The first time I saw top celebrity manager Noel Ferrer’s showbiz guidebook at the Manila International Book Fair, I thought, “Of course this country’s gonna need one!”
While I hardly harbor any ambition to grace television and scare you with my one-sided dimple, I’m curious: What makes a star? How did Noel turn Ryan Agoncillo and Iza Calzado, among others, into the stars that they are now?
This book tells me that talent isn’t the only thing that matters. And as we’ve guessed with Anne Curtis and Coleen Garcia, luck and looks weigh just as much. But if I had to pick my biggest takeaway, it’s that, sometimes, stars have their bodies to thank for their fame.
To see what we mean, here are a few cases that proved this correct.
#1 Nora Aunor’s dark skin
“Walang himala! (There are no miracles)” Nora once cried. But she’s wrong—there is, and if anything, it’s miraculous how her dark skin helped propel her to idol status back in the ’70s.
“Diminutive (she stands less than five feet) and brown-skinned, she was the complete, even ultimate, embodiment of the unlikely star,” writes Noel. Ironically, the skin color that made her relatable to the masses trumps the myth that only the white-skinned beauties could reign in local showbiz then.
#2 Jericho Rosales’ acne marks
While not a body part, Jericho’s acne marks are, well, part of his body. Sure, his physique and his Pangako Sa’Yo stint earned him a spot in the hunks’ hall of fame, but he’s known for being the humble Mr. Pogi winner who was once the pimply teenager. This made him flawed and yet endearingly human.
“Jericho was, even at first glimpse, the proverbial diamond-in-the-rough. The [moreno and tall] kid from Marikina was unpolished, and had a parochial vibe about him,” says Noel, reminding everyone that before he was Kim Jones’ husband, he was everybody’s boy-next-door crush first.
#3 Sarah Lahbati’s pillow lips
Sarah can now sit with Angelina Jolie, all thanks to her bee-stung lips. A product of GMA 7’s reality TV show Starstruck, Sarah has made an impression first as the pouty victor whose first role in Kokak involved her turning into a frog.
It’s a good career decision—where else can she showcase her lips best than in a soap that relies heavily on the magical kiss trope? “It was impossible not to be won over by the Swedish-Moroccan-Filipina showbiz dreamer,” tells Noel. I mean, if Richard Gutierrez couldn’t resist her, how could you?
#4 Ai Ai de las Alas’ chin
While you were making jokes about Ai Ai’s chin, it was busy raking in the millions for her. “Physically, there is no doubt that Ai Ai’s prominent chin worked to her advantage. It became her trademark exterior trait,” writes Noel.
If Filipino comedy had a face—and if you took it as a she—Ai Ai would be it. This strong facial feature not only made her distinct, but also added to the comedic image she’s peddling. “She looked funny, she talked funny. And as a sort of bonus to the package, she dressed the part of a funny woman.”
#5 Alden Richards’ double dimples
“There is something on the verge of the weird as to how indentations on the cheeks can generate so much swooning and loosening of underwear garters,” writes director Joey Javier Reyes on one half of the #AlDub pairing. Believe us, direk, we’re thinking the same, too.
Before all the fanaticism, Alden could barely crack into stardom despite his leading roles. His accidental co-hosting in an Eat Bulaga segment is what showed people that he sells—and he does it by looking predictably tisoy, boringly bulky, but excitingly charming with his childlike dimples.
Sisikat Din Ako! Your Guide to Making Your Mark in Show Business (P675) is available in all leading National Book Store branches nationwide. For more information, visit their website.
