Dustin Yu and Darwin Yu are ‘brothers’ bonded by acting

Dustin Yu and Darwin Yu are Regal Entertainment, Inc. and Virtual Playground talents introduced in the recently-concluded Mano Po Legacy: The Family Fortune on GMA. Dustin played Kenneth Chan, the youngest heir son of Almira Muhlach’s Elizabeth Sy-Chan, while Darwin portrayed the loyal family friend Leo Uy-Evangelista of Barbie Forteza’s Steffy Dy.

For the entire run of the movie franchise’s TV series version, the young actors were able to hold their own in the presence of the veterans like Almira, Barbie, Boots-Anson Roa, Maricel Laxa and Sunshine Cruz.

Sharing the same surname, Dustin and Darwin are not blood brothers, but siblings bonded by acting.

“What’s next for me? Yan po yung aabangan natin (It’s something that we should all look forward to),” answered Darwin when he and Dustin were asked about the follow-up project lined up for them after their promising start, during a virtual small-group interview. “I’m sure na marami pong plano ang Regal Entertainment and Virtual Playground.”

Darwin, like Dustin, was thankful to have flexed his acting muscles in Mano Po Legacy and never had high hopes to be tapped for it since there are good-looking and talented new and regular names around, plus the competition is stiff.

“I didn’t expect that I would be included,” said he. “Dati pinapanood ko yung mga movie nila talaga. Then, I became part of Legacy (the TV series).” Darwin traversed that road from being a franchise fan to becoming a franchise talent.

While waiting for their next assignment, Dustin shared that they would be attending acting training and workshops with coach Angeli Bayani. “Learning never stops,” said he. “Kahit anong roles naman, susubukan ko kasi di ba bago pa lang naman ako, gusto kong i-explore kung saan ako magaling, kung (hanggang) saan ang kaya kong gawin (I will give every role a try since I’m new, and I want to explore acting until I find my niche. I want to know my capacity and limitations).”

As for Darwin, he was sold on the idea of acting in another TV series or a movie. He played the lead in the independent movie, 1st Sem, also starring Lotlot de Leon and Allan Paule in 2016. His performance earned him Best Actor and New Movie Actor of the Year nominations from the Madrid International Film Festival and PMPC Star Awards for Movies, respectively.

“Kaya nakaka-excite ulit gumaya ng movie and mapanood sa big screen,” said he, who also appeared in Boys’ Love series like My Extraordinary and Ben X Jim, and aspires to become a character actor. He added that “challenges keep me going.”

Between the two, it was Dustin who had his baptism of fire and also became more inspired to pursue acting as a craft.

“To be honest, when I got into the Mano Po Legacy (set), as in, I didn’t have any background in acting,” said he, who, through the help of fellow stars and director Ian Loreños, learned the ropes of essaying a character and enjoyed every bit of it.

“We supported each other, and yun yung siguro na naka pag-tulong sa akin sa acting,” added he. “Of course, nagustuhan ko siya kasi (nung) bata pa lang ako gusto ko na (siyang gawin). But I didn’t have the opportunity to start then. With (my stint in) Mano Po (Legacy), I’ve realized that this is something I want to pursue, nag-e-enjoy akong mag-acting talaga, gumawa at mag-portray (ng isang) character.”

Also part of his preparation for the Kenneth character were watching some works of his idol Joshua Garcia, and psyching himself up as a young man, who came to the Philippines after living in the States and was confronted by family problems, said Dustin.

“Magaan silang ka-work, iba kasi sa feeling when you get intimidated by your co-workers,” said he. “We were close to each other and so naka-bawas siya sa kaba ko, sa mga scenes na magkakasama kami, medyo nawala yung kaba. I just read the script and thought that I had to (look the part, the youngest, among the Chan heirs), mag-mukha akong bata na takot na takot. I’ve also learned the importance of studying your character.”

Since he was also surrounded by industry veterans, Dustin had to give his best to keep up with them like Almira, who played mother to his character. “Nakakasabay din ako sa mga ka-eksena ko,” said he. “While she was talking, I listened to her (intently), sobrang nakatulong yun sa akin. So, it’s one of the techniques I’ve also learned. Once na na-feel mo yung kaeksena mo, parang madadala ka rin niya sa gagawin mo.”

Darwin, for his part, had a good time with Barbie and Kate Yalung, whose character Myla Capistrano was another best friend of the actress’ Steffy, swapping stories about work and indie filmmaking, during breaks. “I’ve learned a lot (from them),” said he. “We have commonalities and (Barbie said) she learned how to act naturally (from her indie experiences), mahirap daw kasi talaga. With Kate, I (sensed) her dedication to her work and to her being an actress.” Their rapport came handy in their group scenes.

With their good showing in their first and regular TV series, Dustin and Darwin, brothers bonded by passion for acting, are ready for their next TV acting assignment.