JAVI BENITEZ is the son of Cong. Albee Benitez who’s now a Star Magic Artist. He was at the presscon of “Magikland” which his dad produced so we got to interview him.
Since his dad is now producing shows for TV5, isn’t he asked to do a show for his dad’s Brightlight Productions that is a regular content provider for TV5 and Cignal Entertainment.
“Right now, hindi naman ako puede as I’m still doing a show for ABS-CBN,” he says. “I’m a mainstay in ‘Walang Hanggang Paalam’ and I play the brother of Zanjoe Marudo in the story.
"But I have shot a movie for my dad, ‘Kid Alpha One’, which is now on post-production, ine-edit pa. And we’re not in a hurry to show it kasi may pandemic pa. Netflix daw is interested but we want to show it first on the big screen of actual theaters.”
Javi says he’s a fan of martial arts movies as a child but he never really thought of joining showbiz. “But when I later told my parents I’d like to try it, they asked me to finish college first."
He finished high school in Xavier then went to Santa Clara University, a Jesuit school in California where he majored in political and computer science, graduating in 2017.
An avid sports enthusiast, he was into go kart racing and a member of their football varsity team. He hosted “Game Changer” on ANC before giving showbiz a try.
He took up acting workshops with Star Magic and was launched as one of their new stars last year. In his movie, “Kid Alpha One”, he is directed by top action director Richard Somes and he plays a young soldier who is an expert in combat and martial arts.
He figures in an accident and a shrapnel is embedded in his head so his enemies use this to exploit him for their own evil purposes.
His leading lady in the movie is Sue Ramirez and they now admit they are really on.
“Yes, while making the movie, that’s where it started, doon kami na-develop. Ayoko sana noong una kasi she just came from a relationship and ayoko rin ng showbiz.
"But after two months of being together, I realized I really like her kasi she’s, very honest, totoong tao siya, and I said, see how we go.
"It also helped na pareho kaming Star Magic at Ilonggo. My family is from Victorias in Negros and her mom naman is from Sipalay, so nagkasundo kami talaga.
"Now, we are both excited na ipakita sa tao ang movie namin. We’re both proud of our work in ‘Kid Alpha One’.”
He says his dream is for them to do an action movie like “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. “Yung pagsasamahin mo ang action and romance. I believe innovative action-romance movies will click both locally and internationally.”
His parents are very supportive of his dream to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry.
“They always remind me to be humble and to respect everyone, not only your co-actors but even the crew and staff.
"My mom also tells me to stay away from toxic people who can be a bad influence. I really want to succeed in this, so I’m just focused on doing good and to keep on continually improving my craft."
