- Alden Richards revealed that he felt hesitant at first about accepting his role in The Gift
- The series is set to premiere this September
- Alden remains loyal to GMA Network for nine years
Kapuso actor Alden Richards, who was newly hailed as Asia’s Multimedia Star, admitted that he felt hesitant at first when he was offered the role of Joseph/Sep in The Gift. Sep is a simple young man from Manila who later loses his eyesight after an incident.
Speaking to 24 Oras reporter Nelson Canlas, Alden revealed that he ensured that he is well-prepared before taking on the role.
“When The Gift was given to me, of course, I had my apprehensions.
“Paano kung hindi ko ma-deliver ng maayos ito? Coming from the fact na, ‘yung role ko is magiging bulag. Parang how would I give justice to this? I’ve never done anything like this.
“So talagang nag-ayos kami ng schedule to really immerse in the culture of the blind people,” Alden shared.
With the aid of Resources for the Blind Inc., a non-government organization that offers help to visually-impaired persons, Alden was able to fully immerse as a visually-impaired man last August.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys9VGSq7euU
He was also trained to peddle goods along with his co-stars in the streets of Divisoria, a place in Manila where most of the shots of the series will take place.
His fellow cast members include Jo Berry, Mikee Quintos, Thia Thomalla, Rochelle Pangilinan, Jean Garcia, Elizabeth Oropesa, Martin del Rosario, Divine Tetay, and many more. The primetime series is set to air this September.
The actor has been with GMA Network for nine years now and renewed his contract with the network last September 3.
The signing was attended by GMA President and Chief Operating Officer Gilberto R. Duavit, Jr., GMA Network Chairman and CEO Felipe L. Gozon and GMA Chief Financial Officer Felipe S. Yalong.
Alden was also thankful to his home network for giving him the chance to cross over to ABS-CBN and collaborate with Kathryn Bernardo in Hello, Love, Goodbye. Their Star Cinema film is now known as the highest grossing Filipino film after garnering a worldwide gross of P880,603,490.
Since starring in the blockbuster film, Alden became the most talked about male celebrity in the country and was then hailed as the newest box-office King. He was even recognized in the international scene as he won the Asian Star Prize at the Seoul International Drama Awards 2019.
