IF the telling of Alden Richards’ story were paused right here — “26 years old, single, Twitter legend, Guinness record holder, award-winning actor and recording artist, businessman, Good Samaritan” — that would already be two, maybe four, astonishing lifetimes. No one is more mystified about this than he is, although what the public sees is the picture of utter coolness about a series of unbelievably fortunate events that has transpired for three years now. “Okay, that’s all been beyond awesome; I will forever be grateful, but I am moving on.” That’s it, in a nutshell, but when he breaks it down, it is quite the opposite of simple. For the record, he did not go through the stages of success backwards. He did not open his front door one day and find fame and fortune waiting to take him on the longest thrill ride of his life. He says, speaking rapidly, palms wrapped around a cup of hot pandan tea, “This phenomenon took me by surprise, and I didn’t expect things would go this fast, certainly not this far. My life changed. I changed.” Not that anything happened while he wasn’t looking. “Three years ago when it started, that was my fifth year in the industry.” But his course was not clear, and until a more consistent account comes along, exactly what happened is best handed to Fate deciding to intervene. Alden is still regarded as half of AlDub, a strategic if unlikely pairing in 2015 by the GMA 7 Network that even BBC News saw as “television taking on social media in the Philippines.” At the start of this year, Twitter proclaimed the tandem — the other half is Maine Mendoza, first known as a “Dubsmasher” with a steady online following — first and second “most tweeted Filipino accounts” in 2017. An AlDub fan account came in third. Much earlier, before the team-up’s first anniversary, Guinness World Records declared the hashtag #AlDubEBTamang Panahon one of five that made history on the social media network, alongside such landmark events as Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s first tweet and the 2014 World Cup semi-final match between Germany and Argentina, which previously set the record for most tweets per minute (618,725 in the 60 seconds after the final whistle, and a full-day total of 37.6 million). “This phenomenon took me by surprise, and I didn’t expect things would go this fast, certainly not this far. My life changed. I changed.” The Philippine entry’s score: 40,706,392 from October 24-25, 2015, representing 24 hours surrounding AlDub’s first benefit concert witnessed live by 55,000 people at the humongous Philippine Arena. Twitter executives declared the tweets “real, fresh and organic” and the hashtag “the most used in 24 hours.” This record has not been broken. There. Beyond awesome. Throughout this conversation in Concha’s Garden Café, a Quezon City restaurant that he co-owns, Alden refers to AlDub as “this phenomenon” or simply “this,” echoing the way that some of the world’s biggest celebrities/events are known by a single name. “This will always be a part of me,” he says, “and I don’t mind.” To his credit, he got the whole picture early on: Why he was where he was, how he got there and…. what next? “Do I deserve this? If it’s happening, good or bad, it was meant to be.” A light-bulb moment here from 19th-century inventor and visionary Thomas Edison, who might as well have said it about Alden: “Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning.” This young man is a believer in strategy. Soon as he saw his world swiftly evolving, the first two things he did were, “sealed my professional relationships and set goals.” He explains: “I made sure nothing changed immediately around me — mentors, core staff, advisers, personal assistants, handlers… I asked everyone to stay. It was my way of remaining on track and not getting lost in the new landscape. I knew I would always want to be reminded of when I was at my lowest, and they were there.” ( Watch Video: Alden Richards on his hometown, Laguna) This young man is a believer in strategy. Soon as he saw his world swiftly evolving, the first two things he did were, “sealed my professional relationships and set goals.” Goal-setting was something that he happily found he had the smarts for. “It proved [crucial] in what followed,” he says. “At the start of… anything… you should ask yourself, where do you want to go? What should you be doing now? For me, that spelled the difference between opportunity seized and opportunity wasted.” Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior He still asks himself the same questions every day, “for motivation.” The industry is fraught with simultaneous “physical, mental and emotional” obligations, he notes. “It can be exhausting. For me not to feel weighed down, it should always be clear what I am aspiring for.” He has put to work even his is OCB, which he casually admits to. “Obsessive-compulsive behavior. I see to it, personally, every single day, that to-do lists are made and followed.” At this stage in his life, Alden says, “I cannot be reckless. I don’t like being caught off-guard.” Other People’s Dreams He finds his apparent knack for fulfilling other people’s dreams amusing. “I wanted to be a pilot — that was my father’s dream for himself, as show business was my mother’s, for me.” Recognizing that sustained celebrity puts him in a position of power or, in the very least, persuasive influence (he has over 40 product endorsements), he understands that his biggest and best roles will be played off-cam. “The lives of people closest to me changed as mine did,” he says. That is, some more profoundly than others, starting with his grandparents. “My Lola Linda and Lolo Danny [Peralta] are in their 80s, and both very motivated to stay healthy for as long as it takes to watch me fulfill all my dreams.” In this frame of mind, not surprisingly, he found his own dream: to be a philanthropist. An Alden Richards Foundation? Maybe Richard Faulkerson Jr. (his real name) Foundation? He has not decided what to call it, only what it would do. “Education. That is my advocacy.” These are not empty words. “I’m still at the exploratory/networking phase. Meanwhile, I have several scholars at different levels, and last summer I received great news: Two were graduating. One finished Accounting; the other, Engineering.” There it is again, fulfilling others’ dreams. Alden himself did not finish college. “The family ran short on funds. That was traumatic for me. So now I help students who definitely should not be leaving school but cannot enroll for the homestretch of whatever level they’re at. I am also trying to build a school for the Aetas in Bamban, Tarlac [about 100 kilometers from Manila]. I visited the community to celebrate my 24th birthday and… so much needs to be done.” He remembers a vague sense of “something lacking” at about the time when speculations about his net worth started running into hundreds of millions. “Sharing was the answer to that longing,” Alden says. “I was very happy to figure it out.” He has known poverty, that’s for sure, and talks about it freely. Among his most vivid memories of life in Santa Rosa City, Laguna, where he grew up, is living in cramped apartments on crowded streets, bumping into roaring tricycles only steps from the front door. All he needs is “someone to calm me down when I need it, or just listen … or just sit with me in silence. In fact, merely knowing there is such a person is good enough.” Alden never gets to meet his scholars, and they don’t get to know where the help is coming from. “Making a difference in someone’s life is the best feeling in the world.” It is also the best part of being Alden Richards and, “Celebrity amplified my reach.” ‘Materialized Aspects’ Very few see this side of him more than what he calls his “materialized aspects.” No offense taken — he’s not even the type who would mind if he walked into a place and no one recognized him. On the contrary, he considers that a checking point. “I do know of celebrities who [crave] attention all the time. I think that is a burden.” All he needs, Alden says, is “someone to calm me down when I need it, or just listen … or just sit with me in silence. In fact, merely knowing there is such a person is good enough.” He is describing a composite character, no one in particular. “There is always family, and I have friends that I trust, although they are few.” “Family” would be the compact universe under his roof — dad Richard Sr., grandparents Linda and Danny, younger sisters Riza and Angel, a cousin who cooks for him, and two dogs — a Siberian Husky and an Aspin. (Plus, he did joke once that he talks to the life-size Ironman figure in his room.) His mother Rosario died 10 years ago and older brother RD lives abroad. Relationship Status: Unknown Of late, starting his own family—wife, maybe four kids — has been crossing his mind. “I’m 26, and for me 28 to 30 is the best age to settle down,” he says. First there’s the question of a love life or, more to the point, does he have one? Either he’s very good at hiding and keeping his nose clean, or very poor at searching. There is not one single girl that Alden has been seriously linked to in that way. How close Maine Mendoza came, or if she even wanted to, is a continuing mystery and, for now, a matter of opinion (or fan fantasy). If, at any point, there was anything between them that they could run to the bank with, the countless speculations discussions, analyses and rationalizations that spiced up the biz narrative would have all been unnecessary. For now, Alden is happy to dispense the safe and expected line: “Maine and I are happy about everything that happened and is still happening, because it was historic, however you look at it. At this time, we are individually exploring and discovering possibilities. But there’s been no memo so far that says there is no more AlDub. Anything is still possible.” As a solo act, it is easy to assume that Alden is a favorite at GMA Artists Center. “Oh no, please!” he protests, laughing. “There is no favoritism. FLG [Felipe L. Gozon, network big boss] will not allow that. The managers are very reasonable when matching artists with projects. I think I get my share because I am known to throw myself completely into every assignment.” He is occasionally reported to be “dating” this or that colleague — but nothing big enough to concern his fan base that consists largely of, according to network surveys, pre-teens and pre-seniors. They are devoted to him for diverse reasons: He looks clean, smells nice, he is fun but courteous, reserved but sharp, and always available for selfies when seen in public. Amen, he says. “I try to be all that; it’s the least I could do. For fans, I am tireless, patient, cheerful. I know that seeing me makes them very happy; it is usually a long-awaited experience. I couldn’t burst their bubble just because I am not ‘in the mood.’ I would always find time for a selfie, and I would be smiling the whole time because… that’s not hard to do. I guess it’s my default setting.” But he’s not — and he is emphatic about this — perfect. He can be frantic and fussy at times, he confesses, but his fans have remained loyal just the same, “because they see my heart. That is the true measure of a person, what others respond to.” “My effort is to be as much of my real self as possible at all times, although a lot of things in the biz don’t always let you.” There’s not much difference between the Alden on screen and off, he insists. “My effort is to be as much of my real self as possible at all times, although a lot of things in the biz don’t always let you.” Safety Net Planning ahead as usual, Alden went into business two years ago, buying into Concha’s Garden Café. He sees it as a “safety net.” Although so far the career in show business is still “my goose that lays the golden eggs,” he is determined to never again stand on fickle footing, money-wise, given his to-do lists. Since he partnered with Gemma Sembrano, the restaurant has spawned two branches, and they’re now into franchising. If this wonderful new high should crash sooner than expected, he says, at least he would have learned a lot, not the least about himself. For instance, he now knows for sure that, while he is decidedly practical and logical, he has intuitive capabilities as well. “You could say Concha’s is something I jumped into,” he relates. “I consulted my usual advisers, but I did not overthink, like I often do. I learned from my Lola Linda that something inside would present obstacles if you’re headed the wrong way. There was no such thing in this case, so I trusted my gut, which has remained reliable to this day.” From his mother, a Pampangueña, he inherited a sharp palate. He cooks occasionally, but is mostly a consumer/critic. “I can tell if something is off, or even just slightly different from the way I remember a dish. [He is a desserts person, incidentally.] That is an attribute of OCB,” he adds, laughing. He was a very satisfied Concha’s customer when the chance to co-own it came up. Once he went down that road, he stopped being a critic and became a jolly boss. His two worlds collided in the best ways. “As an actor, I learned long ago that I should focus on my part and trust that the people around me are good at theirs. I use that mindset in my involvement with Concha’s. I don’t meddle in the kitchen or any other aspect of operations. It cramps people’s styles, upsets the overall rhythm. As an industrial partner, I come in only for the big decisions.” His people skills improved vastly. There are life-size standees of himself in the restaurants but in the first few months, he regularly turned up in person to chat with the customers. “I would ask about their experience with the food, service, ambience. It was something I brought back to my job as actor, singer and TV host. Audiences, like the diners, should have good experiences to remember you by.” He was a very satisfied Concha’s customer when the chance to co-own it came up. Alden is having such great times from both ends that, 30 years from now, he figures, “I would still be in a business of some sort, but also still in entertainment—the first for sustenance, the latter for the fulfillment of making people happy.” Current Efforts and Time Alone He has become a more conscientious student of life, but also one who now takes every chance “to reflect on things.” He is a regular churchgoer, reads the Bible daily, reads “a lot of other stuff” when times permits. (He started and finished an Eric Morris book about acting on a flight to New York. “That’s another thing with me, though,” he quips. “When I open a book, I read very fast, before I get distracted. I probably have ADHD, too.”) He’s currently trying to be around “normal” people,” he says. “I find it relaxes me, and I get to be my real self, Richard Faulkerson Jr.” He has thought of learning to play the piano, which his dad is “really good at,” and maybe follow up on a fan book that he wrote two years ago, with a daily journal of gratitude. “I find something to be thankful for every day. It’s good to remember.” He likes to travel with family, but makes it a point to spend some time alone during those trips, “to be quiet.” He is, therefore, not attracted to big cities and the usual destinations; nature trekking is his thing.
Presented with a list of virtues as a 30-second quiz, he is drawn to the words “serenity” and “introspection.” He mumbles, “Getting there.” And if “contentment” were a test, he is sure he has passed it. “Every day since this happened, I have been content. I know how discontent starts and I am very mindful of that: It is when what you have is never enough, and you want more and more. That way, whatever it is, will run away from you.” And then, without warning, he breaks that sudden somber note: “Right now, all I want is a massage. ” (Emmie G. Velarde / Lifestyle Laguna)
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