His charm is innate and his sprightliness is a given, but Alden Richards showed how much of a simple, candid, straightforward person he is in this Tonight With Boy Abunda Dressing Room Online Exclusive.
Tito Boy was nostalgic at first, recalling how the newcomer Richard Faulkerson walked into the same dressing room 10 years ago asking his advice on prospects in the industry when the King of Talk was hosting Showbiz News Ngayon with Kris Aquino then.
And now, even if the name Alden Richards refers to that hotshot matinee idol, phenomenal actor and TV personality adulated by a massive fanbase, Tito Boy would still call him by the same name when they were first introduced, Richard, in this intimate chat. Here, the male lead of “Hello, Love, Goodbye” would talk about his most difficult ordeals, simple life playing video games, his last relationship, and working with co-star Kathryn Bernardo and director Cathy Garcia-Molina.
‘Struggles with rejection’
Alden would reveal life was difficult even before he entered showbiz, when he encountered rejections left and right.
“You’ve tried so many times and you’ve given all you’ve got, but still you got ‘no’ for an answer. Mas marami po ang ‘no’,” Alden said.
He would also tell Tito Boy that he would always choose the simple life—even if he is blessed with so many things out of his hard work as an actor.
Because, Alden said: “Sanay po ako sa hirap.”
Playing video games
Alden would then reveal the kind of simplicity he cherishes—just sitting back and play video games. He tells Tito Boy, “It’s a part of me that’s been with me for the longest time, alongside with my brother, we’ve been gamers since we were 7.”
With his immense popularity, Alden was asked by Tito Boy if he had encountered parents who wanted him to marry their daughters. He said yes with a chuckle, revealing that since he was “already single,” there had been such instances.
His statement about being “already single” caught Tito Boy’s attention and he asked Alden the last time he had a serious relationship?
Falling in love
Alden said, “It was a long time ago, I was in college.” This led to Tito Boy asking Alden if he had actually fallen in love with an actress.
“I did,” Alden emphasized, clarifying that it never blossomed into a full-blown relationship.
“There’s a point in a relationship, in life, sometimes, no matter how strong the feeling is towards a person, minsan di talaga kayo nagkakaintindihan. Hindi umabot sa naging kami,” Alden disclosed.
Working with Kathryn and Direk Cathy
While on the set of “Hello, Love, Goodbye,” Alden also revealed how it was working with Kathryn and direk Cathy.
“The good thing about Direk Cathy is hindi siya ‘yes woman’,” he stressed. “I will tell it straight to your face that you’re like this. Hindi kita bobolahin.”
Kathryn, on the other hand, was so “generous as an actor on and off cam.” Alden also told Tito Boy that his onscreen chemistry with Kathryn was “organic.”
“Yun ang magic namin ni Kat. During the movie, everything was organic. Nothing was forced. Walang pilitan. We don’t have to do anything off cam to make the on screen chemistry work,” Alden noted.
Fast Talk
Alden was then thrilled to play Fast Talk with Tito Boy saying it was something he eagerly awaited. In the segment, Alden bared that John Lloyd Cruz is his idol and Dawn Zulueta was his childhood crush. The sexiest woman in the Philippines, he said, is Marian Rivera.
In “Hello, Love, Goodbye,” which begins its theatrical run on July 31, Alden plays the bartender Ethan, who he describes as “matagal na sa Hong Kong, happy go lucky, doesn’t take relationships seriously, mabilis magbago ng isip until he meets this girl, Joy (played by Kathryn Bernardo).”
Catch more of Tito Boy’s TWBA Dressing Room Exclusive with Alden in this video.