One of the highlights of Pinoy showbiz was
Kuya Germs' arguably biggest contribution to the industry: That's Entertainment—a youth-oriented variety show that turned the likes of Lea Salonga, Janno Gibbs, Judy Ann Santos, Ruffa Gutierrez and Billy Joe Crawford into household names and eventual television and movie mainstays up to today.
One of the more popular teen heartthrobs
during the show's airing, now 38-years old Chuckie Dreyfus, was more reluctant to continue his career post-That's, however. He was
nowhere to be seen nor heard from for more
than a decade, until he reemerged in GMA 7's Survivor Philippines Season 4, with his former love-team partner Isabel Granada.
Today, the thriving music composer and family man is eager to accept acting roles again, as he reminisces on things he's missed the most since he left the welcoming biz:
Of course! Spending most of my childhood and my entire teenage life in showbiz makes acting second nature to me. Being away from it for 15 years makes me long for it greatly.
Spending a great chunk of my life in showbiz has allowed me to forge meaningful (and lasting) friendships with my peers.
Who was the "diva?" The bickering and the conflicts never came from the talents themselves. Most, if not all of the problems, the diva moments and backbiting came from the parents of the talents. Weird but true.
Who was the lousiest dancer? One comes to mind immediately, and I am sure he would agree himself if and when you would ask him—Jovit Moya. He hated dancing as much as dancing probably hated him. He's so out of it even during rehearsals that it actually just became normal for all of us in the group.
We do a ton of travel during tapings and shows, which was actually an awesome perk. Imagine doing what you love most and getting to discover more of the world around you!
And when our (Wednesday) group would win,
sa bahay lang usually ang celebrations. Sometimes, bowling, eat-outs, and out-of-town getaways, once in a while.
Acting is filled with challenges. Shifting from one character to another is a constant challenge. This is one aspect of the job that makes showbiz so exciting.
The countless days and nights of rehearsals every week in preparation for our weekly Saturday production numbers, where in groups (Days) competing against one another was the biggest obstacle. The challenge is in the patience and dedication day in and day out.
The feeling of watching yourself on screen after tirelessly working to complete a project is priceless. It gives you a
sense of accomplishment and fulfillment beyond compare.
In That's, every accomplished performance on a Saturday is very fulfilling. Mainly because of all the blood, sweat, and tears put into every production number.
In movies, I consider my role in Idol—my very first movie, in which I starred alongside Rudy Fernandez—as my most fulfilling work, having won two
Best Child Actor awards for that film
(Metro Manila Film Festival and FAMAS).
Also, a little fun trivia: if memory serves me right, I bought a Transformers toy with my first paycheck!
One day you're acting, next you're singing or hosting or being silly in a game show. Such is the nature of the business. I miss these spontaneous (and constant) shifts.
As with any craft you love doing or anything you know you do well for that matter, giving back and sharing what you know with others mean a lot to me.
So, whatever lessons and skills I've acquired and honed in the past is something I desire to impart to a new generation of actors.
In showbiz, you always learn new things to improve or diversify your craft. I missed the joy and amusement of discovering new things about my craft and absorbing what others know and impart to me.