Alden Richards checks all the boxes of a certified matinee idol.
Read: The multifaceted Alden Richards
He possesses a boyishly handsome face, the right work attitude, a remarkable talent, and the X factor that make him a sure bet for entertainment projects on various platforms.
A prized GMA-7 star, Alden has had the lead role in a total of 10 full-length teleseryes, eight hosting stints for variety and reality shows, and at least four solo concerts in the last 13 years.
He has also starred in at least eight movies produced by different film companies, including GMA Pictures, the film arm of GMA-7.
ALDEN’S RECORD-BREAKING MOVIES
Proof of Alden’s bankability is his latest onscreen partnership with Kathryn Bernardo.
The much anticipated movie Hello, Love, Again (2024), a sequel to the blockbuster hit Hello, Love, Goodbye (2019), has become a blockbuster phenom.
Hello, Love, Again has set a new record since it premiered in cinemas: a worldwide gross of PHP1.4 billion in 10 days and counting.
Directed by Cathy Garcia-Sampana, Hello, Love, Again currently holds the title as the highest grossing Filipino film of all time.
The first installment of the Kathryn-Alden starrer, Hello, Love, Goodbye, also directed by Garcia-Sampana, earned more than PHP880 million and held the record as the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time for four years, until it was replaced by the 2023 Metro Manila Film Fest entry Rewind, which earned P924 million.
Both Kathryn-Alden starrers are co-produced by ABS-CBN and GMA Pictures.
The creatives behind the movie must, from the outset, be credited with giving the audience a great story.
This one follows a personal narrative about two young OFWs, who have love for each other, and who go through small, believable incidents that could unmake them in a land not their own.
Yet in following their personal narrative, the movie deftly tracks the universal narrative of the country's overseas workers.
The movie is thus both big and small, intimate and sweeping, fully satisfying emotion and logic. Couple that with two young leads who are attractive, have chemistry, and possess real talent—how to fail?
The novelty of bringing together GMA-7 and ABS-CBN's most bankable stars contributed to public excitement over the Kathryn-Alden teamup in 2019.
The two exceeded expectations as they served up topnotch performances in the romance-drama film that also puts into focus the struggles of OFWs in Hong Kong, something many Filipino moviegoers could relate to.
Both Alden and Kathryn were given heavy drama scenes that challenged them as actors, and they did not disappoint.
In 2024, the love story of the two characters is more pronounced. The scenes have them delivering more "kilig" feels than the first installment even did.
Female moviegoers trilled at the big screen filling up with close-up shots of Alden smiling disarmingly and gazing soulfully at Kathryn.
As romance-drama, it was a step up. For the first time Alden and Kathryn did intimate scenes, something required by a story where their characters live with each other.
The five-year wait between the release of the first installment and its sequel also worked to the film's advantage. Alden and Kathryn were shown in a credible progression of their characters maturing.
Read: Alden Richards: "Nakakapunta ako sa bahay nila Kath."
As for Alden, the story was a perfect opportunity to move audiences to tears.
The scene where he bluntly tells Kathryn that he doesn’t want her back, and that he just wants a better life for himself and his siblings, was touching in its simplicity of delivery.
He also made his character Ethan—forced to work odd jobs years after leaving Canada and swearing off cleaning toilets and cleaning up after the incontinence of the elderly—someone audiences could embrace.
Alden effectively portrayed the hard life of a domestic helper in the scenes where he is shown throwing the garbage bag on a pile of trash outside the restaurant and wiping an elderly’s urine on the floor without a fuss.
This character development of Ethan (Alden) in the sequel is what takes his relationship with Joy (Kathryn) to a level where they finally see eye to eye.
Read: KathDen follow-up project, pinag-uusapan ng GMA at ABS-CBN
ALDEN’S APPEAL TO MAMAS AND LOLAS
A big thing that works to Alden’s advantage is that he seems to have captivated not just the hearts of women of his generation but more so the hearts of mamas and lolas.
In real life, Alden has always been vocal about his love for his late mom as well as his grandmother, who helped his father raise him when his mom passed away when he was 16 years old.
This helped make his teamup with Sharon Cuneta in Family of Two believable.
That 2023 MMFF entry, produced by Cineko Productions, ranked fifth among 10 film entries with the highest box-office gross during the filmfest.
Family of Two also made it to the No. 1 Most Watched in Netflix Philippines when it premiered in May 2024.
Alden and Sharon made a good mother-son tandem, with Sharon playing the devoted mother hen to the hilt, while Alden played the proud mama’s boy who doesn't really mind being babied even in presence of the woman he likes.
Their dynamics translated well onscreen. You actually forget they are actors in the scenes where they argue about whether to keep the toilet seat closed or not, or when Alden scolds Sharon for not keeping him in the know about the men she meets on a dating app.
It is a feel-good movie that taps into Alden's strength as a good son on and off cam.
Read: What PEP Knows: Stars vying for Kathryn Bernardo?
WORKING WITH DIFFERENT LEADING LADIES
Over the years, Alden has proven that he can work well with different leading ladies. He also registers well on the screen with them!
In Family of Two, he was paired for the first time with Miles Ocampo.
Veering away from in-your-face "kilig" moments or heavy-drama scenes to establish onscreen chemistry, Alden and Miles made the torpe-but-reliable-guy-meets-confident-career-woman-at-the-office look as natural as possible.
It was a contrast to Alden's intense character in Five Breakups and A Romance, which he co-headlined with Julia Montes in November 2023. The movie was co-produced by Cornerstone Entertainment and Alden's film company Myriad Entertainment Corporation.
He played a struggling medical student who projected his resentment and insecurity at his fashion designer girlfriend.
One of the highlights of the movie was his shouting match with Julia, who accused Alden of cheating on her.
Alden lashed out at Julia, unraveling his pent-up resentment at her for making him feel like a loser, not realizing that it was his own failures that were making him act up.
It showed how Alden, with the charming boyish face, can own a not-so-lovable character.
Read: Hello, Love, Again lagpas PHP1.4B na ang worldwide gross
DEGLAMORIZED CHARACTER
Aside from doing movies, Alden was also visible on primetime TV via Pulang Araw, a collaboration between GMA-7 and Netflix Philippines.
He played Eduardo, a passionate guerilla whose ladylove Teresita (Sanya Lopez) was abducted and repeatedly raped by Japanese war invaders.
Alden's character was plagued with such heartbreak and poverty that he was often seen looking dispirited or in a fighting mode.
This meant that gone was his usual pretty-boy demeanor, with his face constantly looking roughed up, bruised, and dirty.
There was rarely a light moment for him. Even his romance with Teresita had to be conducted in secret because her mom (Angelu de Leon) was against their relationship from the start.
The still-ongoing series draws to a close by the end of 2024. It was only in a recent episode when Alden discovers the unspeakable acts that Teresita suffered in the hands of her Japanese abductor (Dennis Trillo) and that the latter got her pregnant.
The look of pain in Alden's eyes as he tearfully took in the extent of the tragedy that befell the woman he loves has to be one of his most unforgettable scenes in the series.
Alden's declaration that he still loves Teresita and that there is no obstacle to their love moved netizens to tears.
Several of them commented: "Alden Richards one of the best actors in his generation / I admire Alden as an actor and he's portraying his role very well / Grabe, ang galing ni Sanya at Alden, sobrang iyak ko sa kanilang eksena."
SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE AND ENDORSEMENTS
Apart from his movie and TV work, Alden is a presence on social media.
His social media accounts are mostly for endorsements, but he still has a solid following on Instagram (4.4 million), TikTok (146,400), Facebook (4.2M), and X (5.9M).
According to Klear Data, the Kapuso A-lister's influencer score is 99/100.
Estimated value for a paid ad on his IG post is PHP513,742; IG video, PHP1.6M, and IG Story, PHP259,091.
According to Crowdtangle, he garnered 3M interactions per month with an average of 3,000 posts/month on his socials.
Having established himself as a premium star who is visible, reliable, and bankable in all mainstream media platforms, it is no wonder brands are after Alden as celebrity endorser.
In the period between September 2023 to September 2024, he landed a total of 14 endorsements.
He was tapped by brands from the following industries: healthy and beauty (Belo, Casino Ethyl Alcohol, Head and Shoulders, IAM Worldwide, Brilliant Skin Essentials, and Oxecure), telecommunications (Vivo, TM)...
Banking (BDO), online shopping (Lazada), motor (Sailun Tire Philippines), appliances (LG Philippines), food and beverage (Sting), and digital entertainment (Casino Plus PH).
This means brands believe he is a Sure Bet at influencing people.
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