Ang Mutya ng Section E is gearing up for its second season on Viva One, and while fans are buzzing about the story’s darker direction, Andres Muhlach is dealing with a different kind of attention—the never-ending “showbiz royalty” label.
At the media conference for the series’ upcoming sequel, the young actor didn’t dodge the topic. He knows the surname comes with expectations, but he made it clear he doesn’t want people assuming things will be handed to him.
“I wouldn’t say it’s an advantage or a disadvantage,” he said. “At the end of the day, the effort and the work that we put in is not something our parents do. Our parents aren’t the ones showing up on set. That’s us. And the effort that we give is what we receive.”
Andres returns as Keifer in Book 2, but the story takes a different direction for him. Instead of the usual back-and-forth romance, Keifer now has to face problems rooted in his childhood and family.
“I think the biggest revelations for Keifer are really about his problems with his family—what he went through during his childhood and how that affects who he is now,” he explained. “I think that’s really the essence of his dark side.”
To tackle that shift, Andres says he leaned on past experiences from other projects.
“Every time I get the chance to work on a new project, I really learn a lot,” he said. “With those learnings, I get to apply them to the next project and the next one. I honestly feel—and I hope—that I’m getting better. It’s really about learning slowly what can be improved and what I can do better.”
He also knows there’s pressure—and he’s not pretending there isn’t. “Whatever work you do, there really has to be some pressure,” he said. “Because without pressure, you won’t be as inclined to give it your all.”
Online noise and fan wars don’t seem to bother him much either. He prefers to keep his focus on the job and the people he works with.
“At the end of the day, we’re all friends when we come to work. Fans are just being fans, being supporters,” he said. “We just really have to enjoy each other’s company and the whole process.”
As the show heads into a more intense season, Andres isn’t overthinking the expectations or the heritage tied to his last name. He’s keeping it simple by showing up, working hard, and letting the performance do the talking.
“We just want to make a show that everyone can enjoy,” he said. “If we’re enjoying the process and giving our best, everything will follow.”
Ang Mutya ng Section E: The Dark Side will be released in two parts. The first nine episodes drop on Dec. 4, while the next nine episodes follow on June 11.
