M.E.S.S.: iStyled: Sam Milby for Manila Bulletin's Spotted

Sam Goes To Hollywood

Spotted

By ANGELO G. GARCIA

Photo by CROMWELL TORIO

Styled by JP DICHE and PIERRE PERALTA

Grooming by RHINA MONTEMAYOR

Clothes by FOLDED and HUNG

MANILA, Philippines — The list of Filipino celebrities who try their luck in Hollywood grows longer and longer. Some have succeeded, more have failed.

On account of their birth rights, Filipino-Americans however have greater chances at the Hollywood dream. There’s comedian Rob Schneider and drama/action star Lou Diamond Phillips. Then there is the younger batch of Fil-Ams including Vanessa Hudgens, lead actress of the then popular TV movie series, High School Musical, and Ana Maria Perez de Tagle, who came out in Camp Rock.

Their success has inspired singer/actor Sam Milby to temporarily hang up his local showbiz mantle and hie off to the United States to do auditions for various television shows. Born and raised in Troy, Ohio, Sam entered showbiz through the backdoor, via the reality show Pinoy Big Brother in 2005.

“Kinda scary but very excited. It’s a new chapter in my life. I’ll be there over three months and do auditions. It’s pilot week season so there are a lot of new shows from the network,” shares the 27 year-old actor.

Sam is hoping that he has gathered enough materials for his acting portfolio to be let in the door. Among his more notable works are as as JB Roxas Berenguer in the television series “Maging Sino Ka Man” and his drama-romance-comedy films such as “My Big Love”, “Babe, I Love You” “and “Forever and a Day.”

LEAVING HOME

Last month, while Sam was busy packing his bags and tying loose ends, the Students and Campuses Bulletin team was allowed to peek into his inner sanctum in a Pasig City house he invested in and built. Sam is entrusting the upkeep of the house to some relatives while he is away.

The three-bedroom home, which he intended to be modern and Japanese inspired, is spacious and even has a theater on the second floor. A wooden faux wall where a flat TV is installed is built between the dining and the living area and it swivels 180 degrees so that TV screen may be seen from either the two rooms.

“I was really hands-on building this house, I wanted to have a staircase with no hand railings. I wanted to have this swiveling part with the TV,” he explains.

His favorite part of the room, beside his bedroom, is understandably the home theater.

“I stay in the theater room a lot. I love watching movies, I have a collection of original BluRay discs. I watch everything. My favorites are Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, it’s a great movie, I was surprised it didn’t do well in the box office, it’s such a good movie. Some of my all-time favorites are Braveheart, Interview with the Vamipre, Fight Club,” he says.

Yet, Sam doesn’t like watching his own film. “I hate watching myself. ‘Yun talaga ang isang bagay na ayaw ko talaga, ‘yung panoorin ang sarili ko. The premiere night is the first and last time I watch my movies.”

He also has his own fully-equipped gym with a sauna and of course a pool. But he admits that he hasn’t used the gym in a while. Last year, he only used the gym for less than 10 times!

Sam describes himself as a “health conscious freak”. He only drinks soy milk, eats wheat bread, and will not touch fried foods with a ten-foot pole. This is how he stays lean, he says, and only needs minimal work out.

HIS DREAM HOME

One of his favorite places in the house is his loft-type bedroom. His bedroom on the second floor has two floors. His bed and a balcony are located on the second floor of the room while his living/entertainment area, walk-in closet, and bathroom are on the first floor.

On a lazy day, Sam says he loves sleeping in because he is basically a night owl. “I’m a night owl and I want to change that. There are times when I don’t have work in the morning I tend to sleep at 4 a.m. and I hate that. The book that I am reading, “A man who wakes up before dawn, 360 days a year will never let his family hungry.” I need to start disciplining myself to go to bed early and wake up early. I hate the feeling like I wasted a day. There’s always something I need to get done. When I wake up late, it’s already a wasted day,” Sam explains. He is also a gamer, owning multiple game consoles and mobile gadgets. This is another thing he wants to change so he can read more books.

Yet, this is still not Sam’s dream home. He envisions that dream house to have – don’t look now – a motocross track!

“I really want a motocross track. I love the outdoors and I want a spacious house and lot. Kahit maliit ‘yung bahay basta may motocross track, dream house ko na ‘yun,” he says.