Dingdong welcomes new challenges

DANTES. Intends to give his nonacting side more care and feeding.

EVEN before Dingdong Dantes became the bankable TV-film lead player he is today, we’d heard good things about him from his mentor in film at the Ateneo, Marilou Diaz-Abaya. She said she was impressed with her handsome, young student, because even after an all-night taping session, he would attend her class without taking time off to sleep, and was clearly bent on doing well as a young filmmaker.

Since then, a flourishing stellar career has kept Dingdong from pursuing his dream of making his own movies, but now that he’s 31 years old, he shares that he intends to give his nonacting side more care and feeding this year, to get the maximum psychic satisfaction he can from his multipronged career.

Yes, the money and acclaim he gets from his acting career are great, but the urge to really create rather than merely interpret what somebody else has thought up hasn’t abated.

He’s also open to other new challenges this year, like following up on feelers for an “international” acting career. He has the height, looks and “bones” to make it internationally—so, why not? But, the Philippines will always be his home, both physically and artistically.

Outlook

But, “going international” isn’t only a matter of having the looks and height for it—Dingdong’s entire outlook also has to change, so that he can more credibly portray non-Filipino characters. But, the committed actor says he’s ready to do whatever it takes, so he could make his move in the international arena next year.

That’s because his cup is full for 2012. He’s got a new teleserye, “My Beloved,” with reel and real-life partner, Marian Rivera, about to start telecasting, and a new film project or two in the works, plus occasional hosting stints on TV—certainly more than enough to sustain his career arc as one of the more bankable young-adult leading men in the movies and on TV.

What about doing a play or musical to really stretch his thespic chops? Dingdong confesses to be daunted by the prospect, but that too is a possibility—whenever his schedule can permit it—again, next year?

What about his long-running romance with Marian, will we be hearing wedding bells (ding-dong, ding-dong!) soon? Uh, again, not this year. There’s simply so much to do, career-wise, for both of them, so many new challenges to gear up for.

Summing up our brief chat with Dingdong Dantes: His basic goodness as a person shines through, and so does his determination to do his best for his fans—and to keep himself “psychologically fit” and not complacent with his stardom, by trying to tackle something new, edgy and different, like his unconventional role in “Segunda Mano.”

On the other hand, we feel that he isn’t focused and determined enough. So, at 31, Dingdong needs to really get cracking and push himself up to the next level—if he wants to get a head start on the stellar competition and surpass himself.