What has Will Ashley learned from working with ABS-CBN actors?
Sparkle Artist Will Ashley gets the rare opportunity to work with artists from rivaling networks ABS-CBN and GMA-7.
He plays one of the supporting roles in ABS-CBN and GMA-7’s collaboration, “Unbreak My Heart.” The series, produced by ABS-CBN Entertainment’s Dreamscape Entertainment, airs on GMA Telebabad and streams on Viu.
The show is headlined by Jodi Sta. Maria, Joshua Garcia, Gabbi Garcia, and Richard Yap. Will is one of the GMA-7 stars part of the show.
READ ALSO: What To Expect From ABS-CBN-GMA Collab Series “Unbreak My Heart”
Prior to the show, Will was considered one of GMA-7’s most promising actors, being part of the shows such as “Prima Donnas” and “Mano Po Legacy: The Flower Sisters.”
This marks his third big show since he transitioned from being a child star to a teen actor.
During the media conference of the show on May 25, Will thanked ABS-CBN, GMA-7, and Viu for the chance to become part of such a big project.
He says, “To GMA, ABS, and Viu, thank you so much po sa opportunity na ibinigay niyo. Sa nafi-feel ko po, actually, masaya po ako, sobra. Grateful po ako na nakikita po ako ng mga tao as promising star ng GMA.
“Para mapasali po sa isang napakalaking proyektong ito, sobrang blessed po ako. Ito po yung first-ever collaboration ng ABS and GMA. Happy po ako, sobra.”
In a separate interview with FreebieMNL after the press conference, Will shares how he found out that he would be part of the series.
“Actually, nag-start ito, nalaman ko siya, nagshu-shoot na kami ng ‘Mano Po: The Flower Sisters’ and pumunta ako sa office ni Tito Joey [Abacan], meron nga raw siyang show na pini-pitch ako.”
Joey Abacan is GMA-7’s First Vice President for Program Management, the department that handles blocktimers and partnerships such as “Unbreak My Heart.”
From that meeting, Will was excited knowing how big the project is.
“Sobrang na-excite ako noon kasi parang sinabi niya yung cast sa akin ‘tapos siyempre, dream ko rin makasama sila. Sila Ate Jodi, sila Joshua, lahat lahat sa cast.”
But most of all, Will is thankful to Sparkle and GMA-7 for giving him good projects and breaks in his career.
He says, “Sobrang thankful ako kasi for almost ten years na nasa GMA ako, talagang pinagkatiwalaan nila ako na gampanan lahat ng roles, pinagkatiwalaan nila ako sa mga shows.”
READ ALSO: Coco Martin-Julia Montes, “Voltes V: Legacy” Stars Lead “Unbreak My Heart” Celebrity Screening
Working with ABS-CBN stars
This is the first time that Will is working with the stars and production team of ABS-CBN. In fact, his partner in the series, Bianca de Vera, is a Kapamilya artist.
How was his experience in working with the people from ABS-CBN?
He answers, “Sobrang happy ako kasi hindi ko na-feel na na-OP ako sa kanila. Kumbaga, tinanggap nila ako kahit magkaibang network and na-feel ko na belong talaga ako sa family and marami akong natutunan sa kanila.”
Speaking of lessons from doing the show, Will has gained a lot of insights, especially in crafting his character.
He shares, “Marami lalo na noong nag-Switzerland kami, mas nag-focus talaga ako sa craft ko ngayon. Mas pinagtuunan ko ng pansin yung character na ginagampanan ko.
“Mga natutunan ko sa kanila is being professional. Sinusulat lahat yung bawat detalye ng character nila, yung past ng character nila. Natutunan kong pag-aralan na mahalin yung character.”
Banner Art Paulo Correa
