July 28 ------ Alden Richards is consistent with his aspiration as an actor, as one could glean upon his previous and present interviews. That is to essay new and diverse characters. Testament to that is his forthcoming, month-long appearance in the weekend drama anthology, Magpakailanman.
The Sparkle GMA Artist Center actor will again display his strength and skill in acting. But this time, he’s playing four different roles on four consecutive Saturday nights at 8:15 in August. Alden is not just doing quick costume change, you know, but he is stepping into the life of a real person. With the help of fellow creatives, he narrates personal stories within a short period of time to prepare. Alden will be seen from being a marathon runner with cervical dystonia condition (an involuntary muscle movement) and a social media influencer, to becoming a gangster-like guy, sporting tattoos and piercings, and a caregiver for family members. “It’s very challenging because (all are contrasting characters),” said the actor in a recent virtual press conference. “The roles do not share any similarities. I think, as an actor, I’m looking for something that’s not the usual. I’ve done a lot of projects. We will always go for something that will reinvent my point of view, work-wise.”
When the Magpakailanman opportunity presented itself, Alden simply gave his nod and said, “‘We have to.’ Kailangan ko siyang gawin kasi nakaka-miss ding umarte talaga sa TV (I need to do it because I really miss acting on TV). What’s good about it is, this is not linear, (it doesn’t just present) one story, like a teleserye. Every week, I change roles, ganun kabilis yung transition (that’s how fast the transition is).”
Living a life that is different from them is what also excites actors, who may even consider it a learning curve. “I enjoy the journey,” said he. “Parang ang laki ng naambag niya sa akin. I’ve also discovered a lot lately like how I switch characters because our taping has only a one-week interval.” “I really have to study the script and (be ready to make a) transition from one character to another in a snap of a finger. I really enjoy it,” added he, who is thankful to GMA and the entire team of MPK (Magpakailanman), for the acting assignment. This has made him remember that getting into the character and getting out of it have the same level of difficulty, he said and added that acting “is finding what works for you, that is formulate your own method in processing a character.”
Studying the character and reading the script are paramount for him. “Action!” and “cut!” are his word markers to commence and conclude each scene. “The words action and cut are very important words that I need to hear from the director when I work,” said he. “Action means you work, get into it, you jump into it. Cut means let go, regardless of the emotions you have at that moment.”
Since acting is physically and mentally demanding, actors, at some point, get tired, but know how to get back on track. With Alden, he goes back to the idea that, specifically for Magpakailanman, it’s not about him, but it’s about real people, who are willing to share their lives to everyone. “Yung pagod ko, my personal feelings are not important at that moment (they should not stand in the way) when I’m in character,” said he. “You have to be grateful to these people. They are telling the world their stories… parang sila yung boss namin, the people who have shared their stories. The actors, who are given the opportunity to portray true-to-life roles, should be grateful to those people who share their stories. So, we don’t really take it for granted. It’s unfair for them (the subjects of the stories).”
To give justice to each personal story and understand it, Alden said he checks on the person’s social media accounts from Facebook to vlog if ever available as part of his research. The idea behind it, he added, is “to see how these people move…. I just want to have a visual of how this person is in live motion.” In some instances, he got lucky to meet and talk to these individuals via Zoom. “Without him (the person) knowing, inaaral ko na siya habang nakikipag-usap ako sa kanya (I’ve been studying him while I’m talking to him). (I think) at least I should get a video of this person, I just want to see his body language, how he relates kahit nakaupo lang siya.” All this is a glimpse of Alden’s tools to tell stories based on real-life people.
Source: philstar.com
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