Darwin Yu
In 2016, Darwin Yu scored his first career break and lead role in the CineFilipino Festival entry “1st Sem.” The indie movie, which made the rounds of the global festival circuit in the next few years, gave the actor the opportunity to travel abroad. And by the end of the film’s campaign, Darwin had two acting nods—best actor at the 2018 Madrid International Film Festival and new movie of the year at the 2017 Star Awards.
For a moment, he seemed poised for bigger things. After his successful first film, Darwin, now 25, was supposed to be launched as part of a popular talent pool in 2017. That didn’t happen.
“I started out in 2014 as a crowd bit player. My talent fee was about P500. That’s when I realized I wanted to try acting. I took up workshops and auditioned for ‘1st Sem.’ I got the role and played the lead along with Lotlot de Leon. That was my first real acting job,” he told the Inquirer in a recent virtual group interview arranged by his management, Virtual Playground.
“Sometime in 2017, I had an opportunity to establish myself as an actor and become part of a network talent pool. But that didn’t push through. I got a little depressed. And then school work and thesis only made things harder,” he said.
Reintroduction
With nothing much going on in his career, he ventured into other fields like marketing and hospitality. He manned hotel front desks and even did housekeeping.
“I didn’t really know what to do. I wanted to act, but didn’t know how I could come back. There are so many hopefuls out there, more talented, better looking … How do I reintroduce myself,” he said. But with the help of friends and his past handlers, Darwin was able to make his way back in the industry in 2020. They capitalized on the BL (boys’ love) boom in the last two years and played support in three series: “My Extraordinary,” “Oh, Mando!” and “Ben X Jim.”
“I’m thankful to everyone who helped me. I had to juggle work and studies. It was tough. But, thankfully, I pulled through. That experience helped me build character and gave me the courage to not give up,” related Darwin, who has a degree in tourism from the Trinity University of Asia.
In 2021, Darwin starred in the TV5 youth-oriented show “Gen Z.” Later that year, he was cast in the recently concluded GMA 7-Regal Entertainment prime-time soap “Mano Po Legacy: The Family Fortune,” where he worked closely with Barbie Forteza and Kate Yalung. “‘Mano Po’ came last December, so it was the perfect Christmas gift then. Being part of the show was such a great feeling, because I was able to work with young actors and veterans,” Darwin said.
Now that opportunities to star in big drama series are coming in, Darwin is reminded of the things he learned from working with Lotlot in “1st Sem.”
“I know I still have a lot to learn … But remember learning from Ms Lotlot how to act properly and how to interact with my coactors,” he related. “I always want to be prepared for my scenes, so I try to ask for the sequences, scripts the day before the shoot, so I could study them in advance.”
Story above all else
Darwin doesn’t mind if he gets offers to do another BL series, or if he gets paired again with Barbie or Kate in the future. As an actor, he said the story, above anything else, will be the deciding factor.
“I don’t really choose my roles—it’s really the story. I want to be known as a character actor. The challenges that come with it keep me going,” he said.
“I want to explore more, because there are a lot of other actors I want to work with. But if ever I get a proper love team, I will grab that opportunity, of course,” he added.
Right now, Darwin is busy with workshops and trying to improve his craft, because “we’re only as good as our last performance.”
“We have to work harder. And I’m thankful I’m given the chance to undergo workshops with Angeli Bayani. I have worked with her before, so I know I will learn a lot from her,” he said.
Darwin’s acting idols include John Lloyd Cruz, Paulo Avelino, Albert Martinez and Mon Confiado. While these men continue to inspire Darwin, his ultimate dream, he said, is to make a name for himself. “They motivate me to become a good actor. But I hope to make a name for myself—not someone who’s pegged as this or that actor,” he said.