Andre Yllana received acting tips from his mom, Aiko Melendez, as a newcomer in show business.
The 23-year-old son of Aiko and Jomari Yllana plays Jeff, member of the basketball varsity in a provincial high school, in Vivamax’s newest series The Seniors.
The youth-oriented drama is directed by Shaira Advincula-Antonio and created and produced by box-office directors Dan Villegas and Antoinette Jadaone. It also stars Julia Barretto, Ella Cruz, Andrea Babierra and Awra Briguela.
The greatest advice Andre has gotten from his mother is staying humble. “Kahit saang trabaho, hindi lang sa The Seniors, is yung maging humble and have respect sa lahat ng taong makakasama mo at makakatrabaho mo dahil respeto po yung pinakabunga ng pagsasama. Kapag may respeto ka sa tao, siyempre po tuloy-tuloy na rin po yung pakikisama sa isa’t isa,” he said in a virtual media conference.
He also recalled what he was like in high school and described it in one word, “pasaway.”
“Talagang halos lahat ng bawal sa school ginawa ko po,” said Andre, including cutting classes, being absent and coming to school late. He confessed that “my attendance in school, lagi pong butas-butas (week schedule). Cutting (classes) dito, cutting diyan. Late po sa klase. Yung typical po na pasaway.”
When he reached his third or fourth year in high school, that was the time when he realized how important education is for his future. So when he entered college, “Nag-ayos na rin po ako. Nagtino na rin po ako (eventually),” he said.
A batch outing before graduation was among his treasured memories in those days. “We went to the mountains for a camping trip. Yun po siguro yung pinaka-memorable dahil dun po nabuo yung samahan po namin after graduation. We still keep in touch. Nagkakamustahan po kami ng mga friends (ko),” he shared.
Coming from a Catholic school, the major lesson he learned from high school was “putting God first” in everything.
He went on to reflect, “Putting God first, yan siguro yung nadadala ko sa everyday life ko ngayon, especially when I encounter problems. Hindi ko po nawawala si Lord sa buhay ko. That’s the biggest thing na nakuha ko from high school. If there are problems or there are blessings, lagi kang magpapasalamat at ‘wag kalimutan ang Diyos.”
Andre likewise stressed the importance of family in one’s life.
“Since you have your friends, keep your friends close pero yung family closer,” he said. “Sometimes, there are people who would become super close to their friends to the point that they don’t spend more time with their family.”
His piece of advice is to manage your time well, adding, “Your friends will always be there but your family, you will never know kung kelan mawawalan tayo ng pamilya kaya as much as possible, kung kumpleto pa yung pamilya niyo or kung sino man yung nakakasama niyo every day, i-cherish niyo yung mga moment with each other.”
As per description, The Seniors tells the story of four students in a provincial public high school who must face life and love problems in their final year in high school.
In Pacaque Rural High School, “The Certifieds” are the well-known it-trio. They are Jennifer, Nicole and Fifi. Jennifer (played by Ella) is the overachiever Student Council president, who leads “The Certifieds,” along with the school’s “Muse” Nicole (Andrea) and the school Volleyball Team Captain Fifi (Awra).
Being consistent in the star section, the three of them believe that they are elite students and they should stick together no matter what. But as they face their senior year, major changes are about to happen.
One of them is the arrival of Diana (Julia), a smart and pretty transferee from Manila. With Diana’s arrival, the four students’ final year in high school will be twice the fun and also twice the trouble as they struggle to juggle good grades, friendships and relationships.
(The Seniors is now streaming on Vivamax.)