Gerald Anderson has always had that undeniable charm of a true matinee idol—mysterious and versatile. He's always kept a good part of his personal life private, and that air of mystery only adds to his appeal.
But sometimes we wish we could get to know him a little more beyond the spotlight. In this edition of Kapamilya Chat's "Drink It" Challenge, we finally got that chance as he tackled revealing questions that showed a more candid side of him. And in that one instance where he struggled to answer, Gerald brought out his fun side by going for a mystery drink.
Things got intense right off the bat, with the first question he picked prompting him to name the actor he’d be scared to work with, and he thought of Charo Santos. Not that he's intimidated; in fact, he knows deep down that she’s the kind of icon who would push him to bring out his very best. It's just that the idea of sharing a project with someone of her caliber is naturally nerve-wracking, but he'd still be game if ever the opportunity comes. Gerald added that he admires how she remains so passionate about her craft despite everything she’s already proven in the industry.
Gerald paused for a bit when asked about his favorite artists he’s worked with, and said it would tough to choose since he’s been lucky enough to work with so many amazing people over the years. Among those he mentioned was Janice de Belen, who played his mom in "Budoy" and who left such a strong impression on him that he said he’d love to work with her again. He also named Christopher de Leon, who played his dad in “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” that first movie he top-billed with Sarah Geronimo; and of course his good friend Jake Cuenca, whom he described as "super exciting to work with." He's also having the best time working with his co-stars in "Sins of the Father" like Jessy Mendiola, Shaina Magdayao, and RK Bagatsing.
And when asked who he least liked working with, Gerald just laughed it off and teased his friend fellow "Sins of the Father" cast member Elyson de Dios, joking that Elyson is such a distracting co-actor. But since he couldn’t think of an actual serious answer, everyone in the studio started chanting “Shot! Shot!” and Gerald, being such a sport about it, went for it and picked one of the mystery drinks, which thankfully turned out to be just soft drinks.
Gerald "Dyesebel" as to the project he liked the least. But not because he didn’t like the show itself, "I just wish we had more time para gawin kasi medyo nagmamadali kami no'n eh. 'Di ba, it's a fantaserye, so sana mas may time lang kami. But siyempre, sa trabaho natin minsan laging nagmamadali." He continued, "If we had more time, I'm sure it would have been a better project."
And in a more vulnerable moment, Gerald opened up about one thing he’s learned about love—that no matter how many ups and downs there are, if it’s real, it’s always worth fighting for. As he puts it, "Fight for your love."
When Gerald was asked about the worst comment he’s ever read about himself online, he said there have been so many through the years that he’s kind of lost count, and some have even crossed the line to being threatening. But as much as possible, he tries to take something constructive out of the negativity. "I cannot accept puro papuri lang o good review. Kaya ko naman tanggapin both sides, kasi kung hindi, baka lumaki lang ulo ko," expressed Gerald.
So just how much pressure comes with being Gerald Anderson? Well, for him, pressure is a privilege because it only means that people expect something good from him, and that’s actually a positive thing for Gerald, "Kasi kung walang ine-expect sa'yo then you're not a very important person o wala kang ambag."
Gerald also shared that for him, the most important quality any artist should have is "pakikisama" or knowing how to get along with people, and always be prepared on set. And while he gives tips or advice when a co-actor asks for it, he doesn’t offer it on his own because he believes that what works for him might not necessarily work for someone else.
Catch Gerald as Samuel Trinidad in "Sins of the Father," airing weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, TV5, A2Z and iWant.