In the realm of BL, they fall in love.
Showbiz newbies Ali King and Alec Kevin are joining the Boys Love (BL) bandwagon, a genre that now dominates the digital world with an avalanche of content from Thailand flooding streaming sites and platforms across the region. And the fad doesn’t show any signs of waning anytime soon as more BLs are being produced in several territories including the Philippines.
Ali and Alec’s contribution to this online phenomenon is Boys’ Lockdown, a story of two wandering souls that find each other while trying to cope with the pandemic and the strict social distancing protocols implemented by the government.
In an exclusive interview with Manila Standard Entertainment both young actors shared that they were excited to be part of the project, but at the same time, they were also anxious since part of the team was a crop of seasoned filmworkers.
“I think what sets us apart from other BL series is the fact that the people behind this project are achievers in their own right. Take our director for example,” Alec shared referring to Jade Castro who is best known for his works My Big Love, Zombadings, and Endo.
“And the story, we are telling a unique story that doesn’t just focus on love. There’s a bigger picture compared to what people already saw in the trailer,” he added.
The drama follows Key and Chen finding love in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. They find each other in the middle of the enhanced community quarantine and connect in ways that surprise them both. As they get to know each other despite the restrictions, challenges and even dangers stemming from the pandemic, something very special starts to blossom between them.
“As a newbie, I know it’s only natural for you to feel nervous because of the new environment you’re going to be in. But because of the people I was working with, that feeling immediately disappeared because they made me feel comfortable,” Ali said.
Before pursuing his career as an actor, Ali or Alonzo Raphael Elequin in real life, used to work for one of the country’s biggest advertising and public relations agencies. A creative at heart, he has cultivated a following on his social media platforms which he fills with enthralling stories and his obsession with iced coffee, Mean Girls, and his latest skincare regimen.
Boys’ Lockdown may be Ali’s debut in show business but he is very devoted to the craft, with his free time spent binge-watching his favorite movies, writing songs, and performing them on his guitar. His songs are inspired by Taylor Swift, this generation’s biggest superstar, whose songs weave beautiful memories into its lyrics.
Ali remains proudest of his dedication to fitness, losing almost 70 lbs, and maintaining this fit way of life to this day. He credits calorie-counting and intermittent fasting as the biggest factors of his weight-loss journey and merely sustains such practices to maintain his fit physique.
A natural charmer, Ali is used to being in front of the camera, which is evident in his vlogs on YouTube and the TikTok challenges he takes. He says professional acting is a tremendous challenge but remains undeterred as his love for the craft and passion will help him overcome whatever difficulty he encounters on the set.
Alec, on the other hand, drops his last name Rigonan to come up with his stage name. The other half of the Boys’ Lockdown duo graduated with a degree in Applied Physics from the University of the Philippines. He was also a part of the UP Street Dance Team who won gold in the ever-competitive UAAP Cheer Dance competition in 2016.
Apart from being declared the street dance champion, it was also a big year as he starred in the critically-acclaimed short film, Fish Out of Water, directed by Mon Garilao. The film won the Special Jury Prize for a short film in the 2016 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and was nominated in the best short film category in the 2017 Gawad Urian Awards. Looking back now, together with his love for the film industry, Alec Kevin saw his role in the short film as one of the opportunities for him to continue walking down the road to being an actor at his young age.
He is a self-confessed foodie who enjoys lemon tarts, espresso, and red wine. He binges on Netflix during his free time and only has great words about the hit Korean drama, Kingdom, his current favorite series.
Get to know more of Alec and Ali and the characters they portray in Boys’ Lockdown, premiering this Thursday (Oct. 15) on the Ticket2Me video player and YouTube channel.
