Albie flies high on the wings of career success

When he first found himself dragged into controversy and was identified as the possible “Baby Daddy” of Andi Eigenmann’s daughter, people thought it was something from which Albie Casiño would never recover. Public sympathy was with Andi; Albie’s career took a heavy hit, and following everything that was said and done, he quietly withdrew from showbiz life.

A lot of people — especially his fans — were saddened by the fact that Albie’s very promising career (which included his team-up with Kathryn Bernardo, who ended up forming a powerhouse team with Daniel Padilla) was cut short. For a few years, Albie kept to himself, not even granting any interviews. Of course, he did lose some things by doing that. Opportunities that he would have been perfect for went to other young actors — that is, until he got his mojo back and re-appeared in the James Reid-Nadine Lustre starrer On the Wings of Love (OTWOL) as Jigs.

His re-emergence probably came at the right time. Albie needed the break, needed time to recover. Although some would say that he was trying to run away from the controversy or dodging the press, Albie says the truth was that it was merely a matter of shifting priorities. “Nag-iba lang muna ‘yung priorities ko. Nag-school lang ako for a while. And now, bumalik na ako sa teleserye.”

He is now looking healthier — people have remarked on his look and his physique, which is much improved — and enjoys his work in On the Wings of Love. Albie has re-discovered his creative energy in portraying the character of Jigs. It’s not just a role that requires him to act cute onscreen, but to dig deeper, which really forces him to stretch himself and test his mettle as an actor. “’Yung sa role, parang to be honest, mas gusto ko nga ‘yung mga role na ganito eh,” he says. “I really like this role (as Jigs) kasi para talagang you see the character kasi eh, parang you want to hate him, but you’ll understand him, likewise, may hugot ‘yung character.”

At this point, Albie doesn’t feel like he lost anything, or that he has to make up for lost time or career opportunities. He doesn’t even mind that in OTWOL, he is playing a supporting role to the pair of James and Nadine, despite having played bida, or lead roles, in the past. Clearly, Albie is a believer in the saying that there are no small roles, only small actors.

He knows he still has supporters out there, which include supporters of his tandem with Kathryn (called “KathBie”). “Oo, meron pa rin naman now,” he says.

Besides, the “KathBie” fans (and the other fans he has picked up along the way) continue to support him and his projects, something that Albie is grateful for. Right now, he says, he just wants to keep moving forward. What’s in the past should stay in the past. He just tries hard to keep his focus on the here and now. He has become a better player of the showbiz game and feels like he’s an old hand at this. “Ganu’n lang din, wala namang nabago,” he says of how he is now.

In fact, when he’s at work, he still gets treated the same by everyone on set. He doesn’t get any special treatment even if he’s gone this route before. Everything that an actor is expected to do, he does, without complaining. He follows all the rules and does what his directors tell him to do. He observes schedules — “Sa call time, ganu’n pa rin” — and it’s like starting all over again, which he doesn’t mind.

He’s just glad to be back, doing what he loves, and making the best of all his chances and opportunities. To paraphrase the title of his latest show, Albie is flying high on the wings of career success.