Gerald celebrates his 20th birthday with Star Studio Magazine
Rachelle Siazon ( ABS-CBN Interactive ) 03.02.09

For the first time since he joined showbiz, Gerald Anderson celebrated his birthday with his family and closest friends when the team behind Star Studio Magazine organized a surprise party for him last Thursday night at the Fiamma bar in MakatiCity. Though both his father and Kim Chiu weren’t able to make it due to certain commitments, he managed to enjoy his night away from work.“These past three years, kapag birthday ko either nasa bahay lang ako or nasa taping. Hindi rin talaga ako mahilig sa parties kaya nagulat ako nung pinagawa ni Sir Biboy (Arboleda, Editor-in-chief of Star Studio Magazine) ito para sa akin, pero natutuwa ako at the same time. Sana there would be more parties to come,” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN.com during the event.

Though he is only turning 20 years old on March 7, the dashing young actor knows that he is fortunate to have accomplished a lot in such a short time. “I really feel blessed dahil madami ang nagbago sa buhay ko ever since I started in the business. Sa lahat ng achievements ko, siyempre sa mga soaps na ginawa ko from Sana Maulit Muli to My Girl and then itong Tayong Dalawa. Tapos yung pagkakaroon ko ng sariling bahay, malaking achievement talaga yun para sa akin.” Nevertheless, he continues to hope for more projects to come in the future. “Sana humaba yung career ko dito sa showbiz. Alam ko’ng marami pa ako’ng dapat matutunan so I wish gumaling ako sa lahat ng aspects bilang isang artista,” he exclaimed.

There’s no denying the fact that being paired with other leading ladies is part and parcel of an actor’s individual growth but Gerald is focused on making the best out of his successful team-up with Kim for now. “Alam naman natin na mangyayari yun. Hindi natin maiiwasan. Pero sobrang nag-eenjoy ako ngayon sa love team namin ni Kim at sa dami ng mga magagandang nangyari sa amin. So I am taking things step by step muna. Tsaka na lang yun,” he stressed. But he is also looking forward to working with other prime actresses such as Angel Locsin, Anne Curtis, Bea Alonzo, and Sarah Geronimo in the future. “It would be good to work with them. Nakikita ko sila sa ASAP eh [and] they’re all beautiful. Pero kapag nasa right timing na.”

Except for the things he mentioned above, Gerald claimed that he is no longer asking for material gifts either from his parents or even from Kim whom he had given a pink car during her 18th birthday last year. “Takot na yung mom and dad ko na magbigay ng gifts sa akin kasi sabi lahat naman mayroon na ako (laughs). And it's my turn to shower them with gifts ‘di ba? Sa mom ko, ‘yung bahay niya. Yung house naming sa Gen San (General Santos) pina-renovate talaga, mas malaki na siya. Sa dad ko I gave him a car, so ‘yun. Kay Kim naman, sinabi ko na sa kanya huwag na siyang gumastos. ‘Kahit napakadami mo’ng commercials ngayon, basta magkasama tayo okay na sa akin yun’,” he revealed.

Together with his Tayong Dalawa co-star Jake Cuenca, Gerald is set to turn over a portion of their 2 million-peso cash prize from Kapamilya Deal or No Deal to the Armed Forces of the Philippines today at CampCapinpin, Tanay, Rizal. This is also a great way for him to mark his 20th birthday. “Pinili naming beneficiary yung mga cancer patients na anak ng mga soldiers dito sa atin. Gusto talaga namin ni Jake makatulong sa kanila dahil talagang nakita namin yung mga pinagdadaanan nila nung nagtraining kami sa PMA at kapag nagte-taping kami sa kampo nila,” he stated.

Watch out for Star Studio’s April issue for more on Gerald’s birthday bash and other juicy celebrity stories