Albie Casiño, Shaira Mae dela Cruz, and Mark Neumann
The Good
At the early age of 16, Mark Philipp Neumann already experienced the hardships of supporting one’s family.
Mark once worked in a shampoo factory when he was still living in England. The half-Filipino, half-Croatian already finished his vocational course in Travel and Tourism in Huddersfield New College in Yorkshire and decided to give back to his family by getting a job.
“When I finished my college degree, nagstart na ako mag-work sa shampoo factory. I worked full time, five times a week, eight hours a day. Bumili ng lupa sa Batangas ang parents ko tapos lumipat sila. Nagpaiwan ako. Sabi ko siyempre since wala pa silang source of income, wala pa silang business, and ako ang breadwinner, I decided to support them. It was a great experience,” says the 19-year-old actor.
Mark was on his own in England for a year. He lived there for four years before coming to the Philippines when he was 17. He rented his own place, cooked, bought groceries, washed his laundry, paid his taxes, and supported his family here in the Philippines.
He never met his biological mother and is now living with his dad and stepmom. He is the youngest in the family of three and also has three half-brothers with his stepmom. Now, his parents have their own business in Germany.
“I love my family. Ako naman ang may gusto na magtrabaho para sa kanila. At kailangan matuto tayong maging masipag,” says Mark.
MARK Neumann used to work in a shampoo factory in England. Now, he’s making it big as an actor here in the country. (green collared inner top and pullover Forever 21; shorts, shoes and belt Penshoppe)
THE TRAVELER
Growing up, Mark and his family often transferred from one place to another. He spent 12 years of his childhood in Germany, stayed in the Philippines for a year, then four years in England, and finally settled down in the Philippines. He got to learn the cultures of these countries and that made him interested in traveling. This also later led him to take up Travel and Tourism, which opened doors for him in travel-related careers in airplanes or cruise ships.
“Palipat-lipat kami ng bansa kaya parang ang dami kong natutunan na kultura and ethnic backgrounds. Kaya gusto ko mag-travel. Before, gusto ko maging flight attendant. Now, it’s more of a backup plan,” he says.
Mark says that from the three countries he’s been to, his favorite place is the Philippines, and he is now getting fluent in speaking Tagalog.
“Na-pick up ko ang basic na Tagalog nung nag-first year high school ako sa Agoncillo College Institute sa Batangas when I was 12. Then I went back to England, I had Filipino friends there. Tapos sa two years na nandito ako, mas lalo akong natuto,” he shares.
Apart from trying out new hobbies like playing the guitar, dancing, and singing, he is also into football and free running.
UNDISCOVERED PASSION
Acting was never in Mark’s mind when he was a child. When his uncle brought him to the Philippines and enrolled him in TV5’s “Artista Academy,” his passion to become a thespian started.
“Nung inuwi ako ng uncle ko dito sa Pilipinas, pina-audition niya ako sa ‘Artista Academy.’ I had no idea what I was signing up for eh, he just said mag-audition ako, magpakita ng talent. Eh hindi naman ako marunong nun kasi before wala naman ako interest sa showbiz. Pero ngayon, nag-eenjoy naman ako,” he says.
Mark is one of the young leads in TV5’s Filipino drama series “Confessions of a Torpe” with Albie Casiño and Shairah Mae dela Cruz. Ogie Alcasid, Gelli de Belen, and Alice Dixson are the main stars of the show.
“Ako si Hanley Kubrick, galing Croatia, pamangkin ni Ogie Alcasid who plays Tito Tupe Matacutin. Ako ang nagmana ng sumpa sa pamilya na katorpehan, so torpe din ako dito,” he says.
This is Mark’s first role as part of the main cast. He was seen in the shows “Lady Next Door” and “Madam Chairman.” He is also part of the “Tropa Mo Ako Unli.” So far, he says that he is enjoying every minute of his two years in the industry. His idols are Joel Torre, Dingdong Dantes and Wendell Ramos.
“I learned a lot at ang daming pagbabago sa akin. I learned how to sing, dance, act, and how to dress up. Pinakagusto ko ang acting, it’s my passion. I am enjoying what I’m doing and exploring every part of it,” he says.
Mark advises aspiring actors to finish their studies first before entering the showbiz industry.
“Masaya maging artista pero mas maganda na unahin ang pag-aaral nila. Tapusin muna nila. ‘Yun ang pinaka-importante. Masaya naman maging artista, pera daw sabi nila, pero sa industry na ito you cannot please everyone so you’ll never know kung sisikat ka o hindi. You should have a back-up plan. Importante pa rin na may pinag-aralan,” ends Mark.
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ALBIE Casiño continues to act because of his fans. (muscle tee and hoodie Forever 21; shorts Penshoppe).
The Bad
Some actors who play bad boy roles always seem to effortlessly carry the reputation outside their work even if the role is far from their real personalities. Antagonists always feel the brunt of hate and loathing from audiences who can’t distinguish the line between reality and make-believe.
For young actor Albie Casino, playing bad boy roles is just a part of his job and it doesn’t mean that he actually bullies defenseless weaklings in his spare time. In fact, he’s just a regular 20-year-old guy who likes to have fun but has a stack of homework to worry about.
Albie currently plays one of the supporting cast in TV5′s “Confessions of a Torpe.” He plays the role of Jack Malaqui, a school bully who likes to have fun at the expense of others.
He says that it’s not the first time he’s playing such a role. In 2012, he played the role of a rebellious teenager in the independent film, “The Animals.” But despite his role, he is having fun with the job especially because of the people he is working with.
“It’s a lot of fun to work here, especially with the new show, it’s a comedy so it’s very light. The people I’m working with are very nice, sina kuya Ogie (Alcasid), kuya Yani (Bayani Agbayani), Jojo (Alejar). It’s all good fun, it’s a lot of positive energy,” he says.
WORK-SCHOOL-GYM
Albie says that his life revolves around work, school, and the gym. The young actor is a sophomore Export Management student at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB). At the same time, he’s doing a lot of serious workouts in the gym.
Juggling school and work is no easy task for a busy actor like him. He didn’t want to stop schooling that’s why he continues to go to school three days a week.
“I’m taking it (school) slow because I’m also working so I can’t have maximum units. I’m going a little bit slower than the rest of my batchmates but it’s okay. For example, ‘Torpe’ tapings are every Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. I have class every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I just work around the class schedule. It’s a perfect fit because CSB gives me the liberty to fix my schedule and TV5 is very open about me having a school schedule so they don’t make conflict,” he reveals.
In terms of gym work, he started getting serious seven months ago. His love for mixed martial arts encouraged him to keep fit. The physical change is obvious; he’s not the same lanky teenager he was back then, but a more buff gym rat.
“I started doing hard (workout), five times a week, seven months ago. Before, I would go two times a week, three times a week, whenever I feel like it. Now, it’s the discipline. The first thing I asked the doctor (on the day of this photo shoot, Albie got into a sport-related accident and injured his right foot) sa hospital, can I still go to the gym, even if I just do upper body. He said yes naman after two days. ‘Yun ang first question ko. Summer na eh, malapit na mag Boracay,” he shares.
Albie says that his busy schedule does not permit him to do more things. His only spare time is spent watching the reality show “The Ultimate Fighter” by the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
This early into his career, Albie is already thinking of a back-up plan just in case acting does not work for him. He plans to go to law school to fulfill that childhood dream of becoming a lawyer.
“I took up Export Management because that’s what my dad does. I thought that I’ll just do that like I have a fallback after acting. If I don’t push through law school, I’ll have something else to do. I really would like to go to law school though. Ever since I was in grade school, I really wanted to be a lawyer. I really want to push that and I hope I can,” he says.
BENEFIT OF ACTING
One thing he likes the most in acting is the fans. Seeing them show their support for him is something he truly treasures.
Actually, show business did not only bring fame and fortune to Albie but has somehow treated a condition he had. Albie used to stutter and had a thick lisp. He says that his directors helped him overcome this.
“Acting improved the way I speak. I stutter and I have a very thick lisp, I still have it now if you notice with the ‘s.’ Pero because of acting, I was able to fix my way of speaking. One of my directors in ‘Mara Clara’ was the one who taught me how to do it. He just kept on telling me to pull back my tongue when I’m saying ‘s.’ It was really bad before. So I just kept on working on it and I still keep on working on it,” he shares.
Albie’s ultimate dream role is a psychopath, a challenging role for any actor. He’s also open to do a gay role.
“I’d like to play a crazy serial killer, given the chance, mga Hannibal Lecter, mga ganun. Bihira kasi siya dito. When was the last time you saw a film like that? If not that, I want to try a gay role. I don’t know if I can do a kissing scene. So no kissing scene but gay role,” he ends.
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SHAIRA Mae dela Cruz hopes that her acting career will help build her parents a house. (Yellow top, blazer, and skirt Forever 21; earrings and bracelets Berry Lush; belt Penshoppe)
The Beautiful
Being able to work with some of the Philippines’ best actors is a reality that young actress Shaira Mae dela Cruz still finds hard to believe. Following the success of TV5’s comedy-drama show ‘Madam Chairman,’ this Artista Academy (AA) talent search alumna is more than thankful that her childhood dream is finally coming true.
Shaira Mae is one of the young stars in the TV5 Tawa-Serye “Confessions of a Torpe,” with Albie Casiño and fellow AA alumnus Mark Neumann. The show airs at 7:30 p.m. every Monday to Friday.
Fresh from AA, she was cast to be part of the Kapatid network’s primetime show starring Jay Manalo, Bayani Agbayani and Sharon Cuneta. Looking back, Shaira Mae says that after seeing the list of her co-actors in the show, she could not help but feel butterflies in her stomach especially because she would play the role of Kakay, the daughter of the titular character Bebeth played by the Mega Star herself.
“Siyempre napressure ako noon pero at the same time excited din naman kasi Sharon Cuneta ‘yun eh. Napressure ako kasi napakagaling niya at nakakatakot magkamali lalo na director namin si Direk Joel Lamangan,” she says.
As the show progressed, she found herself loving her work more and more. And being the daughter of Sharon Cuneta even in a television drama, Shaira Mae could not ask more.
She says, “Sobrang fun as in ang sarap-sarap katrabaho ni Mommy. Sobrang lucky namin at sabi nga namin na parang hindi pa nagsisink in na katrabaho namin si Miss Sharon Cuneta. ‘Yung iba hindi pa siya nakakatrabaho tapos kami instant, siya na agad. Ang sarap sa feeling kasi pag nandyan siya on the set at behind the camera, parang daughter talaga niya ako. Nagkukuwentuhan kami tapos nagbibigay siya ng advice kaya nakakatuwa.”
THE KIKAY GIRL
As a newbie in the business, Shaira Mae admits that she had a hard time adjusting to the work environment, like late night tapings and of course, keeping up with the acting prowess of the more experienced actors. But thanks to the mentorship of her Mommy Sharon, she got her share of acting lessons from the pro.
“Kapag iiyak ka, sabi niya huwag mong ianticipate na iiyak ka, isipin mo na lang kung ano ‘yung mga magpapaiyak sa’yo. Kasi lagi ko siyang sinasabihan na, ‘Mommy, sobrang galing mong umiyak.’ Sabi niya ‘Ano ka ba siyempre matanda na ‘ko marami na ‘kong experience kaya kunin mo lang sa experience,’ she says.
Because of the nature of her character in the show as a fashionista brat who only cares about looking good and being trendy, people wonder if she shares this attribute with Kakay in real life. But Shaira Mae instantly refutes this impression.
“Sobrang complete opposites kami. When I was a kid, parang boyish pa ako noon kasi lahat ng playmates ko ay guys.So nagulat ako na, ‘Oh my God, machachallenge ako dito sa mga pagpapacute at pagpapakikay-kikay.’ Pero habang tumatagal naman nasanay na ako dahil napag-aralan ko na siya at nakuha ko na kaya naging madali na lang,” she says.
But playing Sharon’s daughter proved to be more challenging than she first thought because as the stubborn Kakay, there were times that she has to raise her voice to Bebeth.
“Hindi ko makakalimutan ‘yung kapag nakikipagsagutan ako sa kanya kasi lagi kaming magka-eksena at tuwing magkausap kami sobrang, ‘Ma, ano ba ‘yan? Kadiri ka, ewww!’ As in sobrang away talaga na sigawan, tataasan ko siya ng kilay and then ‘yung mga crying scenes namin na napapa-wow nalang ako. Kasi sobrang galing ni Mommy, parang gripo,” she recalls.
Shaira Mae is making the most of these opportunities to learn from the veteran actors in the industry.
“Ako habang bata pa, I still want to learn kasi alam kong marami pa akong tatahakin at marami pa akong pag-aaralan to be a better actress,” she says.
THE FAMILY GIRL
Amid her busy schedule, Shaira Mae makes her family her top priority. So even when she’s tired from work, she still finds time to bond with her loving ‘support system.’
She says, “Kailangan ‘yun kasi sila ‘yung kasama mo nung nag-uumpisa ka pa lang, sila ‘yung nagpalaki sa iyo at parang in return ng pag-aalaga sa ‘yo ng mommy at daddy mo, dapat kahit sa pagtanda mo hindi mo sila iiwan. Dapat susuportahan mo sila kasi family is family.”
Furthermore, she shares that the real reason for her entering showbiz is not because of selfish ambition but the simple dream of giving her parents a house.
“Gusto ko silang mabigyan ng bahay at maging stable sila. Gusto ko rin na patigilin sa pagtatrabaho (as a seaman) ‘yung dad ko kapag kaya ko na. Twenty years na rin siya nagbabarko so may mga maintenance (medication) na rin siya. So gusto ko ako naman this time ang magtatrabaho para sa kanila,” she says.