Sam Milby is a marked man.

In the past couple of months, a wave of social media commentaries—comprised of raves, hatred, and pure, unadulterated fixation—has been directed to a television drama that paired first-time onscreen partners Jericho Rosales and Yen Santos and then Sam Milby and Yam Concepcion in a familiar storyline that, time and again, gets resurrected on the screen. It was a risky recipe that the network giant, ABS-CBN, took. But, in the end, with tweaks to a seemingly overwrought genre, Halik made its way to public consciousness and stayed.

Beyond the show’s compelling storyline, it was the top-caliber acting of its leads that made an all-too powerful impact to its evolving and continuously growing demographic of viewers. Rosales, a veteran in the field of heavy drama, scored nods of approval on his return to television with his restrained but relatable portrayal of a scorned man. Newcomers Santos and Concepcion, in a word, are two of this year’s biggest revelations—moving themselves up to household names worthy of a second look.

A REVIVAL

But one of the biggest reasons Halik engrossed viewers was because of a character, often described in expletives said through gritted teeth by the show’s faithful. Ace, played by Milby, is a serial philander—a man “without a conscience”—the devil incarnate to many.

“I’m enjoying the role. Of course, [it’s different] being the bad guy, but I was a bit surprised because I feel like we’ve done this kind of story a lot of times but grabe yung reaction of the people. And I think we did it in a different way—something deeper. So, a lot of people can relate to it,” he said in an interview.

Halik is a show that has stealthily remodeled the “third-party” genre. Masked by its campy confrontations and fists-up dialogue people love to make into memes and parodies, the show delved in deeper into each of the four leads’ characters, allowing viewers to subconsciously pore over the very fabric that makes each of them human.

“Si Ace, sobrang sama niya talaga. Wala siyang conscience. Sa lahat ng ginagawa niya, naghahanap siya ng reason para masabi na ‘Ako yung tama’”, he notes in another interview.

He adds, however, matter-of-factly, that with the rave reviews on his performance on a role that widened his repertoire of as an actor, death threats followed. Milby takes this as a testament to his success on bringing a role he has closely studied and prepared for to life–one thing he even feels grateful for.

“I’m happy about it because ibig sabihin effective,” he shares. After all, this, for him is part and parcel of his life as an actor in this business. “For me I think in all aspects of life, we all try to find that sense of purpose—in your work in your family, you want to have purpose. So, for me, knowing that I can affect people in their lives—make them happy, make them mad, make them relatable to the characters that I play, or just make them smile even when I just see them. It gives me such sense of fulfillment and purpose. Also, to be given the kind of platform to voice out other things and to affect people,” he waxes philosophical.

For me I think in all aspects of life, we all try to find that sense of purpose—in your work in your family, you want to have purpose. So, for me, knowing that I can affect people in their lives—make them happy, make them mad, make them relatable to the characters that I play, or just make them smile even when I just see them. It gives me such sense of fulfillment and purpose.

Milby arrived short of an hour later than our call time for his Rank cover shoot at the B Hotel in Quezon City, a location he knows so well as it has, at one point, become a weekly taping-location for his in the series. “Nag-motor na lang siya,” said Dianne, his road manager over at Star Magic, apologetically. He walked in the room and extended his arm with the sheepish smile while explaining the reason for coming in late, which led him to riding his motorbike to the location to beat Manila traffic.

But what he may have missed out on his timeliness, he made up with commitment during the shoot—gamely sliding in and out of clothes in each layout, even suggesting one that he believed would fit the theme of The Flight Issue. This energy and warmth, even as he try to sneak a nap as he went straight from taping  (that, or the need for a nap sneaks up on him once in a while), lifts the dynamism in the room—a far cry from how much of an introvert he describes himself to be.

AN EDUCATION

The last time I met Milby, he was an endorser and a spokesperson for an imported toothpaste brand—an unsurprising route token pretty boys like him takes. After all, for a time, he is everyone’s favorite dream guy—tall, attractive, yet unassuming. The type that flashes his megawatt-smile and rakes in the fans and the cash.

This time is different. For one, while he admits to taking continuous Filipino classes, he is now more confident of his command of the vernacular. But more importantly, the way he carries himself, he appears to have a firmer grasp of himself as an actor, an artist, and a person.

The moment he left the infamous Pinoy Big Brother house in 2005, even with all of the screaming fans entranced by his good boy looks, Milby’s celebrity had a deadline with everything working for and against him.  We have seen this from his predecessors—a long parade of good-looking English- and broken Tagalog-speaking men (and women) who erupted to short-lived fame but whose stars have eventually dimmed and ultimately got swallowed up by the “celebrity”-consuming public’s thirst for a new face to swoon over.

But his career trajectory spelled the difference. Milby, from becoming the poster-boy of showbiz success for graduates from the reality competition, stayed on and proven himself worthy of respect. Since then, the shy, ice-skating, US-bred model-turned-“housemate” has walked the shoes of a musician, host, endorser, actor on television, and movies.

In movies, he has worn the hat of a leading man spanning genres from romance, action, and even in comedy. This Holiday season, he takes on the challenge of assuming the role of a man with a dilemma in the upcoming comedic film, Mary, Marry Me, reuniting himself with his first-ever onscreen partner and long-time friend, Toni Gonzaga. What’s more is that he gets to work with the former’s sister, Alex Gonzaga.

But his career trajectory spelled the difference. Milby, from becoming the poster-boy of showbiz success for graduates from the reality competition, stayed on and proven himself worthy of respect. Since then, the shy, ice-skating, US-bred model-turned-“housemate” has walked the shoes of a musician, host, endorser, actor on television, and movies.

RETURN TO COMEDY

A quick primer: Milby plays Pete, who fell in love with Toni’s character, Mary Jane. He fell for her hard, leading him to ask for her hand in marriage but the latter’s priority is dedicated to giving everything for her family—which we all know, revolves around providing for her younger sister, Mary Anne. He flies to the US to recover and live his life, but Pete, somehow finds himself falling in love with Mary Anne—which led to an engagement. The two then fly back to Manila, to fix details of the wedding. This, as we all know, spells chaos.

“Of course, I’ve worked with Toni so many times. Even before sa PBB pa, I really appreciate her as a person. She hasn’t changed a bit. We’ve always had really great chemistry, so I am really happy when I was offered this project,” he answers when asked about the long-overdue return of his tandem with Gonzaga.

Of course, I’ve worked with Toni so many times. Even before sa PBB pa, I really appreciate her as a person. She hasn’t changed a bit. We’ve always had really great chemistry, so I am really happy when I was offered this project.

It was in 2006, shortly after his stint as the guy that comes between the solid love team of Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz in the bubble gum flick, Close to You, that Milby was given his very first lead role in You are the One, as the perturbed orphan, searching to complete his identity. The pair would then work their tried-and-tested magic in two more romantic comedies, You Got Me and My Big Love. Mary, Marry Me, revisits their partnership onscreen, after a long lull. In 2009, the pair was last seen working their comedic chops in the movie Ang Tanging Pamilya: A Marry Go Round, with AiAi Delas Alas and Joseph Estrada.

“With Alex, it was my first time working with her. She’s got a lot of energy, and, as everyone knows, she’s very energetic. She can be some kind of a bully—joking bully, of course. (chuckles) But she’s just so talented, so full of energy and so fun to be with.”

Milby reaches deep in his comedic arsenal to work with other comedic gems like Bayani Agbayani and Melai Cantiveros for the Metro Manila Film Festival entry. “I didn’t feel too pressured to become ‘funny’ because there’s Alex and her high-energy to feed on work on along with Toni, Melai, and Bayani who provides support in the movie,” he said during the film’s press conference.

“What I really enjoyed doing this movie is seeing the two as sisters and how they interact with each other, ‘cause it is something I never saw nung mga projects namin dati ni Toni. Seeing them as sisters and their closeness, you’ll really see that there’s no sibling rivalry, which I feel a lot of siblings in showbiz could be like. I don’t feel that with them at all,” he tells Rank.

“I feel that they really just push and build each other up so much. You’d see how well they’ve been raised, how grounded they’ve been. They’re just so intelligent, with positive aura all the time. It was so nice seeing them together and working together as sisters.”

On working on the movie that propels him back to the MMFF stage, he says, “It’s like work na hindi work, which is good because it was a bit of a struggle for me coming from Halik taping lagi. So, medyo mabigat ang Halik taping tas pag nagte-taping ng movie, kadalasan walang tulog. But having Toni and Alex on the set, just who they are, their comedy, and the energy they bring, it helped me get through this. It was also great to see how hands on they were, and the whole team with the story, including how open Direk RC was in allowing inputs from everyone. So, it became a lot of fun.”

What I really enjoyed doing this movie is seeing the two as sisters and how they interact with each other, ‘cause it is something I never saw nung mga projects namin dati ni Toni. Seeing them as sisters and their closeness, you’ll really see that there’s no sibling rivalry, which I feel a lot of siblings in showbiz could be like. I don’t feel that with them at all.

Mary, Marry Me is the culmination of Milby’s good year, with the surprise success of Halik and the expansion of his reach as an actor, that bridges the nine-year gap since his last jab at comedy and his partnership with Gonzaga. This was, in fact, preluded by the fruition of his creative partnership with friends John Prats and Angelica Panganiban, resulting in the unveiling of a full-service production service company, Bright Bulb Productions—steering the wheel on the company’s technical and editing aspects.

“It is important that you know who you are and that won’t be shaken by anybody else’s opinion and no matter what they think just don’t be led by what other people want you to be.”

But there remains to be a lot to be seen for this 34-year-old multi-hyphenate and with his deepening understanding of his place in the industry, we can expect to see an even bigger takeover.

In the end, he shares about his biggest life lessons in showbiz, “It is important that you know who you are and that won’t be shaken by anybody else’s opinion and no matter what they think just don’t be led by what other people want you to be. This is something that I have struggled throughout my whole journey. I really had a hard time finding myself and my calmness. But for me, my faith in God kept me grounded. Enjoy the journey. Find yourself and don’t be affected by the opinion of other people. Surround yourself with the right people and continue that passion and that drive.”

 

Produced, styled, and art directed by Leo Balante

Grooming by Joshen Vahn Lee

Videography by Jedidiah Figuerrez and John Cydric Rufino

Co-presented by B Hotel, Quezon City, Viviamo, Inc. and The One Raw.

Special thanks to Cornerstone Entertainment and Star Magic