Award-Winning Former Child Actors Not Successful As Grown Up Leading Men

AFTER DOING cameo roles in “Apoy sa Dagat” and “Dugong Buhay”, Patrick Garcia and Carlo Aquino are now back in a regular primetime teleserye, “Annaliza”. They’re wishing their roles will be longer this time and they’re wish is granted as they’ll be in the story from beginning to end. Patrick is Lazaro, the dad of Andrea Brilliantes, who plays Annaliza, with Denise Laurel as the mom. Carlo Aquino is Makoy, the kidnapper who steals Annaliza from them and gives the baby to his friend Zanjoe Marudo.

Both Patrick and Carlo started as child stars and won awards right away. Patrick did “Separada” and “Rollerboys” then won best child actor for “Madrasta” and best actor for “Batang PX”. Carlo won best supporting actor awards for “Bata, Bata, Paano Ka Ginawa”.

As teen stars, Patrick joined ABS-CBN’s teen stars in “Tabing Ilog” while Carlo did memorable dramas like “Minsan May Isang Puso” and “Sugatang Puso”. Patrick later moved to GMA-7 and did soaps like “Babangon Ako’t Dudurugin Kita”, “Full House” and “Iglot”. He went back to ABS-CBN doing “Unofficially Yours” for Star Cinema and the soap “Lumayo Ka Man sa Akin”.

Carlo won a best actor award for the indie film “Sa Aking Pagkagising sa Kamulatan”. Now 27, he played lead roles in “Tuli” and “Tumbok”. He did soaps with both GMA-7 and TV5 and he’s now back with ABS-CBN where he started as a child actor in 1992 on “Ang TV”.

Their careers as leading men didn’t really take off. Patrick is now 31 and has two kids: a son, Alex Jazz, with Jennylyn Mercado who’s now 5 years old and a daughter with non-showbiz GF Jessica Martinez named Chelsea, 3 months old. He wasn’t there when Alex was born since he and Jen had a falling out. But with Chelsea, he was there all the time. “Siempre, mas masarap yung feeling na you were there throughout the pregnancy until sa panganganak, every step of the way,” he says. “Nakita mo yung development at parang kasali ka sa pregnancy. Na-feel ko talaga yung pagiging father, which I didn’t experience kay Jazz.”

We just saw his son at the set of “Indio” with Jen and it cannot be doubted the boy is his since they look so much alike. But Jen said he barely gets in touch with them. “Pero okay lang,” Jen told us. “Kaya ko naman, e.” Patrick was asked about why he doesn’t see his son and he just said: “No comment na lang. It’s a sensitive issue. Basta ayokong pag-usapan yan.”

Annaliza starts airing tomorrow before TV Patrol, directed by Theodore Boborol and Cathy Camarillo.