Gerald Anderson on wanting to play ‘superhero with a twist,’ reuniting ‘Kimerald’

Now that he has achieved his dream of building a good home for his mother, actor Gerald Anderson said he has moved on to accomplish another goal: To give her more of his time.

“I won’t deny that there was a point in my career when I seriously questioned why I was doing all these things. ‘Are they all worth it?’ I asked. Oftentimes, if a person is going through something behind the cameras, even his loved ones and the people around him get affected. This is why, more than anything, I choose to just count my blessings and be grateful for all the opportunities given to me,” he told Inquirer Entertainment shortly after he renewed his talent management agreement with ABS-CBN.

“I would always try to remember the reason I entered the business (by joining the reality talent search ‘Pinoy Big Brother’). I wanted to build a house for my mom. I didn’t grow up in a rich family, although I can’t say we were poor. My parents worked hard to provide for us. Everything we have now, we worked hard to achieve,” the 34-year-old actor pointed out.

“Now, I want to give them my time. When I accept offers to go abroad for work, I bring along either my mom or dad. When I shot a movie in Switzerland, I was with my dad. It’s normal for our parents to want to spend more time with us. I understand that,” he added.

Gerald said another reason that kept him from quitting show biz was that he was able to channel his energy to other interests. The actor currently owns a commercial gym, a beach resort and a restaurant. “I get myself involved in these things not because I plan to quit acting. I consider them a diversion. If I want to relax or just take my mind away from my main line of work, I focus my attention to them. They also remind me that there’s life outside show biz, that I can still take care of my family if I decide to stop acting. However, I make sure they don’t take me away from my passion, from my craft,” he explained.

When asked what kind of project he dreams of doing in the near future, Gerald said he has nothing specific in mind, but he’d like to work on something that inspires his followers. “It’s not really about the role, but the message of the show, just like ‘Budoy,’ ‘A Soldier’s Heart,’ ‘Tayong Dalawa’ and even ‘A Family Affair,’ which is all about sibling rivalry but the message of the show is that love has to prevail over everything else. I know that if a project I’m doing has a positive effect, people tell me they’re inspired by it,” he pointed out.

Superhero ‘with a twist’

Gerald said he would also like to play a superhero, “But with a twist.” He explained: “He could be a superhero who isn’t necessarily good, an antihero.” “Like Venom?” we asked. “Yeah. Someone who may have done mistakes in the past. This humanizes the character.”

The actor said he is also open to do collaborations, especially since ABS-CBN talents are now able to appear on its former rival channel, GMA 7. In fact, he has just participated in the Kapuso-network produced game show “Family Feud.” Prior to that, he starred in the romantic drama “Unravel,” opposite Kapuso talent Kylie Padilla.

“I got to speak with Dingdong (Dantes) while guesting on the show. Maybe we can work on a project together someday. I would also like to work with Dennis (Trillo) or Alden (Richards). There are so many possible projects, and they don’t have to always be with a leading lady,” he pointed out, successfully avoiding potential intriguing questions from the media, especially because his two ex-girlfriends, Bea Alonzo and Maja Salvador, are now appearing on GMA 7.

Politics?

What Gerald said he would rather not do, today or in the near future, is join politics, even though he admitted that he has had offers from politicians to join their parties. “I’m OK where I am. Through Star Magic, as well as by being a celebrity, I’m able to help others, like the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and other related departments of government,” he began.

Gerald is currently an auxiliary commander of the PCG’s K9 Support Squadron.

“To me, politics is a totally different world. I really need to study before I even consider it. It’s not an easy profession because that’s where power is. That’s where you can really help, because you get to make the decisions for the people you work for. Right now, I’m happy doing my thing as an actor,” he stressed.

Doubts

He then recalled the time he first joined the industry in 2006 through the first “PBB Teen Edition,” where he placed third. His first teleserye was “Sana Maulit Mulit” with Kim Chiu as onscreen partner. “While working on the series three times a week, MWF, we also had to shoot a movie, ‘First Day High,’ every TTHS, and had to appear on ‘ASAP’ every Sunday. I was just 17 and had no idea what I was doing. I would just go with the flow. There was one time, I went behind the building where we were rehearsing for ‘ASAP’ and cried. I really broke down,” he recalled.

“I guess it was out of frustration. I didn’t think I was good enough to be an actor. I was tired, because we also had to shoot commercials in between. I had to ask myself why I was there, why I joined PBB,” said Gerald. “I chose to compete because I wanted to help my mom—that’s what was in my mind. Since then, no matter how tired I was—there were times when we would just go home to shower and head back to work—I would remind myself that I have to carry on, to work hard, to fight. Tuloy lang.”

He was then asked whether he would be seen in a project with Kim soon, for the sake of loyal Kimerald fans. “Let’s ask Ate Portia (Dimla, his handler from Star Magic) if there’s something new,” Gerald said, laughing. “Kim has a new show, ‘Linlang.’ They said a very different Kim can be seen in the series. I’m happy for her. Between us, she is really the hard worker—that’s the perfect word for her. She’s a fighter. The success that she is experiencing with this show, she deserves it. I just can’t say if we’d be working together again. We would still need to talk about this.”