Still another Pinoy in Hollywood

If you’ve watched the teen thriller Project Almanac (released nationwide starting last Wednesday by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures), you must have wondered if the Filipino-looking lead actor is a Filipino. Yes, his name is Allen Evangelista, a pure Filipino born and raised in Los Angeles, whose father and mother hail from Manila and Pampanga, respectively.

Allen is the newest addition to the growing roster of Hollywood actors with Filipino roots, including Lou Diamond Philips, Rob Schneider, Tia Carere, Paolo Montalban, Nicole Scherzinger (of Pussycat Dolls), Vanessa Hudgens, Iglesia brothers Julio Jr. and Enrique, Cris Judd, Darren Criss (of Glee), Dante Basco, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, Vanessa Minnillo, Phoebe Cates, Michael Copon, apl.de.ap, Reggie Lee and Dave Batista, plus Dean Devlin (producer of Independence Day, Godzilla, etc.).

According to his bio-data, in his spare time, Allen loves to participate in the Hollywood Knights basketball team to help raise funds for high schools. In addition, Allen and his wife Christina Burhoe are involved with MS Society. Allen also loves to play basketball, the guitar, video games and watch sports. He and Christina live in L.A. with their three-year-old son Hudson and four-year-old English Bulldog. He turned 33 last Jan. 5.

In Project Almanac, produced by Michael Bay, Allen plays a brilliant high school student and his friends who uncover blueprints for a mysterious device with limitless potential, inadvertently putting lives in danger.

Allen previously starred with Shailene Woodley in the popular TV series The Secret Life of the American Teenager as Henry Miller, the character he’s best known for. In his 12 years as an actor, Allen has done several other TV shows including Alias; Brooklyn Nine-Nine; Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles; Ghost Whisperer; and Zoey 101.

In Project Almanac, he co-stars with…

• Jonny Weston (as David) who is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading young men as he received rave reviews for his work in indie feature Kelly & Cal opposite Juliette Lewis, which premiered at SXSW in 2014. He’s in the cast of Fox’s Taken 3 opposite Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace. He’s joining Shailene Woodley in Insurgent (the second part of the Divergent Trilogy, to be released nationwide late next month by Pioneer Films), together with Theo James and Naomi Watts.
• Sofia Black-D’Elia (as Jesse) who had a guest-arc on the final season of Gossip Girl playing Sage, love interest to Chace Crawford’s Nate. Sofia’s breakout role was as the beautiful and troubled teen Tea Marvelli on MTV’s incarnation of the popular British television show Skins. She first got her start on ABC’s long-running soap opera All My Children.
• Sam Lerner (as Quinn) who got his breakthrough role in Envy which starred his favorite actors Ben Stiller and Jack Black, and gave him a chance to work with Rachel Weisz and Amy Poehler. Sam has been lucky enough to work with such producers as Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis and Michael Bay and for such directors as Levinson, Brett Ratner and Gil Kenan (Monster House).
• Virginia Gardner (as Christina) who was born and raised in Sacramento, California. She began acting during her middle school productions and soon moved to Los Angeles to pursue her passion full time. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, she quickly landed roles in Hart of Dixie and Lab Rats before recurring on Fox’s hit show Glee. In 2014, she was also featured in Nylon’s Young Hollywood issue alongside Hollywood’s brightest rising stars.

Describe Adam, your character in Project Almanac.

”Adam is probably the smartest out of the group, especially because he’s very cautious when dealing with the unknown. I like to say if David is Captain Kirk, Adam is his Spock. He calculates everything, but that all comes from how much he cares for his friends.”

How does Adam differ from Henry Miller, your character in The Secret Life of the American Teenager?

”Adam is definitely more intelligent than Henry. Henry’s concerns mostly consisted of the opposite sex. But I consider them both noble and brave characters. Let’s not forget that Henry joined the army at the end of the show.”

How was it like being a teenager in a highly multi-cultural country like America?

”I couldn’t complain. There are a lot of stereotypes that are still viewed today, but I feel the acceptance is getting better and better.”

How much of you is Filipino and how much is American? Please mention names of your parents and siblings, if any, and your upbringing…was it a combination of the Filipino and American ways?

“Both my parents are full Filipino. My immediate family consists of all A’s: My parents are Alfredo and Aurora; my sister, Arlene; and myself. My upbringing was definitely a combination. My parents speak half Tagalog and English to us. Although my sister and I can’t fully speak the language, we can understand a good amount.”

Where did you take up grade/elementary school? Did you study acting?

”I went to a small public school, then was in a private high school called Bishop Amat. I took one acting class in high school, but that was it. Acting kind of came out of nowhere.”

How did you get into showbiz? Have you always aimed at becoming an actor? Any acting experience in school?

”I got discovered working retail at a shopping center. Being 18, at the time, and looking way younger is a huge bonus in this business. You can work longer hours, and not have to be tutored on set. I got really lucky finding my first agent and manager so quickly.”

Was it hard for an Asian to break into Hollywood (considering the stiff competition from actors of non-Asian countries)? Are roles for Asian actors limited?

”It’s definitely difficult. It’s one of the most competitive fields out there. And all the decent roles are labeled as ‘Any Ethnicity.’” So you’re up against everybody for such a small number of roles. Having said that, I do find that diversity is finding itself more and more on screen, which is great.”

Have you ever worked with other Asian (specifically Filipino) artists?

”I used to play bass guitar for Jay-R Sillona when he was in California. That was a brief period, but I could tell Jay-R was going to do well. His voice, man! It’s insane. I knew him, Jimmy Martinez and Kris Lawrence. Glad to see all the success they are having in the Philippines.”

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