Interview by Tinna S. Bonifacio
She's no Vilma Santos or Nora Aunor, but she
holds the record for the highest film gross ever by a
local actress. Her Ang Tanging Ina remains unbeaten at
the top of the box-office heap to this day. A brilliant
stand-up comedian, she appears regularly on TV, is a proven
concert star and recording artist and, what's more, reinvented
herself into a successful businesswoman with her own chain
of comedy bars called “Klownz”.
But Ai-Ai de las Alas isn't done yet. There is much more
up her sleeve, so let's check in and find out, shall we?
What's keeping you busy these
days?
Cooking school. Nag-aaral akong maging chef!
Cooking school?
Oo. Last August lang ako nag-enrol,
although ang totoo, plano ko na ito since 2003
pa. Naka-enrol ako sa Center for Culinary Arts (CCA),
at ang course ko, Diploma in Culinary Arts and
Management. Bale two years ang course na ito.
Dito, lahat, pinag-aaralan namin, mula kitchen operations
and management, pati na food safety at
sanitation. We don't just study cooking.
What made you decide to take
up cooking?
Kasi di ba may 'Klownz'
ako? Siyempre, dahil may ganito akong business, naisip
ko na mas maganda yung may nalalaman ako sa business na
pinasok ko, kaya ako nag-plano mag-enrol. Nagkataon naman
na n'ung time na 'yon, hindi ako masyadong busy
sa TV, kasi na-reformat yung MTB (the noontime
show Magandang Tanghali, Bayan), so biglang isa na lang
yung show ko. I also wasn't doing any movie after Volta.
At saka matagal ko na rin iniisip na after 'Klownz',
gusto kong magbukas ng restaurant, pero ang
gusto ko, lutong bahay na fast food. Ito ang pinaka-magandang
negosyo na pasukin ngayon. Sa food business kasi, you
can't go wrong.
You have a successful showbiz
career. Why think of going into the food business?
Sabi nga nila, hindi naman forever kang nasa taas,
di ba? If there's one thing I've learned after all
my years in showbusiness, ito na siguro 'yon. You
always have to be prepared for what comes next. Hindi
ka puwedeng umasa na lang lagi sa nagawa mo na. Dapat lagi
mong ni-re-reinvent ang sarili mo para tumagal ka dito.
That's great career advice.
What else have you learned from being in showbiz?
Know your audience. Lalo na
para sa mga comedians na gaya ko, importanteng makilala
mo ang audience mo, lalo't live comedy ang ginagawa
mo. Hindi puwedeng bato ka lang ng bato ng jokes
kapag nasa stage ka. Kailangan, pag-aaralan mo ang
audience mo. Pulsuhan mo sila, kung natutuwa ba sila o hindi.
The audience is the lifeblood of a comedian. They can either
make you or break you.
Is there one person who has
inspired you so far as your showbiz career is concerned?
Siguro, si Regine Velasquez.
Kasi kung reinvention din lang ang pag-uusapan, wala
nang mas magaling kay Regine. Idol ko siya dahil
magaling siyang kumanta, pero mas dahil magaling siyang
magpauso. She's a trendsetter. She's innovative. And
that's why she's so popular even after 20 years in this
business. Tapos, mabait pa sa pamilya.
How do you reinvent yourself?
I'm lucky to have a good manager
(Boy Abunda) who helps me. Siya talaga ang nag-de-decide
pagdating sa career. But of course, he also consults
me regarding career decisions. One thing he taught me is
that pacing is important. You just can't keep doing everything
you want if you have your eye on the long-term, or kung
gusto mong tumagal sa showbiz. Halimbawa, sa concerts,
I didn't do a big concert this year dahil kakatapos
lang ng concert namin ni Erik Santos. It was
too soon to do another concert. Baka magsawa ang tao.
Ang gusto ko muna ngayon, isa ulit na hit movie gaya ng
Tanging Ina.
Would you say that is the
secret of your career success?
Yes, and a little bit of luck. For instance, Tanging Ina
was a product of luck. Gift talaga ni Lord sa
akin 'yon. Mahirap na siguro tapatan ang ganoon. Imagine,
P250 million ang kinita sa box-office kahit may katapat
na mga foreign na movies. But I'm still going
to try. I'm not a person who gives up easily.
What other career advice
can you share with others who might want to follow in your
footsteps?
Naku, nakakatakot 'yan!
(Laughs) Ako, magbibigay ng advice? Teka, instead
na advice, career motto ko na lang ang i-sha-share ko.
Okay. You have a career motto?
Simple lang 'yan. No guts, no glory. Ako yung taong
laging na-cha-challenge. Kailangan lagi mong hanapan
ng challenge ang ginagawa mo. Kung wala
kang makitang challenge, gumawa ka. Otherwise,
ma-bo-bore ka sa career mo. It's
up to you to keep your career always fresh and interesting.
O di ba?!
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