyes’ leading man in her launching movie, Green Paradise. As the Manila-based guy Cristine’s provincial lass character falls in love with, Andrew figures in two love scenes with Ara Mina’s sister.

No, Andrew says. He didn’t entertain thoughts of mischief while he shot those intimate scenes with Cristine beside a waterfall and inside a room. Cristine, he explains, is like a sister to him. He just remembered how good a friend Ara has been to him since way back and whatever naughty thoughts he had vanished into thin air.

Andrew may have the words “Every moment is another chance” tattooed on his legs. But this doesn’t mean he will grab this chance to overstep the boundaries of decency with his leading lady.

Other designs and words tattooed all over him do give us a glimpse of Andrew’s personality, though. One of them, inscribed on his upper arm, shows a crucifix surrounded by 24 beads. The crucifix needs no explanation. The 24 beads do. Andrew says they stand for the 24 members of his family — nuclear and extended.

The 5’10”-tall hunk may have a foreigner’s looks, physique and family name. But he’s turning out to be a Filipino at heart in his love for the family, which includes, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, etc.

And how else will you explain the tattoos that say “Laugh now, cry later” on one elbow and “Cry now, laugh later” on the other? A belief in delayed gratification, or waiting patiently until your efforts finally pay off?

This is the same guy, after all, who silently bore six hours of pain while the artist worked on a single intricate tattoo on his body. The smaller ones, Andrew says, take 30 minutes — a short time compared to the hours he must endure for bigger tattoos.

But the fact still remains: Andrew doesn’t mind enduring hours of pain to see those tattoos that make him happy applied all over his body. Andrew explains he just loves to see various designs. And having them all over him answers this hunger in him.

What other proof of delayed gratification and sheer will power can you get? It’s the same will power that has made Andrew dump his vices just like that. And it’s the same will power he is now summoning to catch the public’s attention to him as an actor.

Andrew may reject a frontal nudity scene outright, but he doesn’t mind being tagged a sexy actor because of Green Paradise.

“We already have so many dramatic actors,” he observes. “So it’s very hard to get noticed in this area these days.”

Besides, sexy actors also get to co-star with the best of the lot, like Joel Torre, Andrew’s fellow cast member in Green Paradise (the others are Rio Locsin, Kris Martinez, Charee Pineda, Jiro Manio and Juan Rodrigo).

“I learned a lot from Joel,” gushes Andrew. “He taught me how to maximize the use of my eyes, how to use them to speak volumes.” No words need be said. The eyes do all the acting.

Okay, next lesson, please. This eager student of acting — and life — is all eyes and ears.