Aga Muhlach recalls being down-and-out, looked down upon by actors: ‘Nasa baba ka na, aapakan ka pa’
Aga Muhlach. Image: screengrab from YouTube/Karen Davila
Aga Muhlach looked back on his years in the showbiz industry and revealed that there were fellow actors who treated him unkindly when he was at a low point of his career.
During his and his wife Charlene Gonzalez’s interview with broadcaster Karen Davila, the actor recalled doing his first movie “Bagets” at age 13 and eventually “getting lost” because of the fame.
“Hindi ko alam kung anong mangyayari then [the movie] became so big and I got so lost there. 14 years old solo na ako, nakatira na ako mag-isa and nagre-rent ako ng apartment,” he recounted.
(I did not know what was going to happen, then the movie became so big and I got so lost there. I was already living alone and renting an apartment when I was 14 years old.)
When asked why he left home at an early age, Muhlach admitted, “I just thought this was life already.”
“I thought this was the good life until you learn it [that] fame is different from finances. It does not mean na sikat ka, yayaman ka,” he continued. (Even if you are famous, it does not mean that you will be rich.)
Muhlach disclosed how he then came to a point when he had no money and was being kicked out of his place because he could not pay the bills and rent.
“Bagsak ako that’s why inayos ko ‘yung sarili ko (I was down, so I fixed myself). In 1990, 1991, that’s when I said, ‘No, this is not right,'” he recalled. “I was really down-and-out and there were actors before who would…talagang…grabe (really, it was too much).”
“Inapi ka (Did they mistreat you)?” Davila asked, to which he replied, “Grabe, oo.” (Yes, it was too much.)
While Muhlach opted not to name any specific actors, he said that this experience made him vow to himself that he would never be like those celebrities despite the fame.
“Kaya sabi ko, ‘pag sumikat talaga ako ulit, never kong gagawin ‘yon talaga. Kaya I’ve always been the kindest to any artist na kasama ko—bago, matanda,” he stated. “I learned from that kasi nakita ko ‘yung sakit nung ginawa sa akin ‘yung nasa baba ka na, aapakan ka pa.”
(That was why I told myself that when I rise to fame again, I will never do such. That’s why I have always been the kindest to any artist that I work with, may they be new or older celebrities. I learned from that [experience] because I felt how painful it is to be shoved further when you’re already at your lowest.)
Having been in show business for decades, Muhlach has been part of several films and TV shows including “Oki Doki Doc,” “Basta’t Kasama Kita,” “Kung Ako na Lang Sana” and “Dubai,” among many others.
Meanwhile, Muhlach has been married to Gonzalez since 2001. The couple have twins, namely Atasha and Andres. /ra
