TV5 heartthrob is not rattled by sexy young mama in new show

MARK Neumann, who worked as a newspaper boy, is now an Inquirer Read-Along ambassador.
ROMY HOMILLADA

Mark Neumann, a graduate of the TV5 talent search “Artista Academy,” attended not just acting classes, but also took baking lessons for his new show, the Filipino version of the hit Koreanovela “Baker King” (original title: “King of Baking, Kim Takgu”).

“With my costars, I took baking classes under Master Jun Florendo of Nothing But C School of Baking and Cake Decorating in Marikina,” he recalls. “Now, I know how to make pan de monay, pan de coco, pan de sal and Spanish bread. Mine was the best in our class.”

He hopes to learn how to bake cakes and cookies, too.

He knows well the plight of the working man. He worked as a newspaper boy and warehouse cleaner in London.

Mark, who was born and raised in Germany, worked for four years in the United Kingdom before local show biz beckoned in 2012.

Binge-watcher

To prepare for the role, he also binge-watched the original South Korean soap opera.

“I am almost finished watching all the episodes,” he relates. “When the Koreanovela was first shown in the Philippines (in 2011), I must have been abroad.”

At first, he felt nervous when he bagged the part.

“There is pressure because it was a popular show all over Asia,” he explains. “But I also look at it as a challenge. When I saw the DVDs, I was impressed by the Korean actors. They inspire me to be just as good.”

He is not daunted that sexy actress Diana Zubiri plays his mother in the soap.

There’s no danger of an Oedipal complication on the set.

“That would be incest,” Mark quips. “It’s my first time to have a young mom in a show. I don’t know how to describe my feelings. Wow!”

That she was often featured as among the sexiest Filipino stars in men’s magazines never crossed his mind. “I am just honored to work with some of the best actors in the industry. I know I will learn a lot from them.”

Playing his dad in the show is Raymond Bagatsing, while Joonee Gamboa portrays his mentor. Also in the cast are Ian de Leon, Akihiro Blanco and Shaira Mae.

Speaking of mentoring, Mark recently signed up as one of the Inquirer Read-Along ambassadors.

Mark read for children twice already. “First time was at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and the second time was in a Bulacan school,” he recounts.

He thoroughly enjoyed his sessions with the kids. “I try to make my time with the children as fun and animated as possible,” he relates. “I would act out scenes and move around a lot. At the CCP, I even rolled on the floor for them.”

Love for reading

He believes in the campaign’s advocacy of inculcating the love for reading in young people.

“Reading is an important part of learning,” he points out. “You have to know how to read in order to master other subjects in school. It is personally fulfilling to entertain children by reading to them. I realized that it could also be enjoyable.”

It likewise helps Mark polish his Filipino.

“It benefits me, too,” he owns up. “I become more proficient in speaking Filipino.”

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