Andrea: The ultimate ‘career-era’

Because she’s playing the titular role in The Millionaire’s Wife (TMW), the soap which airs Monday thru Friday on GMA Afternoon Primetime starting today, Andrea Torres was asked by the movie press how she would react if a moneyed old man courted her.

“If there’s love,” said Andrea (whose real-life boyfriend is Sef Cadayona, same age as she is), “it could be possible, who knows?”

Playing the millionaire is Robert Arevalo who makes an offer (hard to refuse) to Andrea as the nurse Louisa who takes care of Robert’s character (a businessman who owns Nourish Food Corp., a giant food-manufacturing company) after he suffers a stroke.

Directed by Albert Langitan, TMW could be more challenging than Andrea’s previous tele-starrers including Sana Ay Ikaw Na Nga, Ang Lihim ni Annasandra, My Faithful Husband and Pari ‘Koy. She started in showbiz as a contestant of the Kapamilya teen-oriented reality show Q-Pids in 2005. Three years later, she moved to GMA to become a co-host on the youth-oriented magazine show Ka-Blog! After it ended, Andrea resumed her Communication Arts studies at UST and did modeling on the side. In 2011, she signed an exclusive contract with GMA.

With Mike Tan as Ivan Meneses, the man who would do anything for Louisa, TMW also stars, among others, Jaclyn Jose (as Robert’s spoiled unica hija Stella), Sid Lucero as Jaclyn’s son (perfect casting since Jaclyn has a “past” with Sid’s late dad Mark Gil) and Ina Raymundo as Jaclyn’s only daughter.

Andrea plays this corner’s “Complete the Sentence” game

• I hate people who are…plastic.

• I avoid people who are…negative.

• My greatest pleasure in life is…to see my loved ones happy.

• My worst moment is…when my brother left for Australia. He migrated, eh. He’s the only one na kulang para makumpleto kami dito sa Philippines.

• My biggest fear is…to lose someone I love.

• I pray for…continuous blessings and happiness. This year, I plan to travel more and to visit my brother in Australia. And to work harder. I always give my 100 percent naman pero every year, di ba parang ’yun ’yung sabi nila. It’s never enough, so you should always aim higher. So ‘yun, I want to work harder.

• The most important person in my life…is my baby brother Kenneth. Because I feel na he’s the person who needs talaga someone to take care of him all the time. Parang that’s our role sa family kasi. He has Down Syndrome. Parang kailangan lagi kaming nakadikit sa kanya.

• If I were to be reincarnated as an animal, I would be…a cat! Super cat person ako. My first pet, Andeng, is still with me.  Hopefully for more years to come. I only have one pet and she’s super spoiled. She’s a Siamese cat, but she’s an obese Siamese. She thinks she’s a human being kasi uupo siya, sumasagot siya, kaya naaaliw ako.

• My most traumatic experience…has something to do with my brother. There was a time he was diagnosed with multiple organ failure. That was so traumatic na up to now it makes me cry, so minsan nagagamit ko siya panghugot sa mga crying scenes. Many miracles happened at that time. After he was diagnosed, the illness simply disappeared. That was when I started believing in miracles.

• I deal with gossip by…ignoring it na lang. Dedma lang.

• The one thing I can’t do without is…my phone!

• The guy that turns me on is…someone who’s not scared to be cheesy. I’m a hopeless romantic kasi, eh, so I want a guy who gives effort talaga.

• The guy that turns me off…I’m never the type who would fall in love with someone who has a bad-boy image. Never talaga. I always go for the good guys.

• My philosophy in life is…being positive in everything. Always look at the bright side. I think you can turn everything around with what and how you think.

• I lose my temper when…people are late. I’m always on time, eh, like 30 minutes to an hour early.

• When I’m alone in my room, I fantasize about…food! I like food, I like eating out, and I also like cooking and baking. Sometimes, I can’t resist “unhealthy” food, but after that, kailangang mag-gym.

• If I were somebody else…I would be Gigi Hadid. I love her.

• I’m happiest when…all aspects of my life are doing well.

• My ultimate goal is…to be successful in showbiz and to have a very happy and peaceful family.

• What I like most about myself is…I give my 100 percent all the time. I’m the ultimate “career-era.”

• What I don’t like about myself is…I tend to over-analyze things. I always think of possible scenarios in any situation that I am in. But it really helps if you think about positive things.  As an artist, hindi mawawala ‘yung kaba in any performance that I do. So whenever I feel that, I always tell myself to just do your best and God will do the rest. 

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A memorable, ‘flattering’award for John Arcilla

Last week, John Arcilla received what he described as “a most memorable and flattering” award.

He tells all about it in a letter to Funfare.

Dear Ricky,

Last March 8, Camp General Antonio Luna — the Government Arsenal, Department of National Defense in Limay, Bataan, where all the Philippine Ammunition is being Manufactured and Produced — set aside for our Artikulo Uno group a whole day of awarding ceremony and celebration. I think it was the most flattering awarding ceremony I have ever experienced.

We arrived there at 9 a.m. Ms. Amelita Q. Omadto (Superintendent of Administrative Division) and Major Don De Dios brought us to the official board room and read the citation to each of the recipients. They said it is the highest award given by the Government Arsenal, Department of National Defense, and it was the first time they were giving it to non-government officials, because of the mileage scored by our film Heneral Luna and the love for country that it has planted in this generation. They called the General Antonio Statuette Award a “Memento ng Natatanging Producer” for Fernando Ortigas; “Memento ng Natatanging Scriptwriter” for Eduardo Rocha; “Memento ng Natatanging Director” for Jerrold Tarrog and “Memento ng Natatanging Pagganap” for me. 

After breakfast, they escorted us to the Shrine of General Antonio Luna with what is his biggest statue made of solid brass. The military men greeted me with a salute, making me feel as if I was the real Gen. Luna. With Alvin Anson as the representative of Artikulo Uno, we marched up a grand ornamented stairs toward the statue, to the sound of drum roll and serene playing of ceremonial trumpet.

They made me feel like I did a very special act for our country and these officials and employees were honoring us as part of Gen. Luna’s legacy. My tears almost fell. I had mixed emotions of pride of and joy for what Gen. Luna did for our country while I humbly played my part in his legacy. As I looked up at the towering statue, I felt sad about what’s happening in our country today, awed by his bravery and sad about his death in the hands of our fellowmen. Then, the ceremonial soldiers fired their guns in the air. It was so touching.

After the ceremony, we were taken on a tour of the museum and around the camp on board their Antonio Luna Exclusive Bus, on to the arsenal. They showed us how the bullets, guns and ammunitions are being manufactured and packaged. They even let me fire the guns in their firing range. We could have more time at the firing range but I had to leave after lunch for the taping of That’s My Amboy, my GMA show with Andre Paras and Barbie Forteza.

I will treasure that experience all my life.

Sincerely,

JOHN ARCILLA

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