Andrew Gan gets biggest acting break

What does it take to be a star? For some celebrities, it takes years of hard work, small roles and perseverance.

That was the case for Andrew Gan, who spent years starring in minor roles while trying to become an A-list actor. He entered showbiz in 2015 and according to the actor, he almost gave up on his dream of clinching a lead character role.

But his moments of doubt coupled with that distressing thought of elusive stardom are now gone. You see, after having portrayed several “best friend ng bida” roles in such film and TV acting projects as My Bebe Love, Ang Henerasyong Sumuko sa Love, Etiquette for Mistresses, Doble Kara, The Third Party, The Expat and Super Ma’am, the time has come for Andrew to take on a lead role via the Pinoy-flavored Boys’ Love (BL) series titled Limited Edition.

Produced by shoe designer Jojo Bragais as an initial digital film offering of Bragais TV, Limited Edition is a romantic drama about finding one’s elusive and everlasting love. The characters named Jethro, Mario and Arnold figure in a different kind of love, complete with its many saccharine trappings and heart-tugging issues that put their love and loyalty to the test. The presser stated that “the love triangle story arc brings more kilig, heartstrings pull and a fairytale-like conclusion of who ends up with who.”

In the series, Andrew is Jethro who flies to the Philippines from New York for a vacation. He meets Mario (played by Jomari Angeles) at a dinner party and the two become close to each other until they become a couple. Mario thinks that he has found his ideal man in Jethro but when he learns that the latter is only staying for two months, he finds himself on a rollercoaster ride, filled with anxiety, jealousy and love. Meanwhile, Mario is clueless that Arnold (Ron Angeles) also has feelings for him.

During the virtual mini-presscon held recently, Andrew shared that it’s not the first time that he was offered to star in films that tackle same-sex relationships. Limited Edition is the kind of story that he’s been aiming to do for a long time.

Thus, the actor, now being managed by Leo Dominguez, didn’t think long and hard when he was invited to audition. “I remember it was Saturday, 12 midnight or Sunday na ng madaling araw when I was informed to come in the morning to see if I am suited for the role,” he said.

“Before, may mga offers na pero yung mga lumalabas na BL mas focused sa pag-papakita ng skin. Here in Limited Edition, our goal is to present the love between the characters na parang ang peg Gameboys na istorya ng totoong nagmamahalan.”

Andrew recalled how he buckled in his dialogues during the audition “because I wasn’t able to memorize my lines in the script given to me minutes before the start. Thankfully, sir Jojo asked me to do improvisation instead. So, ako ginalingan ko talaga salita ako ng salita hanggang di ko namamalayan tumutulo na pala yung luha ko. That’s when I also realized that my forte is drama.”

The following day, Andrew was informed that he landed the role. “I’m so happy with the result because prior to the audition day, dahil nga ang tagal ko na rin naman, since 2015 pa ko nag-start (in acting), I made a resolve to myself to try another career if nothing good comes out of it.”

Andrew also manages his own spa called Releaf. He, too, made good use of his knowledge in cooking — having finished the Cruise Line Operations in Culinary Arts course in college — by venturing into the food business during the height of the pandemic.

“When I received the notice about our lock-in taping, I told myself, ‘Ito na ‘yung binigay ni Lord,’ because I am acting alongside acting greats like Ruby Ruiz, Yayo Aguila and also Jomari, who has done a lot of indie films.”

Andrew said he doesn’t mind doing a kissing scene as long as it is needed in the story. “I don’t see anything wrong with intimate scenes basta ikakaganda ng movie kasi sina Joem Bascon, Coco Martin nagawa nila yun, mag-iinarte pa ba ko. I’m willing to do whatever the story requires me to do.”

Asked if he had ever received an indecent proposal and how did he deal with it, Andrew replied, “Many times but I believe in hard work. We all have to work hard to succeed. Kumbaga, I keep on harnessing my talent so when the time comes, like this, I am ready. ‘Pag may ganun, I’m honest to say no and I say it in a nice way.”

(Limited Edition, directed by Jill Singson Urdaneta, is now streaming on BragaisTV on YouTube.)