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Andrea revisits her different eras as she reacts to old photos and videos

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Liezel dela Cruz

For someone living in the dizzying world of showbiz since she was a kid, Andrea Brillantes never forgets to honor her past as part of who she currently is and who she will become. “Ang bigat-bigat din kasi ng mga tapings ko lately. Feeling ko kailangan ko na mabalikan ko kung saan ako nagsimula,” she said in her latest vlog on YouTube where she reacted to her old photos and videos.Andrea had no clue which photos and videos her sister chose for this vlog. She started off with a pic that flaunts her cute baby grin. She shared that she loved sweets as a baby, hence her rotten teeth. Her mom brought her to an audition at 4 years old, but Andrea was too shy to speak. She only got braver at 7 years old when she joined a beauty pageant to raise funds for her brother’s medical bills due to an accident.The next ones encapsulate her journey as a child actress, beginning with a photo from “<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/articles-photos/86041818-throwback-kahit-pusoy-masugatan-2012-14526">Kahit Puso&#x27;y Masugatan</a>” where she played young Andi Eigenmann. She took on the typical route of playing young versions of teleserye leading ladies until she got her first big break via “<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/articles-photos/76101917-throwback-annaliza-2013-13790">Annaliza</a>.”“Life-changing” is how she describes the serye. Her eyes fixed at a photo of her at the ABS-CBN trade launch where “<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/articles-photos/76101917-throwback-annaliza-2013-13790">Annaliza</a>” was first announced, she recalled, “Nauna sila Zanjoe Marudo [maglakad sa stage]. Tapos ako ‘yung last. Ang daming boss, ang daming artista doon na nanonood tapos naramdaman ko ‘yung moment na, ‘Oh, my god! Lord, thank You. Bida ako.’ Iyak lang ako nang iyak nu’n.”She had fun on the set of “<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/articles-photos/76101917-throwback-annaliza-2013-13790">Annaliza</a>.”There are photos of her wearing a combo of “Darna” and mermaid costume for a scene, and playing basketball with LA Tenorio, who remains a good friend of her then-co-star Zanjoe Marudo. Andrea revealed that she was so fascinated with basketball, but after this particular training with LA, she realized that it isn’t the best sport for her.As part of discovering her strengths and talents back then, she also tried cheer dancing and auditioned for her school’s pep squad. “Looking back at it, ang tigas-tigas ng katawan ko… Pero galing na galing ako sa sarili ko nu’ng time na to ha,” she reacted to her cheerdancing video. However, she had to give it up for a big role in “<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/pangakosayo">Pangako Sa’Yo</a>.”Still, Andrea kept her love for dancing alive. She would download mobile applications to practice her skills. She once recorded herself grooving to a Beyonce song. She once dreamed of becoming a rock star, too, evident in her sample performance on the Kapamilya game show “The Singing Bee.”Andrea pretty much had a happy childhood despite poverty. She revealed that she spent part of her childhood in a squatters’ area, looking at a photo of herself wearing a Halloween costume that her mom DIY-ed.Through hard work, she was able to buy a brand new car at the age of 10 – shown in a photo.We also see Andrea’s 10-year-old version fangirling over Anne Curtis, her ultimate idol in Philippine showbiz. She has quite a collection of photos with Anne, as the “<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/goinbulilit">Goin’ Bulilit</a>” studio was next to that of “<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/itshowtime">It’s Showtime</a>.” Or, sometimes she’d go after Anne in the parking area.Andrea has always been a lucky fangirl. Even before she was noticed by Blackpink Rose twice in different instances, she has already met equally famous international acts like Ariana Grande. As the story goes, one of the chosen fans failed to attend Ariana’s meet-and-greet backstage, so she got the unused pass. It didn’t end there. When she was seen on the screen during the concert, Ariana recognized her and said that she was so cute and sweet.Prior to this, Andrea used to just copy Ariana’s beauty looks – as shown in one of the photos she reacted to – manifesting things. She’s a huge Taylor Swift fan as well and hopes to watch her concert soon. Is her old photo with Taylor’s standee enough to manifest this as well?In terms of fashion, Andrea had a regrettable style phase. She couldn’t stop cringing at her old OOTDs, and her tip-toe poses.Also in the set are her photos with fellow child stars Zaijian Jaranilla and Xyriel Manabat, with whom she’s excited to reunite in the upcoming series “<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/seniorhigh2023/videos/watch-senior-high-teaser-coming-soon-abs-cbn-346793">Senior High</a>.” She also had nice things to say about Belle Mariano, calling the latter and Alexa Ilacad her truest friends in the industry.Of course, there must be a photo of her as Margaret “Marga” Mondragon from “<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/kadenangginto">Kadenang Ginto</a>,” her second life-changing role. “Dahil sa kanya, nakabili ako ng bahay for the family.”We look forward to your next happy ‘ganaps,’ Blythe!

Andrea Brillantes lives such a colorful life – check out her most memorable photos and videos here! 