Andre Yllana (left) and Aiko Melendez
On the first day of shooting for the romantic drama series “The Rain in España,” Andre Yllana received a call from his mother, Aiko Melendez, in the morning.
“It was very early and she was already asking me, ‘O, nandyan ka na ba, anak?’ Kumain ka na ba?’ That’s one of the things she always reminds me—that I have to be punctual, I have to always be on time,” he said at a recent press conference for the 10-part show, which is now available for streaming on Viva Entertainment’s premium streaming platform, Viva One.
The 24-year-old actor described Aiko as a “stage mother.” “But in a good way,” he quickly added.
In fact, he also revealed, his mother once talked him out of doing a kissing scene for a television miniseries last year.
“She thought I wasn’t ready for it yet. So I told her that we can’t just keep declining such offers. But I respected her decision. And looking back, I now feel that it was the right thing to do,” he said. “When I was told about the scene I had to do, I did think that maybe it was too soon. I need to prepare and be more confident.”
‘Never felt embarrassed’
Andre doesn’t mind his mother being overprotective. He’s a proud mama’s boy, he said. “I never felt embarrassed about it. She’s just supportive of me and wants me to stay in the right direction,” he said.
“If other people feel embarrassed about [being seen as a mama’s boy], not me. I’m actually proud of it. Because not everyone has the kind of relationship we have,” he added. INQ