Young comers are poised to go the distance

IÑIGO Pascual and Piolo

“Papa” Piolo Pascual didn’t want his teenage son Iñigo Pascual to “go show biz” quite so soon but there’s no stopping the cool, young newcomer now, as his first film, “Relaks, It’s Just Pag-ibig,” is poised to start its theater run on Wednesday. Will Iñigo pass muster as a teen heartthrob?

The signs are promising because the teen “dramedy” is generating a lot of excitement and goodwill. For one thing, its title is so “right” for its teen story—and market.

We presume that its other young stars deserve the break they’re getting but it’s Iñigo who’s getting the lion’s share of the attention at this stage before the movie is actually shown and seen, due to his “show biz royalty” roots and genes.

But does he have anything else working in his favor? In terms of looks, he isn’t as handsome as his dad, but there’s “something” about his “frisky as a puppy” on-screen registry that is endearingly appealing.

And, as his few TV outings have indicated, he can sing quite well, again in his own way—so things are looking up!

Of course, the proof of the pudding is in the eating so we’ll have to watch the finished film to definitively find out if Iñigo really has what it takes—not just to become a teen star, but to go the distance in show biz, not as his papa’s scion, but as himself.

Other young people trying to make it in the biz these days include the young stars in the early-evening teleserye “Pure Love.” With the series finally about to wrap up its storytelling, it’s clear that its big winner in terms of stellar career advancement is Yen Santos, as Isabel. She scores points over the self-conscious Alex Gonzaga because she’s more natural, believable and “internal,” while Alex is “effect”-oriented and all over the place.

The series has also been a good move for Sunshine Cruz, who makes her acting comeback in it after her marriage to Cesar Montano haplessly ended up on the rocks.

Even better, Sunshine may be playing a mother role in “Pure Love” but she still looks relatively fresh and vital enough for other producers to consider her for a wide range of roles next season.

Plum role

On “Ilustrado,” the big break has gone to Alden Richards in the plum role of Jose Rizal, but it’s sadly turned out to be an injudicious case of miscasting, with tisoy actor coming across as oh, not so physically right in his portrayal of our national hero.

Talk about a big break gone wrong, this is it.

On “Hiram na Alaala,” the lead player experiencing problems is Kris Bernal, who’s cast as the series’ female protagonist. She does her utmost best but it soon becomes obvious that she’s too slight in form, intensity and “passion” for the character she’s assigned to portray.

Yes, the TV medium’s closeups can compensate for some of those limitations, but not all of them. So, her portrayal, earnest though it may be, still leaves viewers wanting more, much more.