No culture clash between Benjamin and new girlfriend

Benjamin Alves (left) and girlfriend Chelsea Robato

Benjamin Alves is on cloud nine. He has found his perfect match in Chelsea Robato. The Chinese stunner is a businesswoman, real estate broker and content creator. It’s been three months since they became a couple. From the looks of it, Benjamin and Chelsea are on the way to their “happy ever after.”

Here’s my chat with Benjamin:

What makes your relationship with Chelsea work? We met at the right time. We want the same things in life and know where we want to take our relationship.

Don’t you and Chelsea have culture clash, since she’s Chinese? No culture clash at all. We both grew up in Guam. We were actually neighbors as kids, but we didn’t know this, only our parents did (laughs).

What’s the craziest experience you had? Chelsea and I went to Tokyo last month. That was spontaneous: I suddenly got packed up for taping, so we decided to go out of town. First Baguio, then La Union, then Tagaytay. Eight hours later, we were in Tokyo!

What’s your dream role? Not a dream role per se, but I do want to film outside the Philippines, like Japan or America.

What turns you into a fanboy? When people can talk about their passion. My favorite pastime is listening to round-table discussions of other actors and directors (on Hollywood Reporter YouTube). It’s nice to discover their thought processes, or why they make certain decisions. Even production design and lighting, I’ve come to appreciate other aspects of this craft, as well.

What are changes you want to see in the biz? I think the changes are already happening. The thematic palette locally is changing, as far as being more open to new and riskier storylines, probably an influence of Netflix and other ways to consume stories.

What makes you stay put in GMA 7? It has always allowed me to grow, as an artist and as a person. The Kapuso network is my home.

What was a life-changing moment for you? When my dad passed away last year. He was well-loved, and I’ve spent most of the year trying to be more like him. He’s my hero. I can still hear his laugh. And I wish he was still around. I only hope he is proud of me.

I’ve also come to fully appreciate that our time here is finite; to make the most of it, we have to surround ourselves with the people we love. Tomorrow is never a guarantee.