Luis Alandy
Mention show business and notions of glamour and prestige come to mind. While this is true, attaining success in this cutthroat industry takes more than having a pretty face.
Kapuso star Luis Alandy epitomizes that often-ignored facet. Now don’t get us wrong. This 34-year-old actor possesses youthful, boy-next-door looks and a chiseled physique that
holds 16 years of experience.
Couple that with a playful charm and quick wit, and it is easy to see why he has lasted in the business.
But as Luis intimated in his talk with Cebu’s entertainment press in a recent visit to promote the teledrama “Innamorata” (which he topbills with Max Collins), the formula for enduring success in show business can’t be culled from a book. It is earned from toiling in the wee hours of the morning on sets all across the nation.
Whether Luis is in the lead or merely a supporting character, he never fails to leave his mark with his sharp acting and professionalism.
Read up and learn from one who has chosen to make acting not just a profession, but a career.
What’s the state of your career, especially now that you’re a Kapuso?
Thankful ako that I was given a nice project in “Innamorata.” Coming from playing a dad in “Binoy Henyo,” dito naman bagets. They’re leaning me towards the younger generation. Pinapabata nila ako. (laughs)
What’s the age gap between you and Max Collins?
Max is 21 and I am 18 so lamang siya ng three years. (laughs) I’m 34, so 13 years.
Max told us that you’re a joy to work with because you light up the room.
We shoot every other day, so every time I go to work, I make it a point na magaan lang talaga ang vibe. I want to go to work not feeling like you’re working. Even if mabibigat yung eksena, I try to crack jokes to lighten up the mood and then focus on the scene. With Max naman, she’s been a revelation to me because I’ve only seen her work a few times. Dito talaga, her characterization of Esperanza blew me away… to see the kind of dedication she has for her work.
What’s your secret to lasting long in this industry?
A part of it is being professional at work, and enjoying it. Kapag nasa showbiz ka kasi, you get scrutinized a lot. Every bad move you make is magnified. During my early years, it helped that I didn’t get dragged into intrigues. For me kasi, the less people know about your personal life, the less intrigued they get about who you are. People will focus more on what you do rather than who you are as a person.
Do you make it a point to separate your personal life from the profession?
Yes. When I was starting, that’s what my parents told me talaga. Kasi if you get attacked personally, siyempre maaapektuhan din ang pamilya. Hindi naman sila showbiz. Ako lang talaga ang makapal ang mukha na nag-showbiz. (laughs)
Does that mean that you are not as active on social media as most actors often are?
I am. I post updates on Instagram but di naman yung maya’t-maya.
Do you already feel accomplished in the business?
Not really. With every year kasi that passes, I feel like I need to prove something. I don’t feel contented. That’s the last thing that I want to feel. I don’t want to be complacent in my career. Each role is different. Each character is different. Siyempre, the stories are different. Parang nag-aaral ka na rin sa industriya na ito. You watch a lot of movies. You read scripts, and study different characters. ‘Yun kasi ang trabaho namin.
Is there a role that you’d like to portray someday?
A lot. Before this show started, they asked me kasi what role would challenge me, and sabi ko, one with a physical disability. So they gave me this role which started off with me being blind. That lasted for a week, but I studied the role for a month. (laughs) Ang hirap kasi mag-practice na bulag. They’re not sensitive to light. You have to pretend that you’re not seeing anything. It really was a challenge.
To what do you attribute your longevity in showbiz?
My good looks? (laughs) I think it’s because of work ethics. When I was starting, I was lucky to have worked with good directors who were really disciplinarians. Sila Chito Rono, Joel Lamangan, Wenn Deramas, Maryo delos Reyes. When I did my first soaps in ABS-CBN, I was directed by Rory Quintos. These are really disciplinarian directors. I was lucky to have worked with them because they taught me a lot about this line of work. Ayaw nila ng tardiness. They want you to come to the set prepared and to know the script and your story. It molded me to have good work ethics. Of course, andyan na rin yung respect not only for your co-actors but lahat sa workplace.
What’s the one thing that you did not know before entering this business?
I thought it would be very easy. I auditioned in 1997. Fresh grad pa ako from high school. It wasn’t a planned career. It was my cousin who wanted to audition pero sumama ako for fun. We were looking for something to do. And then I got in. At first, I thought being in showbiz was easy. But I learned quickly that it’s far from that. For many actors like us, it didn’t last long. For some, it came easy. But it wasn’t like that for me. It was a constant struggle. There were times when I didn’t want to do it anymore. I tended to lose focus before. Even if I did well in certain series, meron pa rin talagang dumadating na mga bagong ators.
But that helped me also, because I wanted to prove to myself that this is a career for me.
How long do you see yourself doing this? Don’t you see yourself transitioning to another aspect of showbiz such as directing?
As long as there are roles to do and there are good stories to tell, I don’t mind doing character roles naman kasi eh. I’ve been dreaming of going into directing and if I won’t have any shows that would occupy my time, I would venture into that.
How have you been preparing for this?
I was supposed to take classes but I did “Binoy Henyo.” And then I did several movies, so I think being observant of the directors that I’ve worked with does a lot. I talk to them and ask questions. Nakukulitan na nga minsan eh. (laughs)
Is there a local director that you particularly like?
I like working with Adolf Alix. He made me realize that I wanted to be a director as well. He’s someone that I want to collaborate with and learn from. He told me to attend seminars and learn as much as I can.