Nothing Beats the Best!
Richard Reyes Faulkerson Jr. (born January 2, 1992) known professionally as Alden Richards, popularly known as ‘Pambansang Bae” he is a Filipino actor, TV host, product endorser, ambassador, entrepreneur, businessman, and recording artist. He was dubbed as the Asia’s Multimedia Star after winning the 2019 Seoul International Drama Award, Asian Star Prize award equivalent to best acting award, held in South Korea. He was once a super hero in a hit teleserye, Victor Magtanggol on GMA7 and his other notable works include Tween Hearts, One True Love, Carmela, The Road, Imagine You and Me, Hello, Love Goodbye and The Gift and also known for his role as Lakan in the reboot series of Encantadia. During the 29th PMPC Star Awards for TV in 2015, Alden won his first Best Actor for his portrayal of Jose Rizal in Illustrado.
As a recording artist, Richards release albums, under Universal Records and GMA Music. His Self-Titled Album reached Platinum status while “Wish I May” reached Diamond status. And 3rd Album “Say It Again” that doing well in record and iTunes sales. But from all of this achievements his so-called “phenomenal television and social media success in the Philippines” was with Eat Bulaga, when he was paired to Maine Mendoza in a Kalyeserye – AlDub.
We conduct an interview for Alden during our photoshoot at Parallax Studio in Makati with the studio owner and Photographer, Wesley Villarica; HMUA and Stylist courtesy of GMA Artist.
– Who is Alden when off-cam?
That’s really hard to answer, but really the people that’s behind me sila yung makakapagsabi nun. Pero basically who am I on-cam is basically who am I off-cam, there’s no difference naman pero sobrang hilig ko lang maglaro ng online games, that’s one and sobrang makulit. Well im just your typical guy.
– Can you describe your younger self?
Careless, happy go lucky and siguro hindi driven, without a purpose.
– What is something you have always wanted but have not done yet?
Well siguro yung being independent because my current occupation really needs a lot of manpower behind my back. So I’m really looking forward to manage my life independently soon.
– Food that you absolutely hate?
Menudo.
– Guilty Pleasures?
Playing online games and spending quite a handful of money on it.
– When you were younger, have you ever thought of being an actor?
No, I was brought up from a family of business oriented people pero employees, we don’t really own businesses before. The way I envision myself, I really want to be like my dad before na Marketing Manager of a hotel in Laguna then eventually it turned out that I wanted to be a pilot pala but we don’t have the resources to comply with that dream.
– Before you became an actor, you joined pageants. When did this all start?
It all started when I was in my 2nd year in Paco Catholic School when my adviser encouraged me that I can join pageants because I really had no self-esteem, I was insecure and I’ve always taught of that there a lot more people better than me. So hindi ko talaga siya kinonsider pero that push changed my life.
– For those times you’ve auditioned and were rejected, did you ever consider quitting?
Yes ofcourse. Mas marami talaga yung rejections and there will be a point in your lifetime na parang you’ll feel stupid already because I’ve been trying a lot of times yet I’m failing. But ako kasi when I considered failing or when I consider to let go of the actor mindset or the actor’s dream, hinila ako pabalik. So that’s it, if it’s for you it’s really for you, no matter how hard the circumstance is, no matter how hard yung pagdaanan mo to get there.
– Who pursued you in joining showbiz?
It’s my mom talaga, she wanted this for me and after she passed on I just pushed myself that I’m gonna do this for my mom, I’m gonna do this for her legacy, parang in a way hindi naman nasayang yung buhay niya sa mundong ito.
– What’s the challenging part of being an artist?
Well in all aspects of life parang everything should always be improved. So as an artist you have to be always open for improvement, hindi mo pwedeng sabihin na magaling na ko sa ganito, Im already good, I don’t wanna work on it kasi this is already acceptable.
– Can you share us your memorable experience on being part of the Dabarkads?
So the first time I joined Eat Bulaga was way back 2015, since then my life really drastically changed. Being part of a family that’s been there for the longest time, that’s the longest running noontime show and going to the show everyday, I mean yung opportunity to be part of the hosts and sila Tito, Vic and Joey tandem is really an opportunity of a lifetime na no one can forget. I mean once a darbarkads, always a dabarkads.
– It’s your first time working with Star Cinema. How was it working with Kathryn Bernadro and Direk Cathy Garcia Molina?
It’s also one for the books. I will never forget this experience, it taught me a lot in terms of being an actor and a person, and doing more for the craft than what I already know, there’s more to it and these people helped me especially Direk Cathy pushed me certain limits that I’ve never been before, made me feel things I never felt before so I’m really thankful to her and I just really hope that this will not be the last movie we’re gonna be working together.
– Other than singing and acting, you’re also an ententrepreneur. Tell us more about your restaurant, Concha’s Garden café.
Concha’s is ofcourse my first business venture and I’m really happy with how our restaurant is performing right now, we already have 5 branches in a span of 3 years and I’m really blessed and talagang sobrang ganda ng opportunity na binigay sakin dito because I really have a great partner and we really have a lot of plans like to be known all over the Philippines and all over the world. Because we really have great food and the costumers can attest to that.
– How do you manage your time being an actor and at the same time handling your businesses?
It’s really difficult because in real life you really have to choose one, it’s either you be an actor full time or you’ll be a businessman. So the key to do doing both is creating a core group, your core people. Meaning, the one’s that you really trust, the one’s that will really help you and hindi mo siya magagawa overnight. It’s really a matter of fears before you’re able to construct a core group for yourself. Well that includes family and of course the closest people to you, your friends you have to really build it so that you’ll be able to handle both and you can be a businessman and an actor at the same time. So that’s the secret for me
– For all of your success, what more do you want to achieve?
There’s always more in life. Success is not really determined by the material things, yung mga physicality’s of this world I don’t really determing success as that. There are so many types of successes but really it’s more of improving yourself. Doing more, exploring new things, teaching you thing, inspiring people and reaching out as far as you can. I mean make that dream your fuel to go on life and to really achieve more of what you like to do and what you really like to do, but first it must be clear what do you really want in this lifetime.
– What’s your mantra in life?
Be good and be nice to everyone, that’s the thing my grandma and my parents told me. Kasi talent, it doesen’t matter how good you are, it doesen’t matter how smart you are or how good looking, how pretty, how sexy you are but it’s really about being good, the goodness in you that will make you remembered by people hindi yung kung ano yung nagawa mo it’s really the attitude kasi all of those things they will perish at one point but the goodness will remain and that’s gonna be an eternal imprint to the people that crossed your life in your existence.
– Do you have message to your fans or supporters and readers of magazine?
Well I’m really just thankful to them and I always say this and paulit ulit ko talagang sasabihin na if not for the fans there will be no artist, there will be no actors or celebrities, wala kami. So it’s all thanks to them, to their support. Kung meron man mas mahirap na trabaho dito sila yun they line up with the shows as early as possible and they support all of your endeavors from the smallest magazine launch to your albums, to your concerts. I mean basically parang half of my career I really owe it to the fans kasi sila yung nagdala sakin dito and I’d like to say that out loud kasi sila talaga yung naging susi to reach my dreams and as much as I inspire them, they inspire me to even pursure further para sakanila so I’m just so thankful.
Truly- Nothing Beats The Best!
In spite of his very busy schedule and being one of the most popular and bankable actor in the Philippines. Alden is also a Philanthropy, in 2014 he became an Ambassador for Habitat for Humanity. He celebrated his birthday last January 2015 by building homes alongside other volunteers and families involved with a non-profit organization in Payatas, Quezon City and other good samaritan deeds. He was chosen as an Ambassador of Bida Solusyon, an informative campaign formed by the Department of Health about the health protocols in preventing the spread of COVID-19. He is also the ambassador for the Philippines of End Tuberculosis, a campaign formed by the USAID. So it’s really nothing can beat the best like Alden Richards, his hardship before what he is right now is a very inspiring and something to look up with.
Article: Angela Magat
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