"Actually it's my mom's dream," mabilis na tugon ng tween star na si Alden Richards nang tanungin kung pangarap ba niya talaga ang mag-artista.

Pinaunlakan ni Alden ang request ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) na makasama siya sa buong araw. At dahil dito'y mas nakilala nakilala namin siya at nasilip ang kanyang real and reel world.

Paano nga ba siya napasok sa showbiz?

"It was my mom's dream for me and I like...Whenever we talk about it when she was alive, because she died four years ago...Whenever we talk about showbusiness, I just agree, 'A, okay 'Ma, sige. 'Pag nagkaroon ng chance o opportunity, sige pasok tayo dyan.'

"I didn't know...It was not my... it was not my dream."

"Parang hindi ko siya gusto ka-big time before yung mom ko talaga since she's a fan of a... of telenovela sa [GMA] 7 and soaps—mahilig 'yong mom ko, e.

"And then sabi niya, 'Anak, sana one day makita kita diyan. Sana gano'n...gano'n ka na.'

"I think my mom, my mom—parang nagdilang-anghel siya, e.

"So siguro itong pagiging arista ko and my showbiz career, I owe it to my mom and God, because I think I'm here for a purpose."

HOW HE STARTED. Medyo mahaba-haba rin ang daan na kanyang tinahak bago siya naging artista.

"Before, I auditioned for commercials, TV ads, print ads, everything multi, everything...on the advertising industry.

"I auditioned for products, endorse no'ng hindi pa ako artista and then as we go along, siyempre maraming turndowns.

"Siguro, mas marami pa yung failures mo kaysa do'n sa mga nakuha mong projects," paggunita ng young actor.

Ano ba ang unang TV ad ni Alden?

Sagot niya, "It's a multi-vitamins. I was about 18 years old back then.