Aicelle Santos
Aicelle Santos’ career has been what she described as “a series of unexpected blessings,” so far.
She has always wanted to sing, that much she knew. But venturing into theater and television? She couldn’t be more grateful for taking that leap, however, because doing so had given her a deeper understanding of her craft.
“I’m a better person and artist now because of theater. When I was starting in show biz, my singing was superficial—I cared only about how high I could belt, or how smoothly I could do a run. But after doing musicals, I learned that singing is not just about sounding good—it’s also about telling a story,” she told the Inquirer at a press conference for GMA 7’s coming afternoon soap, “Impostora.”
Sense of discipline
The 32-year-old recording artist, who has starred in such productions as “Katy!” and “Rak of Aegis,” also pointed out that theater has instilled in her a sense of discipline she didn’t use to have.
“When you are surrounded by hardworking and passionate people, you cannot help but be inspired,” she said.
And in contrast to the glitz that show biz provides, theater pulls one’s feet firmly on the ground.
“You value humility. There isn’t much money there, but still, everyone gives his or her all to mount a show. And once you’re onstage, the fulfillment you get is truly priceless,” she said.
A finalist in the second season of the singing competition “Pinoy Pop Superstar,” Aicelle began trying out for roles upon the encouragement of her friend and fellow stage actor Gian Magdangal.
Her sister being diagnosed with cancer a couple of years back was also a crucial motivating factor: It compelled Aicelle to seek other types of work, so she could help her family financially; and made her realize that life is fleeting and not to be wasted.
“I felt the need to do more and expand my horizons,” she recalled.
“Katy!” was Aicelle’s first acting job. Without any prior acting experience, she depended on the guidance of her vastly more experienced peers, such as theater actress Isay Alvarez and director and Inquirer Entertainment columnist Nestor U. Torre.
Spoon-fed
“I knew nothing, so I was spoon-fed by Sir Nestor, who taught me how to act out my lines, vary intonations or determine which words to emphasize,” Aicelle related. “Si Sir Nestor ’yan, may pagka-terror ’yan, so manginig ka na! But the love he showed me was invaluable. I learned a lot from him.”
When Aicelle’s bosses at GMA 7 saw that she could act, she started getting more offers to do soaps, too, like “Impostora,” where she plays Deedee, the confidante of lead star Kris Bernal’s character, Nimfa.
“Theater opened more doors for me. It’s heartening to know that I do not have to be boxed in a certain category, and that I can excel in other fields, as well,” she said.
Aicelle said she would take advantage of other opportunities that would come her way: “A lot of things in my life and career were unplanned. So I would just go with the flow and see where it takes me.”