Victor Aliwalas: A star is born

Victor Aliwalas is a new name in the entertainment industry; but the new celebrity is surprised to already being recognized on the streets—and being called by his own name to boot! When Victor Aliwalas entered public scrutiny through the very successful MariMar, no one knew he would quickly gain many fans. Intended to be a small guest role, Attorney Adrian suddenly became a minor player who stayed until the show finished its run. And now, Victor is about to start a series of his own! “It’s very overwhelming." He says that he never thought his career would go this far this fast, and he is very thankful to the Artist Center, director Bb. Joyce Bernal, and Miss Wilma Galvante for his role in MariMar. “I think that was really the stepping stone to where I am now." Victor reveals that when he goes to malls, some people call out to him, “it’s still Attorney or Adrian." But, he adds, he sometimes gets surprised that there are those who call him by his real name. “They actually call me by my real name! “That’s a good sign!" He finishes with a laugh. His roles and his biggest challenge Victor says that he’s been lucky with his roles so far. “The character is matalino, saka mabait. So I couldn’t ask for more ‘di ba? It’s very nice to know that the characters I’m playing are gonna be well-liked people." Except, of course, for his guest stint in Joaquin Bordado, which he describes as "not good, but not really evil." He does admit that it was “fun to change it up a little bit." But he prefers, for now, to stick with the good guys. “Mas gusto ko ito, especially starting with [my] career." He also admits that while his roles aren’t really that tough, they do present a very tough challenge for him. “My Tagalog! “I’m happy to be here, doing what I’m doing." The new celebrity says that it’s been great, so far, getting in touch with his roots. But he wants to clarify to people that he’s not Filipino-American. “Everybody thinks I’m half, but no way. [I’m] full Pinoy, just pinanganak sa States." “If I would’ve known that I was going to be in showbiz, I would’ve definitely learned Tagalog a long time ago." But it wasn’t because his parents never tried. Victor explains that growing up in the States, he would hear his parents converse in Tagalog, “but never really to me and my sister." He adds that back then, he never saw the need to learn the language. “Kasi there’s no use for it there; only [when I’m] with my parents and their friends, and our Filipino [community]. That’s only a small percentage of the time. Lahat ng barkada ko sa States, puti. So it’s not that I never wanted to use Tagalog. “[But] now that I look back, doon sa States, matigas ang ulo ko," he jokes. Working with the big stars “It’s unbelievable." Victor Aliwalas considers January of 2008 as his start in the Philippine entertainment industry, “MariMar was my first [soap]." And he’s very proud to have been working with the big-named stars from the very beginning: “I’ve been with Marian [Rivera] to Dingdong [Dantes], Ruffa Gutierrez to Regine Velasquez, and it’s very overwhelming." He reveals that coming from the US, “I wasn’t really too familiar with Filipino show business. And now that I’ve gotten immersed in it, I have to say I’m very lucky and very blessed to have been in the same realm as this people. I count my blessings everyday and I’m very happy with it. “I just hope that I can perform to the level that everybody’s happy with." The actor says that he reads comments from viewers, from fans, and he is very grateful for the positive feedback he’s gotten so far. But, he adds, “pasensya na po sa lahat, kasi mahirap magsalita [ng] Tagalog. I’m trying." “I really do appreciate [the comments]," Victor finishes, saying that people’s input helped make everything possible for him. “So maraming, maraming salamat." - iGMA.tv