Juan Direction pays STAR Valentine visit

MANILA, Philippines - “Timing is everything.” That’s Michael McDonnell speaking, also in behalf of his fellow Juan Direction members Brian Wilson, Charlie Sutcliffe, Henry Edwards and Daniel Marsh, of the group’s newfound popularity. With the mantra of being “in the right place, and at the right time,” these half-Pinoy TV5 artists have endeared themselves to the young generation, especially those who are active in social media (Facebook and Twitter).

Their “self-titled” Saturday show has allowed the boys to experience the typical Filipino life and they have proven to themselves that “there is more to Philippines than just the city and the town” as Brian put it in a previous interview.

The other day, Michael, Charlie, Brian and Henry visited The STAR offices for a post-Valentine’s Day activity. They brought flowers and cakes and spent time with their newfound friends.  

On March 4 at 9 p.m., Juan Direction is crossing over from reality TV to situational comedy via TV5’s One of the Boys with Eula Caballero in the title role. The boys will try their hand in acting. They are all excited to be in someone else’s shoes.  

“We’re still learning,” says Brian of having speaking lines in Tagalog. “Mag-ensayo kami when we shoot. We try to speak as much Tagalog as we can. We never had any lessons or training. Literally, it’s kami lang. It’s up to us to learn and listen. The best way to learn it is actually go and do it. But it’s still medyo mahirap because we all have our accents. Like what I’ve said, we don’t have any formal lessons. We’re learning slowly.”

But the good news is, the script for One of the Boys will be written in English, the boys’ home language, and Tagalog.

“(In the story), we’re all like troublemakers o maarte sa England,” shares Charlie. “We’re in the Philippines to be disciplined by Joey de Leon (Daddy DJ).” Daniel adds, “The four of us (me, Charlie, Brian and Michael) lang ang galing from England. (Henry’s character, Henry Potter) is my kontrabida because we will fight over Eula (as Gabi Silang, Daddy DJ’s only daughter).” Daniel is Brinoys barkada leader Daniel Lennon, while Charlie plays Charlie Mc Cartney. Michael and Brian portray the roles of chick magnet Brian Starr and racing team acting manager Michael Harrison, respectively. 

Among the boys, Henry seems to be most excited about acting. “I always wanted to act,” he says. “Back in England, I would watch TV and Filipino channels… I would love to push myself to the limits and see how far I can get.”

For Daniel, acting is interesting but difficult when there are “maraming tao. You have to over-exaggerate certain acts. I like it and I enjoy it. I want to do more. I also find it challenging.”

The boys’ transition from being “documentarist-hosts” to TV performers is smooth because of the staff and the stars like Joey whom they work with on the set.

“He is very welcoming,” says Michael.

“(On our first day,) I was a bit nervous because I don’t have a background in acting. It’s my first (acting assignment). I’m not the best but given the opportunity, I will do my best. The atmosphere on the set is very welcoming that promotes a lot of positivity. I love working with the whole cast. There’s chemistry there.”

“When we come to the show, it doesn’t feel like solo-solo,” adds Charlie. “We’re feeding off each other. Since we’re a group, we have a lot of confidence.”

The confidence and trust that the boys have in each other is what makes Juan Direction click — and their show a success whether on YouTube or on TV.

“We’re already a group together that works well together,” says Michael. “The transition isn’t very hard. (The) acting is natural because of that.”

The boys also attribute their having a new show to the weekly program Juan Direction and loyal following. “We started on YouTube,” says Charlie. “The YouTube (stint) was really successful. We knew that we’re heading to something good. TV5 came along and enhanced it.”

Henry shares that their fans are “really excited to see us in another show. They are excited how far we can go.”

“We are close with our fans,” says Brian. “Through social networks — Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, we are always communicating with them. They are always updated. They are always in the know.”

Since Juan Direction is cooking up something new, the televiewers are in a wait-and-see mode on how the boys will fare as new heartthrobs of comedy.   

(The Juan Direction boys can be reached through @HenryATEdwards, @DanielCMarsh, @BrianJuanWilson, @iiiitsMichael, @C_Sutcliffe, @JDTV5, @IslandMediaAsia, www.facebook.com/JDTV5.)