MIGUEL TANFELIX
On The Right Track
Miguel Tanfelix has been acting since he was 5 years old. Now 22 and with a 16-year experience in the business, Miguel believes that he is just scratching the surface in his path to success.
Text by: Aaron Brennt Eusebio
Photos by: GMA Artist Center, Miguel Tanfelix (IG), H&M
Everyone probably witnessed how Miguel Tanfelix grew from a chubby little kid to a handsome, remarkable actor he is today.
In 2004, Miguel entered show business via GMA’s reality talent competition StarStruck Kids when he was only 5 years old. He got his first lead role in a television series at age 15 and won his first award at 16.
In 2016, Miguel, then 17 years old, was featured in the U.S. morning show Good Morning America because of his hugely popular lip-sync videos on mobile app Musical.ly (now Tiktok). And at 21, he became the face of international clothing giant H&M.
Despite having a successful career and growing up in the public eye, Miguel had a period in his young life that he chose not to share—until today. He came at a crucial crossroads in his life that almost ended his career.
Growing up in public
The public had a first glimpse of what Miguel could offer when he joined the junior edition of StarStruck in 2004, the same reality talent competition that made Season 1 winners Jennylyn Mercado and Mark Herras household names.
Unknown to many, it was Jennylyn and Mark who inspired Miguel to audition for StarStruck Kids.
He tells GMANetwork.com, “It’s my personal decision na sumali sa StarStruck Kids noon. When I was young, parang gusto ko lang maglaro, gusto ko makakita ng maraming tao, and I really loved dancing.
“Simula bata pa lang ako, sumasayaw na ako at pinapanood ko sina Kuya Mark and Ate Jennylyn noon sa StarStruck.
“Every night nanonood ako nun, hanggang sa nag-commercial ang StarStruck Kids. So niyaya ko ’yung mommy ko na kahit buntis siya, sabi ko, ‘Mommy, gusto ko mag-audition, gusto ko mag-sayaw, gusto ko makakita ng maraming tao.’”
Miguel joined the popular competition and was eventually crowned as First Prince in the finale. He placed runner-up behind StarStruck Kids Ultimate Male Survivor, Kurt Perez.
But growing up in the public eye was not easy for young Miguel.
Fame, like most aspects in life, has its advantages and disadvantages.
“Ang advantages siguro ay bilang matagal ka nang nasa showbiz, marami nang nakakakilala sa’yo,” he says candidly.
“And iba rin ’yung factor na ’yung fans, nasusundan nila ’yung paglaki mo. Ang feeling sa kanila nun, kasama ka nilang lumaki.
“And ang disadvantage siguro, hindi ko masyadong na-enjoy kung paano lumaki nang normal like papasok sa high school, then papasok sa college.”
Although Miguel tried to take physical classes in high school, he ultimately decided to shift to online courses because of his hectic schedule.
After his lead role in Niño (2014), Miguel’s success continued as he starred in several Kapuso dramas like Once Upon a Kiss (2015), Wish I May (2016), Kambal, Karibal (2017), and Sahaya (2019) alongside love team partner Bianca Umali.
“Siguro ’yun ’yung disadvantage na nakikita ko, na hindi ko masyadong na-enjoy kung paano talaga maging estudyante, like physically.”
At that moment, Miguel first thought of walking away from showbiz to live a normal life. He considered the idea of putting showbiz aside. And because of recent events, particularly the pandemic, Miguel has started entertaining that idea again.
“Honestly, ngayong quarantine, napag-iisipan ko na, ‘Kung mag-quit kaya ako ng showbiz, parang gusto kong mag-aral sa ibang bansa,’” he frankly admits.
“Kasi talagang vina-value ko ’yung education, so gusto kong ma-try ’yung experience. It’s something new kasi, buong buhay ko umaarte na ako, nasa harap ako ng camera.
“So gusto ko maramdaman kung anong pakiramdam ng pagiging normal na tao at maging estudyante.”
What stopped Miguel from quitting showbiz?
It’s the fulfillment he gets from the industry he loves, even in the face of harsh criticisms and cruel bashing.
“Love ko ’tong ginagawa ko, eh” he declares.
“I feel na sa pagiging aktor, ang laking fulfillment na sa akin kung may nagagawa akong magagandang scenes, magagandang shows, at lalong-lalo na’t magagandang roles.
“Malaking fulfillment siya sa akin kasi art siya, craft siya na feeling ko, hindi ko kayang hindi gawin kasi sobrang napamahal siya sa akin.
“Ang dami kong natutunan sa life, hindi lang ’yung technique sa pag-arte.”
"Malaking fulfillment siya sa akin kasi art siya [acting], craft siya na feeling ko, hindi ko kayang hindi gawin kasi sobrang napamahal siya sa akin. Ang dami kong natutunan sa life, hindi lang ’yung technique sa pag-arte.”
From television to mobile phones
Miguel is among the first few celebrities who has successfully utilized social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, to his advantage. The internet has become the perfect medium to connect with fans and channel his creativity.
However, opening an account on these online platforms is like giving the public easy access to your life, negative and hateful comments notwithstanding.
“Deadma lang,” he answers when asked how he handles his bashers.
“Bakit mo pagtutuunan ng pansin ’yung let’s say 10 percent na nangbabash sa’yo compared sa 90 percent na nagustuhan ’yung work mo?
“’Yun ’yung mindset ng tao na if mayroon isang negative comment, parang mas pagtutuunan nila ng pansin ’yon. Pero mas maganda sana kung the other way around.
“Pagtuunan mo ’yung 90 percent na nagmamahal sa’yo kaysa sa 10 percent na hindi.”
Being exposed to negative comments on social media on a daily basis, Miguel has mastered the art of ignoring his bashers.
“Kung iisipin mo ’yung mga masasamang sasabihin sa’yo, hindi mo ma-le-let out ’yung creativity mo kasi baka i-bash, baka maraming negative na sabihin sa’yo.
“But ang sasabihin ko lang, kahit anong gawin mo, maganda man o pangit, nandyan pa rin ’yung bashers, hindi sila mawawala.
“So, ’yung mga taong gustong may makitang pangit sa’yo, pangit talaga ‘yung makikita nila sa’yo.
“So gawin mo lang kung ano ‘yung gusto mo and hayaan mong ma-appreciate ng mga tamang tao ‘yung posts mo.”
"'Yung mga taong gustong may makitang pangit sa’yo, pangit talaga 'yung makikita nila sa’yo. So gawin mo lang kung ano 'yung gusto mo and hayaan mong ma-appreciate ng mga tamang tao 'yung posts mo.”
This thinking proved to be fruitful for Miguel as he got featured in an Indonesian broadsheet and on the American morning show Good Morning America back in 2016 for his Musical.ly videos.
Had he let those bashers get the better of him, he would not have found his passion for creating interesting, shareable content on his social media accounts.
Looking back, those unforgettable moments always put a smile on Miguel’s face as if they happened only yesterday.
“Sobrang happy ko,” he utters, smiling.
“Sobrang happy ko kasi that’s GMA, that’s Good Morning America, and first time kong mapunta sa isang article sa Indonesia kaya sobrang happy ako.
“Lalo akong ginanahan gumawa kasi dati parang gusto ko lang gumawa dahil trip ko, pero once napansin ng mga taga Indonesia, ng Good Morning America, sobrang laking gulat ko kasi unexpected na aabot doon ’yung Dubsmash ko, at tsaka ’yung Musical.ly.”
Aside from acting, dancing, and being a social media influencer, Miguel also loves to travel. In 2016, Miguel explored a new medium to share his travels with his fans: vlogging. He had to put his travel plans on hold for a while because of his acting commitments.
“I started vlogging kasi I want to share my trips lalo na mahilig ako mag-travel mag-isa,” he shares.
“Naalala ko Singapore ’yung first vlog ko noon. ’Yun talaga ’yung balak ko na laman ng channel ko, about travel. So gusto kong isama kayo sa mga pinupuntahan ko.
“And then naging busy ako, so ang tagal kong hindi nakapag-abroad, hindi ako nakakapagtravel,”
Miguel recently revived his YouTube channel, which has more than 185,000 subscribers. Aside from uploading travel and dancing videos, he is now using the platform to do some good.
For the Kapuso heartthrob, the quarantine is an opportune time to inspire people to keep on moving despite the uncertainty.
He says, “I want to use that platform na mag-send ng message na kahit stuck tayo, you don’t have to feel stuck about yourself.
“Kailangan mong mag-improve, you have to learn new things about yourself, educate yourself kahit na nasa quarantine tayo.
“Ang dami kong nakikitang posts na negative, na parang nada-down sila. So gusto ko lang sila tulungan kung ano ‘yung mga pwede nilang gawin sa bahay ngayong quarantine.
“And thankfully, ang daming nakapanood ng video ko, so ibig sabihin non, marami akong nabigyan ng tips.”
Miguel is talking about his daily quarantine vlog, where he gives netizens a peek into his everyday life.
He shares his workout routine, game time with his siblings, shooting hoops, and even sharing what book he is reading.
Before ending his vlogs, Miguel always shares meaningful thoughts about various topics such as working hard and creating a better version of yourself.
“Think about it this way. ’Yung mga NBA players, tuwing kailan sila nagpapalakas? Yup. Off-season,” he says.
“Yes, meron silang games, playoffs, ’yung season nila, naglalaro sila.
“Pero tuwing kailan sila nag-aaral ng mga bagong skills? Ng bagong moves? Kailan sila nagpapakondisyon? Tuwing off-season.
“Isipin n’yo, ito ’yung off-season natin, let’s take this time para magpalakas tayong lahat, learn new skills, para pagkabalik ng ‘playoffs’ or normal life natin, mas malakas tayo spiritually, mentally, and physically.”
Positive thoughts attract positive results
A man of his word, Miguel practices what he preaches. He followed his own advice when he experienced working in the “new normal” for the first time.
On August 3, two days before Metro Manila reverted to the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ), Miguel was revealed as the newest face of H&M’s streetwear collection “Gen Street.”
Doing a campaign is already a daunting task, more so when the country is still battling a pandemic. But Miguel’s positivity attracts positive results in his ambassadorship for the Swedish fashion brand.
“Sobrang saya at sobrang proud ako sa campaign na ’yun,” he says with a smile.
“Kasi ’yung ginawa namin, isang malaking risk from the pre-prod hanggang sa shoot, hanggang sa pag-release ng campaign. It’s a risky move talaga kasi alam mong hindi lumalabas ’yung mga tao, so mahirap maglabas ng campaign but we still did it.
“Kaya sobrang saya ko kasi ang ganda ng response ng tao, ang ganda ng feedback nila. And sobrang happy rin ’yung buong team namin na gumawa ng campaign na ’yun kasi hindi namin in-expect na ganun ’yung magiging response ng tao.”
Being an H&M ambassador also helps Miguel to be more creative in his own videos since the campaign is focused on social media.
“Sobrang laking milestone sa akin na naging ambassador ako ng H&M and feeling ko fueled ako, parang lalo akong ginaganahan na mag-post sa social media ko,’ he expresses.
“So very big blessing talaga sa akin ’yung endorsement, and I’m really thankful sa H&M at siyempre kay Lord.”
“Ang dami ko pang gustong ma-explore na hindi ko pa na-e-explore sa work ko. Ang dami ko pang aspeto na hindi ko pa nagagawa, ’yung mga roles na hindi ko pa nagagampanan na very challenging."
Despite having thoughts of leaving showbiz to pursue his education, Miguel makes it clear that he will stay. After all, he owes his success to the industry that embraced his talent and creativity. And he plans to do more, even things beyond the glitzy world of show business. He has a long way to go.
“I’m just starting,” Miguel says with conviction.
“Kumbaga, ito ‘yung first few steps ng career ko pa lang.
“Although malaking step siya kaya sobrang thankful ako, ang dami ko pang gustong ma-achieve.
“Ang dami ko pang gustong ma-explore na hindi ko pa na-e-explore sa work ko.
“Ang dami ko pang aspeto na hindi ko pa nagagawa, ’yung mga roles na hindi ko pa nagagampanan na very challenging.
“Siguro movies rin, gusto ko ma-try ’yung platform ng movies kasi na-try ko siya before, pero alam mo ’yung hindi talaga ganun kalalim ’yung ginawa ko dati?
“Gusto ko rin magtayo ng charities paglaki ko para makatulong sa iba.”
Miguel Tanfelix plans to be more and do more—and his loyal fans are all ready to see him soar.
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