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Newcomer Louise delos Reyes 'way beyond promising'

"Louise is way beyond promising."

This is what director Mac Alejandre said of Louise delos Reyes, the lead actress in GMA's latest "Dramarama sa Hapon" soap "Alakdana."

Alejandre knows what he's talking about. Besides being a veteran in the fantasy soap opera genre (an area the Kapuso is known for), he has also launched a number of new stars via his shows.

"When I went on board, si Louise na yun e. Kung ano man ang prosesong pinagisipan ng management para mapick up si Louise, I think tama ang prosesong pinagdaanan nila kasi nung humarap siya sa akin, even before we started the workshop and while we were doing the workshop and while we were doing the taping, alam mong diamond in the rough. Alam mong meron syang pupuntahan," Alejandre said in an interview during the "Alakdana" press conference on Monday, January 17.

He added that Louise can be an "important actress" this year.

"Magaling siya umarte. At tulad ng kahit anong talento, ang potential ng galing ay lagi pang nahuhulma. It is a work in progress," he said.


From tween royalty to potential drama princess

Louise is by no means a newbie in show business having started in the industry when she was eight years old as a commercial model. Her earlier showbiz work included roles in the GMA 7 shows "Ikaw Lang ang Mamahalin" and "Ang Iibigin ay Ikaw" and the ABS-CBN show "Ang TV 2."

It was with "Pilyang Kerubin" (led by teen stars Joshua Dionisio and Barbie Forteza) that pushed her towards the limelight. By late 2010, Louise became one of the network's tween royalties thanks to the hit show "Reel Love Presents: Tween Hearts."

"Alakdana," however, is Louise's first shot at essaying a lead role. As expected from an actress doing her first lead role, Louise said she feels excited and nervous with the opportunity given to her.

"Actually, mixed emotions ako ngayon. Parang kinakabahan ako na sana magustuhan ng tao," Louise said in an interview during the "Alakdana" press conference.

She's also very modest when it comes to the prospects of her becoming one of the network's next lead stars. When asked why she thinks she was chosen for the role, Louise said: "Kahit po ako, parang iniisip ko kung bakit sa akin binigay ito. Parang, marami namang mas magagaling saka mas nauna sa aking artista. Kanya-kanyang time lang din po yan and siguro nakita nila na hinog na ako and pwede ng maging bida sa soap."

The Kapuso network has a lot of young female stars today, including the likes of Forteza and "Tween Hearts" star Bea Binene (who was reportedly also considered for the role). Despite besting other young actresses for the role of Adana, a young girl who was born with a scorpion tail due to a curse, Louise is hesitant to say that she deserves the opportunity.

"Actually nga po, hindi ko alam, kasi syempre sa sarili mo hindi mo alam kung ano ang mga strong points mo," Louise said when asked why she thinks she deserves the role more than her teen contemporaries. "Pero sinasabi nila sa akin lagi, siguro meron daw akong puso and alam ko yung ano yung ginagawa, alam ko kung ano yung pupunta. Kasi talagang gusto ko itong ginagawa ko and siguro nakikita nila yun sa acting ko."

"Alakdana" also stars Paulo Avelino, Richie Paul Gutierrez, and Alden Richards and will premiere on Monday, January 24, after "Eat... Bulaga!"


Photo by NPPA Images