SLOWLY carving a niche in showbiz, Andre Yllana dreams of landing a family project — one that would cast him alongside his parents, Aiko Melendez and Jomari Yllana.
Thankfully, his home studio Viva has fulfilled half of that dream. Andre gets to put his acting talent to the test opposite his Quezon City councilor mom in the Viva Movie Box vertical drama “A Mother’s Sacrifice.”
True to its title, it dwells on a mother’s sacrifices in raising a child. Apparently, it has a slice of truth in real life, as Aiko once gave up her career while it was nearing its peak to support Andre single-handedly.
For Andre, that is something to be extremely grateful for. As payback, the young actor has expressed his willingness — without the slightest hesitation — to give his all to make Aiko happy and content: “I’m willing to do anything and everything for my mom as a sign of gratitude!”
What was their first taping day like? Wasn’t Andre excited to have finally seized the chance to do scenes with his award-winning actress mom?
Andre didn’t conceal the fact that he was on pins and needles: “But of course, my mom is an actress to reckon with. That alone made me feel nervous! I could feel the pressure!”
Anybody would assume Andre had his share of foul-ups. Things could have expectedly gone a bit wrong.
“There was this embarrassing moment where I couldn’t deliver a single line. I kept buckling, nabubulol ako (I kept stumbling over my words)! It came to the point that I uttered cuss words because I couldn’t say it well! She reprimanded me. I completely forgot I was beside her!” a mortified Andre recounted.
It was Aiko’s tip that helped Andre learn from that awful experience: “She told me to read the script well, study my line and imbibe the character I was playing.”
The following scenes they did together became a walk in the park. Andre recalled, in particular, a scene where he and Aiko were hauled inside a room: “The set had a good vibe and feel, and it helped me draw the proper emotion needed in that intense scene.”
Having nailed what he thought was a major acting assignment, Andre is looking forward to working with his dad next time — ideally with his mom again. All three of them.
Will Viva fulfill Andre’s ultimate wish soon? Who knows?
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Aiko certainly knows Andre well enough to dispute the impression that her son is fond of girls.
“Truth be told, Andre is no playboy!” Aiko reveals. This gives Andre the chance to exonerate himself: “I’m the outgoing type, not the flirty one. I guess that’s expected of me, being single and out there to explore.”
At this juncture, Aiko looks her son straight in the face: “But you have a love life now, don’t you? C’mon, be honest with me!”
“None, but I’m eyeing someone ...” Andre coyly says.
“Ah, is this the girl you were telling me about? The girl whose name you don’t want me to mention?” Aiko asks her son.
The councilor-actress gives herself some credit for not getting in the way of Andre’s personal life, even when his past girlfriend didn’t sit well with her.
Aren’t moms generally their sons’ worst critics when it comes to girls not to their liking?