Alden Richards on being called Pambansang Bae: 'I was never a fan of titles.'

Alden Richards on dealing with fame and other people's high expectations of him: 'It's just being yourself. Ang hirap kasi if you always bend to the wants of the viewers. Nakaka-burnout if you always think of how people think of you, how they see you, how they look at you. Nakaka-stress yun.'

Ayaw ni Alden Richards na pumasok sa ulo niya ang bansag sa kanya bilang Pambansang Bae.

“It’s just a title. Nahihiya nga ako whenever I get introduced with that title,” sabi ni Alden sa panayam ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal).

Unang tinawag si Alden na Pambansang Bae nang maging host siya ng “That’s My Bae,” isang segment ng GMA-7 noontime show na Eat Bulaga! noong nakaraang taon.

Nang pumatok ang phenomenal tandem nina Alden at Maine Mendoza, ang AlDub, ay lalo pang dumami ang fanbase ng Kapuso actor-TV host.

Saad ni Alden, “Ever since I started here in the industry, I was never a fan of titles.

“Titles are given to you by people who look up to you. You don’t claim it by yourself.

“You don’t say that I’m like this, I’m like that...

“But being called Pambansang Bae, I owe it to Eat Bulaga!, no one else. It’s because of them.”

Noon pa man ay nagpamalas na si Alden ng kababaang loob, lalo pa’t hindi rin biro ang pinagdaanan niya bago nakamit ang tagumpay sa showbiz.

ON DEALING FAME. Tinanong ng PEP kung bakit tila hindi nagbabago ang ugali niya sa kabila ng kasikatan.

Pabirong sagot ni Alden, “Gusto mo ba? Huwag na! Okey na 'to!”

Dagdag pa niya, “Kung ano ka nung simula, dapat ganun ka pa rin.

”Mas bina-value ko yung mga relationship ng tao. Yung relationship ko with people, that’s what matters.

“At the end of the day, it’s how much good you have done to them. That’s my principle.”

Sa estado ng showbiz career ngayon ni Alden, hindi maitatangging mas mataas ang pressure sa kanya.

Pero hangga’t maaari ay hindi raw siya nagpapadala sa expectations ng iba.

“Extra effort? It’s just being yourself.

“Ang hirap kasi if you always bend to the wants of the viewers.

'Nakaka-burnout if you always think of how people think of you, how they see you, how they look at you. Nakaka-stress yun.

“Show them what you truly are and they’ll love you as you are.

“Because people nowadays, ang tingin nila sa showbiz, perfect—walang flaws, maganda ang hitsura.

“But it’s really how you see yourself and how you leave a mark to people.”

MAINE APPROVES. Samantala, inihayag ni Maine na nababagay kay Alden ang titulong Pambansang Bae.

Base ito sa pahayag ni Maine sa isang bahagi ng self-titled book ng binata na Alden Richards In My Own Words.

Sabi ni Maine: “Alden is very simple and real. Feeling ko, that's what makes him the Pambansang Bae.

“Bagay na bagay sa kanya yung title na yun.

“Apart from his looks, he's not intimidating and he's very down-to-earth.

“Every girl na mangarap ng dreamboy nila, maiisip nila si Alden.”

PEP.PH