IF THERE’S one role Elmo Magalona’s dying to take on, it’s Spiderman— the comic book superhero who fights crime and saves lives through powers acquired from the bite of an irradiated spider.

But when asked what his greatest fear is, the 20-year-old celebrity admits
it is spiders. Ironic, but as he explains: “You have to become your most feared thing.”

Elmo is the son of Pinoy rap icon Francis Magalona, and brother to fellow celebrity siblings Frank, Saab, Maxene, Clara and Arkin. Though born to a show biz, clan he had to work hard to achieve his goals.

Elmo blazed his own trail and made a name for himself with his own talent
and passion. An actor, singer, rapper and model, Elmo says he enjoys doing his multiple interests.

He particularly likes performing, but since he’s been putting much time into
acting lately, Elmo admits he’s most comfortable now as an actor. Incidentally, his current primetime soap, “More Than Words,” opposite Janine Gutierrez, is a big hit.

One of Elmo’s latest projects was playing the lead role in a Cinemalaya film—a first in his career and a unique experience at that.

Most of the people on the set belonged to a younger demographic: the director was 24 years old, while the producer was 23. Elmo says that he really liked that kind of relationship— that chemistry you don’t usually get with more experienced people—and it helped make the film a success.

Kitchen tricks
Although Elmo’s working schedule is pretty hectic, he manages to find time
for school. He is currently taking up culinary arts at De La Salle College of Saint Benilde, learning new tricks in the kitchen every day. “I cook hash browns and eggs most often,” Elmo says. “I’m still getting there.”

If he were not in show biz, Elmo would most likely put up his own business
and become an entrepreneur, something that he has always wanted to do.

When asked what kind of business he’d like to run, he says that he’s open to
anything. “As much as possible, any experience is good,” Elmo says. “With just a simple food stall, you can already do and learn so much.”

Reality bites
Despite success, Elmo admits that, to a certain point, negative comments and
opinions still bother him. “I don’t want to be ignorant or seem like I don’t know what’s happening to the world anymore,” he says.

But there are also times when he can easily brush things off. Instead of
dwelling on negativity, Elmo simply looks at the positive side of things. “It’s easy,” he shrugs. “I just focus on the good stuff.”

When things start taking a toll on him, Elmo finds comfort and support in
his family—his number one support group. His family may work in the same
industry, but there is no competition between them. Instead, they support each other’s projects and make work their bonding time as well.

As one of the industry’s rising stars, Elmo has already chalked up enough experience and success even at a young age. Yet, he stays grounded by looking back and remembering how he started.

Not one to rest on his laurels, he takes no shortcuts and chooses to dedicate his time and effort to his work. With that, Elmo truly lives up to the famous words said to his favorite superhero Spiderman:
With great power comes great responsibility.

Photography Toff Tiozon
Styling Luis Carlo San Juan
Grooming Justine del Rosario
Hairstyle Jet Babas

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