PAULO Avelino, known for being a man of few words in press interviews, appears to be more expressive on the keyboard than in front of the camera, going by his witty and at times shocking tweets in a marathon question-and-answer session with his followers Wednesday.
Coinciding with the nationwide release of his film “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral,” the 30-year-old actor invited his fans to #AskGoyo any question on Twitter. While there were a few who asked him about the historical epic, far greater was the number of followers who instead sent Avelino playful messages.
A couple of exchanges involved the mention of Daniel Padilla and K-pop group Red Velvet. Others had Avelino speculating how his character Goyo, based on the Filipino general Gregorio del Pilar, would participate in the dating app Tinder, if at all.
“If hindi ikaw si Goyo… sino yung pwede maging Goyo instead?” one user asked.
“Bagay din kay Daniel Padilla,” Avelino answered.
But what had fans (apparently both women and men) virtually shrieking were Avelino’s smooth responses to those asking him out on a movie date, or requesting some form of gesture to inspire them to study. Avelino also had “kilig”-inducing responses to fans who aired their “jealousy” over the actor being flirty with others, including those proposing marriage.
“Grabe ang pogi ni @mepauloavelino pero di ako bakla ha,” one male netizen tweeted.
“I labyu pare,” Avelino replied.
A number of Avelino’s replies reached tens of thousands of likes, as he made fans swoon with his “chickboy” answers. Some speculated he was embodying that side of Goyo, whose relationships with different women were portrayed in the film, while others went as far as questioning whether Avelino was indeed behind the tweets. “Siya ba talaga ‘yun?” one follower asked.
A running joke also emerged after one follower asked Avelino to tweet even just a dot to indicate that he noticed her message. Several more similar requests followed – and Avelino obliged.
When the topic wasn’t about romancing Avelino, the Kapamilya leading man showed his funny side with comebacks to philosophical questions and hypothetical situations. He also gave heartfelt advice to followers who shared their struggles.
“@mepauloavelino may advice ka po ba sa mga graduating students? #AskGoyo,” asked a fan.
“Huwag magpakain sa sistema,” answered the “Goyo” star.
Avelino did eventually turn serious on the topic of present-day societal problems, participating in a revolution, and whether Goyo would be disappointed with the situation of Filipinos today.
“#AskGoyo masaya kaya si Goyo sa kalagayan ng bansa ngayon?” tweeted a netizen.
“Malamang hindi,” was Avelino’s short answer. (ABS-CBN News)
