A welcome change for Marvin

After gaining acclaim for dramatic roles in the hit mini-series, Sa Sandaling Kailangan Mo Ako, and Tanging Yaman, the award-winning blockbuster family drama, which won so many awards in the last Metro-Manila Filmfest, 22-year old Marvin Agustin is happy to branch out to other things.

"For the past four years, I’ve been doing dramas so I really welcome doing a sitcom like Whattamen and hosting a fun noontime show like MTB or Magandang Tanghali Bayan," he says. "I feel that my career is expanding and I’m not limited anymore to just one type of role. I think for you to last in this business, you should be versatile enough to do a lot of things. Being in a daily noontime show like MTB for the past eight months also helped me become a more familiar face to the TV audience."

In both shows, he is happy working with his best friends in showbiz, Rico Yan and Dominic Ochoa.

"We’ve really bonded well, not only among ourselves but also with the other hosts of MTB. We’re one big happy family. When we did episodes of MTB in Cebu then Hong Kong, we all got to know each other even better. Traveling together can be a lot of fun. And now that we are doing a series of shows in the States, we expect to be even closer."

Marvin says he will be back from the US on Oct. 28 to help promote his new movie, Trip, which has a Nov. 7 playdate.

He plays the pivotal role of Joboy in Trip; a youth oriented film directed by Gilbert Perez who’s Kahit Isang Saglit was a big hit.

"Joboy is the leader of the group and the narrator of the story. It’s about one memorable weekend during a semestral break in the lives of a barkada composed of Jericho Rosales, Kristine Hermosa, Desiree del Valle, Onemig Bondoc, Julia Clarete, John Prats, Paolo Contis, Heart Evangelista, and me. We spend it in Caliraya and during that weekend, we discover a lot of things about ourselves. The movie is full of fun and adventure about young people, just like American Pie, but more than that, it gives a lot of insights about the right values young people today should have. We realize life is more than just texting, playing billiards or video games, shopping or malling. It’s a story of friendship that hopefully will last for a lifetime. It took about six months to finish the movie because there are so many stars and sometimes, it‘s difficult to schedule us all together. We have to go back and forth to our location in Caliraya so many times.

Doesn’t he miss his love team with Jolina Magdangal?

"I do. But we’re both happy the fans still accept us now that we’ve gone solo. Hindi naman puedeng nakatali na lang kami sa love team forever. We both have to grow. But one of these days, who knows? We might make another movie together."

Rico and Dominic both have their respective girlfriends, Claudine Barreto and Janna Victoria. How about him? Has he found Miss Right?

"Wala pa. Ayaw nila kasi akong ihanap. I usually plan my life, but when it comes to love, hindi naman napaplano ‘yan. Basta if the right one comes along, then darating ‘yan. But honestly, right now, I’m not really looking because I also do not have the time for serious romance. After my dad went to jail, I became the family’s breadwinner. Aside from showbiz career, I’m also very busy with my business, Ricecapades, a food-to-go store for which I have sold some franchises, so we now have ten outlets. We are in charge of the commissary, to make sure all the food delivered to the various outlets are of top quality. Our best sellers are adobo and beefsteak rice. I also have two Mr. Donut outlets. I’m so fortunate I have my mom and two sisters to help me personally supervise our company, which we called Sixth Sense Food Corporation."

Earlier, he also went back to school, taking up business management at the Thames International Business School in Greenhills. "I am on my first year and my third term. I only take two to three subjects each term. For our trip in the US, I am taking an official leave of absence. Later on, I want to take up the film course they offer at New York University. I know one cannot forever work before the camera so I want to prepare for the time I’d like to work behind it," Marvin reveals.