I first met Aldrin Bundoc in 2008, when we were first-year students at George Brown Theatre School and immediately, I knew he was going to be a friend for life. Aldrin Bundoc is a ray of sunshine in the lives of everyone he meets. He is an open, non-judgemental, hilarious, kind person and one of the most creative people I have ever met.
I have had the immense pleasure of working with him on multiple projects over the years and I am impressed again and again by his unparalleled work ethic. Watching him hone in on scripts, dissecting and creating characters with such depth and authenticity is thrilling and inspiring. His work is playful, exciting, and honest. With a wide-ranging skill set, he brings an exciting new piece of himself to each role. The way Aldrin Bundoc cares about and dedicates himself to his craft is outstanding and it’s no wonder to me that he is so successful in everything he puts his mind to.
I am so proud to call him one of my best friends. Watch this incredibly talented and powerful artist light up the screen in the new satirical sketch comedy series Abroad on OMNI, about Filipino-Canadians and immigrants.
-Written by Caroline Toal – friend and collaborator
Today is a fun one – I have a virtual callback audition and it’ll be with the director of the film and the casting director. As an actor, every day is different for me. I finished filming a show called “Abroad” a few months ago and these days, I’m back to auditioning. My mornings consist of a coffee, eating breakfast while listening to the news, and then emails.It’s important for me to connect to my body on a daily basis. Here’s my little at-home gym consisting of a few weights. This morning, I won’t be lifting weights but rather warming up for the audition. During the lockdown, I was able to delve deeper into my warm-up practice which has benefited my work and my mental health. My practice includes breath work, emotional check-ins (how I’m truly feeling), tension release, and connection to my voice.Callback time. I had the happy nerves going into this one, which is a good thing. I wanted to go in there and continue exploring the role and the scenes – I wanted to play. The audition went pretty well. I didn’t “mess up”, I took the direction, and I had fun. Still, no guarantee that I’ll book it so now, I remind myself of my worth despite what happens.After the callback, I squeeze in a workout before going out to dinner. Yes, that’s a P90x video on my TV, and yes, sometimes I still workout along to it.That night, I got together with friends from the show “Abroad”. We go to a fantastic Filipino restaurant called iSLAS. It just so happened that our “Abroad” wardrobe supervisor was nearby so she joined us. It was a solid night.A lot of people made “Abroad” happen and this are just a few of the creatives and cast. Check it out on OMNI. Here’s us on the last filming day making little finger-hearts <3This week, I booked a studio and set up an editorial shoot with photographer Vita Cooper. They turned out incredible!A fun selfie on the set of “Save the Date”, a short film that I recently acted in. It’ll premiere at the InsideOut Film Festival.
***
What ‘hood are you in?
I live around the distillery district – I’ve lived in this area for over 10 years now. I went to theatre school at George Brown which is located within the distillery district, and it’s been my neighbourhood since. My fave thing to do around here is go running along the Harbourfront and visit the water.
What do you do?
I’m an actor.
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently in Ottawa filming a movie that’s set to be released at the end of the year. I’m also working on a couple writing projects – one feature film and the other is a play.
Where can we find your work?
Abroad is out! Catch all the episodes on the OMNI website. And my Instagram is @buzzaldy.
Also, check out our ABROAD React Video -the cast of Abroad and me recorded ourselves watching the first episode. It was a hoot!
