Miguel Tanfelix dubbed as next 'primetime king' by netizens

Miguel Tanfelix is considered a veteran in the field of acting because of his extensive experience.

He may have portrayed different characters on TV but, most of them, he appeared as an underdog or someone who has a vulnerable personality.

Thanks to What We Could Be, Miguel was able to turn away from the usual roles he played onscreen.

In the series, he is Franco, a charismatic yet he's hiding many deep secrets and heartaches. He has his ways of doing things even if it hurts the one he loves.

"Ando'n 'yung emosyon pero 'di s'ya give na give and 'yun ang isa sa mga process and technique na inaaral ko ngayon.

"I had to relearn kasi kapag sanay ka na sa isang routine, medyo mahirap bumali ng method or ng path kasi ito na 'yung go-to ng katawan mo.

"Kunwari 'pag may eksenang mataas [ang] emosyon, ang go-to mo ay umiyak, sumigaw," Miguel shared in a sitdown interview with GMANetwork.com.

Unlike his past roles, Miguel is tough in What We Could Be and the pandemic has helped him reroute his style in acting.

He went on, "Iba na kasi ngayon kasi after nag-hit 'yung pandemic, ang daming taon na lumipas, sobrang kailangan ng transition period para sa mga characters na gagampanan ko and being a young adult, 'di naman s'ya palagi ka na lang nag-e-express ng emosyon mo.

"So sakto, bilang young adult ako, 'yun 'yung mga roles na napupunta sa 'kin is gano'n din 'yung age group and kailangan ko i-expose 'yung sarili ko sa mga male dominant films like Fight Club, Falling Down, favorite ko Top Gun.

"So in-expose ko 'yung sarili ko in preparation for these roles kasi alam kong 'di na 'to katuald ng mga roles na ginagampanan ko noon so I had to relearn."

Miguel is well-aware that he is no longer the tweetums he used to be. And evidently, What We Could Be is his stepping stone before starring in a much-bigger production, Voltes V: Legacy, which he also co-stars with his What We Could Be leading lady, Ysabel Ortega.

"Kailangan kong tanggalin 'yung mga traits ng mga characters ko before sa sarili ko for me to be able na ma-apply 'yung mga bago kong napag-aaralan. Kailangan mong maging mas matatag, I mean, 'di naman ibig sabihin na mawawala 'yung pagigng vulnerable mo, ando'n pa rin 'yun. Pero ang daming walls na humaharang sa vulnerability mo. Medyo nag-struggle lang ako ngayon but with the help of my teammate, Ysabel, and my acting coach, Jay Cruz, and also direk Mark Reyes, and Jeffrey Jeturian, may guidance sila sa 'kin every time na kailangan ko sa set."

Sure enough, Miguel has come a long way in his professional acting career.

In fact, many believe he is fit to be named as Dingdong Dantes's successor as 'primetime king' after noticing the maturity of his role in What We Could Be.

Catch Miguel in the last episode of What We Could Be tonight, October 27, 9:35 p.m. on GMA Telebabad.

MEANWHILE, LOOK BACK AT MIGUEL'S ICONIC ROLES FROM BEING A CHILD ACTOR HERE: