YASSER MARTA was discovered when he joined Eat Bulaga’s Spogify contest.
GMA then got him and made him a member of the boy group, One Up. Then he started guesting in various TV shows and cultivated an acting career. He’s currently part of the Vic Sotto-Maine Mendoza sitcom, “Daddy’s Gurl”.
The son of a Pinay mom and a Portuguese dad, he’s now happy to be part of the new GMA-7 primetime romantic-drama, “What We Could Be”, where he plays Lucas, the third wheel in the love affair of Miguel Tanfelix as Franco and Ysabel Ortega as Cynthia.
This will start airing on Monday, August 29, right after "Lolong".
This is his second big assignment as a Kapuso after “Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit”, the afternoon soap where he was paired with Kyline Alcantara.
“It’s really a big achievement in my career kasi nagsimula ako from scratch, zero in this industry and now nabigyan ako ng ganitong kagandang project, ‘What We could Be’, which is a co-production of GMA with Quantum Films of Atty. Joji Alonso,” he says.
“Tapos, ang director pa namin is the award-winning Jeffrey Jeturian. I feel so lucky to be able to work with top directors, kasi sa ‘Bilangin’, si Tita Laurice Guillen naman ang director namin.
"You really learn so much on how to improve your craft when you work with acclaimed directors.”
He says doing “Bilangin” is a great learning experience for him.
“Kasi my mom in the movie is played by Ina Feleo and our acting coach is Ana Feleo, daughters of our director. Tapos ang kasama namin sa show, parehong magaling, Nora Aunor and Mylene Dizon.
"So, just watching them work, marami ka na talagang matututuhan at lahat yun, nadala ko sa ibang naging work ko since then, pati dito sa ‘What We Could Be’ na may dramatic scenes din kami. I have really learned to love the craft of acting so much more.”
When the pilot week of “What We Could Be” was shown to the press, it was very noticeable that Yasser has more scenes than Miguel Tanfelix. It was he who rescued Ysabel from the hands of an abusive guy when she got so drunk and the guy tried to take advantage of her.
Yasser brought Ysabel home and when she wakes up, he was just coming from having a shower and was only wrapped in a towel. His bare torso is displayed to advantage and it’s obvious they’re really projecting him as a hunk. How did he feel about doing this topless scene?
“Okay lang naman for me,” he says. “Actually, pinaghandaan ko yung role ko rito as Lucas.
"Kasi I was told I will have scenes na shirtless ako. Wala naman akong dapat ikahiya as I take good care of my body by working out in the gym.
"May offer nga for me to do a sexy movie and I was ready to do it, kaya lang GMA Artist Center Sparkle told me not to do it kasi I was then doing a wholesome soap, so hindi raw bagay.
"I can go daring naman, but it depends pa rin kung maganda ang project and who will be directing it, lalo na kung ilalaban sa film festivals sa ibang bansa.”
How is it working with Miguel and Ysabel in “What We Could Be”?
“They’re both easy to work with. But yung buong cast, sobrang galing ng lahat. Siempre, most of my scenes are with Miguel and Ysabel kaya lagi kaming magkasama.
"I really enjoyed their company, specially when we shot some scenes on location in Taal, Batangas. Sa story, magpinsan kami ni Miguel and when he neglected Ysabel dahil sa family problems niya, I was the one who consoled Ysabel and took good care of her.
"Si Miguel, masarap ka-work, wala kaming kompetisyon sa set. We set aside our egos para sa ikagaganda ng project. Magkakabarkada kaming lahat sa taping.”
He’s happy to have a show on primetime.
“Iba pa rin kasi kapag nasa GMA Telebabad. Mas marami talagang manonood. And I know ‘What We Could Be’ will be a hit as it has very relatable characters, lalo na para sa mga kabataang viewers.
"This is a feel-good show and watching it before you go to sleep will bring a smile on your face.”
