MANILA, Philippines — Seasoned actors can easily spot talents. They know when a neophyte, regardless of age, has the potential to pursue a career in acting. They can also sense if one is in the zone or just winging it.
Eula Valdes and Michael De Mesa can attest to that innate gift of Euwenn Mikaell, the lead star of the inspirational family drama series, “Forever Young.”
Premiering Oct. 21 at 4 p.m. on the Kapuso network, the show will see Euwenn as Rambo Agapito, who has panhypopituitarism that makes him, as some would describe it, “a 25-year-old trapped in a 10-year-old body.”
Information from the GMA Afternoon Prime show’s website shares that the rare condition “slows (Rambo’s) growth hormone and retains his childlike appearance.”
Michael and Eula, on the other hand, represent Eduardo and Esmeralda, heads of competing powerful families, the Malaque and the Vergara, respectively.
With the show’s political leaning, genre-wise, Rambo will run for a public office, and he aspires to become a mayor.
Euwenn played the cute, witty boy in the drama, romance comedy TV series “One of the Baes,” and a loving son in the magical realism film, “Firefly.” He could hold his own in the presence of veterans Roderick Paulate and Alessandra de Rossi.
“I watched him first on ‘Fast Talk.’ From there, I noticed that he’s not a typical kid,” said Eula in a recent press conference that was also graced by Euwenn, Michael, and fellow actors that comprise the “Forever Young” acting ensemble.
She added that when one asks a child, the latter will respond with the kiddie linguistic expression, “ano po…” But Euwenn isn’t like that. “He’s thinking,” shared Eula. “So, I wished then I could work with him (someday).”
Eula’s wish was granted, and she expressed her gladness to share scenes with Euwenn in “Forever Young.”
For Michael, he heard the name Euwenn Mikaell through “Firefly” and learned that the child actor won awards for his performance in it.
“I first met him when the (‘Forever Young’) cast got together for a table read,” recalled he. “From there, I was a bit impressed because he did deliver in the table read, but when we were taping, I was super impressed of him. Like what Eula has said, hindi siya pangkaraniwang bata (he’s not an ordinary child).”
Michael added that Euwenn would not just listen to instructions but also ask questions.
“So, yun ang maganda sa kanya (it’s one nice trait of him). He’s also a thinking actor. Hindi niya basta, basta bibitawan. He needs concrete motivation as to why he’s doing it and why he has to do it (as the character). For somebody who is 11 and he works that way, I can say he’s an extraordinary actor. This boy is gifted.”
That’s why Michael said he’s always on his toes when they do scenes together.
“Marami kaming eksena together and kumbaga, you can’t just wing it kasi yung mga binibigay niya sa’yo, madadala ka talaga,” said he. “Kaya super enjoy ako kapag ka-eksena ko siya. Not only that, even off-camera, kapag nag-uusap kami, we just don’t talk about the project, but we talk about life, and for an 11-year-old, he is very, very mature. I’m really, really thankful to GMA that I was chosen (and tapped) to play lolo (the grandfather) of Euwenn Mikaell’s character.”
Even if Euwenn shows “maturity” and knows the demands of his craft at a young age, he remains a kid at heart.
“Siyempre, hindi maiiwasan na nanduon pa rin yung pagkabata niya, may pagkamakulit pa rin (of course, his child traits such as being playful are still there),” said Eula, sharing that there was an instance in which Euwenn asked for extra time to motivate himself before taping a scene. “So, he knows what he’s doing and he seems to be born to become an actor.”
Euwenn has a balance between portraying his role and having playtime on set.
Again, what surprises his co-actors is that, at the end of the day, Euwenn delivers what’s expected from his portrayal.
“Masarap siyang ka-trabaho (it’s enjoyable working with him), said Eula, and Michael shared the same feeling.
(‘Forever Young’ airs weekdays after ‘Shining Inheritance.’)