Thai teen trouble

MANILA, Philippines - At the age of three, most of us were busy being, well, three. Alan Shaw, meanwhile, had already discovered he could sing—or at least his parents did, on his behalf.

Six years later, he got into dancing, joining pop recording group Savvy two more years down the line. Acting wasn’t always something far from his mind, too. In fact, he once played Mr. Beaver in a theatrical production of The Chronicles of Narnia. Shaw would eventually luck into a bigger role, this time on HBO’s The Wannabes, where he plays a detention-prone student in an art academy boarding school—with even the same name.

Here, 19-year-old Shaw gives the journalist panel a frequently zig-zagging yet always lighthearted lowdown on his budding career, fashion style, and The Wannabees being compared to Glee.

YOUNG STAR: What’s the best thing about being Alan Shaw right now?

ALAN: Oh, just getting to see everything, sightseeing and performing. I like seeing the reactions on the fans page. Just making them happy—that’s what it’s all about.

You play Alan Taskin on The Wannabes. What’s your character like in the show and how different is it from your real life?

We’re actually pretty close. We both love music, we’re extremely passionate about what we do. I love performing and dancing. He’s always there for his friends, too, and I’m exactly the same way. So that makes him a really fun character to play. In terms of differences, I have to say he’s a lot smarter than me. I mean, I’m smart but he’s a genius.

Do you think it’s fair when people compare your show to other teen musical shows like High School Musical or Glee?

We have our similarities but we have our differences as well. A lot of our episodes have a message behind them, like to be yourself and never give up on your dreams. We’ve worked so hard as a group for seven years. And it’s just now that we’re finally seeing a glimpse of our dreams coming true. You have to be really dedicated. Stick with it and stay strong.

Who are your acting influences?

I have to say Johnny Depp just ‘cause he’s an amazing actor. He puts a lot of thought into the role. Denzel Washington’s one of my favorites, too, ‘cause he’s so powerful. I love watching him act.

No drowse, just wows: Alan Shaw promises you a fun, lighthearted sitcom you won’t sleep on.

Who are the musicians you look up to?

Michael Jackson is my biggest inspiration just ‘cause he was extremely innovative and wasn’t afraid to be himself. He would always give a 150% whenever he’d perform and that’s how I’d like to perform. Chris Brown is also one of my biggest inspirations because he sings, dances, and acts —and he’s amazing at all three of them.

What is the biggest challenge of acting for a TV show as compared to a play?

I actually think it’s more challenging to act for a play because with TV shows you actually have more takes. You’re able to mess up because you can always reshoot the scene. But when you mess up in a play, you have to improvise. You have to be on your toes, pretty much.

You grew up in your mother’s restaurant. Could you tell us what your favorite dish is?

Man, that’s really hard ‘cause she got some really good dishes. I usually get chicken fried rice or the chicken pot pie.

What’s it like to be living the dream?

We haven’t gotten super big yet so it’s too early to tell. But so far it’s been a lot of fun. We got to travel overseas to places I would never [have dreamt] of going. We’ve been to South America and different orphanages.

What’s the number one reason why everyone should watch The Wannabes?

Everyone can take something from it, not just the little kids. Even adults can take something from it. It’s just a fun show that the whole family can watch. It’d bring the whole family closer and like I said, each episode has a positive message.

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The Wannabes premieres on HBO Family (SkyCable Channel 102) at 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 14, 2011.