Andrew Gan
Actor Andrew Gan admitted that he is now slowly picking up the pieces after he was forced to close down the wellness spa he put up only three months before the pandemic lockdown was first enforced last year.
“I had to lock it up for a year while I continue to pay for the lease of the business space and the apartment I rented for my staff. Abono talaga,” he recalled. “That was really tough because I also had no work as an actor since even filming and tapings for TV shows were temporarily stopped.”
Andrew, who appeared in film projects like “Etiquette for Mistresses,” “Just the Way You Are,” and “Ang Henerasyong Sumuko sa Love,” never lost faith. He pointed out: “I believe that things happen for a reason. You just have to search deep within you to understand why they are happening to you. They say that what’s going on right now is all about redirecting. Our fate is being redirected in order to lead us to what good place we’re supposed to end up in. I’m sure God will take good care of us as we go through our individual journeys.”
If there’s anything that changed in him as a result of the pandemic, Andrew said it has strengthened his faith. “I went through a lot of challenges be it as an actor or as a businessman. As an individual, I was also forced to grow up fast emotionally. I felt a different kind of anxiety, especially during the early part of 2020. It didn’t help that we were also forced to stay at home so as not to contribute to the spread of the virus,” he recalled.
“When things get tough, I just pray. This makes me feel better, this uplifts my spirit. I can also say that I consider myself lucky because I wake up every day because the people around me—my family and friends—are all healthy,” Andrew pointed out.
Appreciate
Andrew said his current situation also helped him appreciate the small stuff. “Compared to before when we had a lot of things going on in our lives outside our homes, we now feel grateful that we are able to spend more time with family. The simple act of us having dinner together cheers me up because I know that other people don’t always have that opportunity. Small things matter more to me now,” he said.
When it comes to his show biz career, Andrew said, “I leave it all up to Him. You see, there are things that we can’t control and we will only feel stressed and anxious if we fuss over them. Just pray, but when you’re finally given the opportunity, you also need to deliver. Do your part and have faith.”
This was why when the opportunity to star in the boys’ love (BL) series “Limited Edition” came, Andrew said he really gave his all. He plays Jethro opposite Jomari Angeles, who plays Mario, in the series directed by Jill Singson Urdaneta. Ron Angeles completes the love triangle story arc as Arnold.
“I agreed to be part of the project because I was impressed with the story. While Jomari and I have intimate scenes here, the series is not all about showing skin. ‘Limited Edition’ is more focused on showing how two people of the same gender fall in love, get heartbroken and heal from their pain,” he explained. “And even though people say the market is already saturated with BL stories, I can confidently say that this is something different. Most of the BL projects that came out in 2020 merely tackle ‘coming out.’ This one has a new flavor.”
Not instantly
Andrew said the difficult part about doing the project was how to create rapport with Jomari. “I admit that there was awkwardness between us in the beginning. You have to understand that we’re both doing this for the first time—playing a character who falls in love with a person of the same gender,” he explained. “The rapport we had wasn’t built instantly, to be honest. It happened gradually while the shoot was ongoing. The awkwardness was finally gone after we got to shoot our intimate scene. That’s when we started to loosen up.”
“Limited Edition is produced by famous shoe designer Jojo Bragais with Michelle Jhoie Ferraris as coproducer. Other cast members are Donna Cariaga, Iyah Mina, Yayo Aguila, Ruby Ruiz, Anton Arceo, Aaron Concepcion, Celine Dorado and Luke Hembling. It started streaming on Oct. 2, 8 p.m. on BRAGAIS TV. INQ