March 3 ------ Miguel Tanfelix first caught the public’s attention when he was a cute-as-a-button five-year-old who joined “StarStruck Kids” in 2004 and was later crowned its First Prince. Since then, he has captivated us in quite a few memorable shows, playing the young Pagaspas in “Mulawin” (2004), essaying the title role of the mentally-challenged Niño in the teleserye “Niño” (2014), and then leading the youthful Voltes team as Steve Armstrong in the live-action adaptation “Voltes V: Legacy”(2023).
His latest serye is the action-drama “Mga Batang Riles,” which airs weeknights on GMA 7 and features the talented Miguel as one of four underprivileged boys fighting injustice in an urban poor community.
What is the secret to Miguel’s longevity, and how has he remained grounded after more than two decades in Philippine showbiz? And who is the newest member of the Tanfelix clan to make a name for herself in the influential realm of social media? Read on to learn more about the likes, loves, hopes and dreams of Miguel Tanfelix in this exclusive one-on-one interview.
You joined the first edition of “StarStruck Kids” when you were 5. Did you already want to become an actor at that young age? What was your motivation? Who were your idols?
“I really wanted to be an ‘artista’ ever since I joined ‘Starstruck Kids.’ I even told my mom when I saw the plug on TV that I wanted to join that artista search. So we went through the audition process, queued and waited long hours outside GMA ‘coz I really wanted to be seen on TV and I was fortunate enough to be part of that show and be among the finalists. My real motivation at that time was just to become famous like my idols on TV, like Aga Muhlach, John Lloyd Cruz, Jericho Rosales, Dennis Trillo and Dingdong Dantes.”
It’s been 21 years since then and you are now 26 years old and still very much in-demand as an actor. What has this journey of more than two decades been like?
“Nothing comes easy in show business. If you really want to become an actor, you should be willing to sacrifice and go through a tedious process. From being a child actor to undergoing the awkward stage between 12 to 15, entering your teens, being paired in a love team and taking the big roles on TV. Twenty years went by so quickly and I am lucky enough to still be in the business after being in ‘Starstruck’ and surviving the challenges. The workshops and the experiences from one project to another helped me a lot to have the discipline and dedication to my craft as an actor and performer.”
You come from a small family and you have only one sibling. Describe how it was growing up in Cavite in a family of educators. What were your childhood and teen years like?
“We had a simple life in Cavite. Though we are a small family, I grew up in a compound with relatives from my mom and dad’s side. So I would play with my cousins and some of my titos would hang out with us. My grandparents own a school and that’s where I went to elementary and high school. Whenever I didn’t have a TV project, I attended school and my parents made sure that I finished high school.”
How did you convince your mom, “Mommy Grace Tanfelix,” to have her own TikTok account? Do you help her with the content? How is she handling her popularity?
“I didn’t have to do a lot of convincing for her to have her own TikTok and other social media accounts. She really liked posting even back then. So when she learned how to shoot videos, I taught her some techniques. But I’d rather say that I help conceptualize some of her content and produce it. Sometimes, we’d prank each other while doing her posts. I also help her with the equipment that she needs to buy to make the videos more appealing.”
Describe your relationship with your mom. Are you a mama’s boy?
“Not really. But my mom usually accompanied me to tapings, especially when I was still a kid. I usually bond with my dad. We go hiking, biking and play basketball. Mom is usually my advisor when it comes to my personal life and sometimes, my showbiz life. She is my no. 1 critic in acting because she watches all my shows.”
You’re in the cast of “Mga Batang Riles,” which is about four underprivileged boys in an urban poor community. How did you prepare for your role and the action scenes? How do you internalize for your character?
“When the show was presented to us, each one of us was interviewed by the creative team. Our characters were somehow based on our personalities in real life. There’s an archetype for each character of the four boys, but there are also some similarities in our real lives. And so, internalizing is not much of a challenge because we only have to go to our core to get the emotions that we want to show in our characters. Honestly, we do not have an action/stunt director. Sometimes, we just choreograph our own stunts and action scenes with my co-actors. We are also fortunate that our director is an action director so he really knows how to take good shots of our action scenes.”
You have been in a relationship with Ysabel Ortega for two years now. How do you help each other with your respective careers? What do you both like doing together to unwind and destress? Describe what you like about Ysabel.
“First of all, there is mutual respect for each other’s career. We don’t compete or compare notes. We have different tracks in terms of how we want to establish a career in show business. We have separate talent managers from Sparkle and they help plan our career paths with us. We like to travel and have long drives to unwind and destress. Of course, we also like to eat a lot. At this point in our relationship, I think I can say that we have matured on how we deal and relate with each other. I like how Ysabel supports me in general, but at the same time, she also teaches me how to deal with the challenges I go through. She is a breath of fresh air whenever I am feeling down.”
What challenges did you have to go through to be where you are now?
“As an artist, challenges and struggles are part of and will always be a constant in your career. For me, I am never contented with what I do. I always see the need to improve and level up my acting. I challenge myself to do roles that I am not comfortable with. Like in ‘Mga Batang Riles,’ I never imagined myself doing stunts and action scenes. That was a big challenge for me ‘coz my build is not for an action star. “But I do compensate with the trainings that I undergo and workshops in acting. Insecurities play a big part in my struggles as an actor. But I don’t let these things stop me from doing what I want and from reaching my goals. I use them to motivate myself and to develop more skills that would help me stay on path for a successful showbiz career.”
You took a film course recently. Is this in preparation for behind-the-scenes work like directing or writing?
“Yes, definitely. I would like to be able to direct a show or a film in the future. Sometimes, production allows me to do my own camera work in ‘All Out Sundays.’ I’ve also tried to direct some videos for school and for some of my endorsements and fortunately, they liked what I did.”
Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
“Maybe 10 years from now I will still be in this business and hopefully be better and more successful. I want to have my own house and invest in some businesses before I settle down. I also want to prepare myself to be a family man — a good husband and dad to my future wife and kids.”
Source: philstar.com
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