John Prats: ‘Sobrang crush ko si Ms. Aiko’
By: Rachelle Siazon   From: www.abs-cbn.com/
[September 13, 2008]

Thirteen years ago, Aiko Melendez has been an unreachable dream for then 11-year-old Batang X child actor John Prats. The actress played the role Dr. Axis, an alien stranded on earth who eventually formed a group of kiddie superheroes which included Kidlat played by John Prats. And now, who would have thought that the two would become confused lovers in Your Song Presents Someone Like You.

“Kasi yung last namin nagkita, yun talaga, yung Batang X. Tapos after nun, hindi na talaga kami nagkausap or nagkatrabaho ni Ms. Aiko. So parang ito (Your Song) na ulit yung first time na magkakatrabaho kami. Nung first day naming, syempre kapaan. Four years siya nag-stop sa showbiz tapos ngayon lang ulit siya nag-comeback. So sabi niya sa akin, ‘Medyo nangangalay ako ah. Tulungan mo muna ako.’ Tapos parang ako, ako pa yung tutulong? Para naman akong kinakabahan lalo, na-pressure ako,” John admittedly laughed.

John truly enjoyed their team-up though especially when they began to feel comfortable with each other’s company. Surprisingly, he found it easy to be working with an award-winning actress who happens to be his greatest childhood crush as well. “Actually, nung una kong nalaman na kasama ko si Ms. Aiko dito sa Your Song, kinabahan ako and sinabi ko din sa kanya yun. Kasi nung pinapanood ko yung movie nila ni Tito Aga (Mulach) dati sobrang crush ko siya. Paborito ko talaga yung May Minamahal kasi ang ganda-ganda nung movie at saka nakaka-in love talaga si Ms. Aiko,” he revealed.

To this day, John’s admiration towards the Quezon City councilor remained the same as she didn’t look a day older since her May Minamahal stint, he claimed. So just imagine how nervous the young actor felt when they were about to tape their intimate scenes for the mini-series. “Madaling araw namin shinoot yun. Kumusta naman yun na ni-last pa talaga para siguro maging comfortable kami. Pero syempre nung nag-take na kami, parang pinagpapawisan ako ng malamig kasi first time go gumawa ng ganung klaseng eksena. At saka parang ‘di ako kumain bago mag-take para kunyari payat naman ako dito sa scene na ‘to,” John gushed.

In a lighter note, John stressed that it’s really possible for a young guy to fall in love with a much older woman just like in the thorny story of Your Song’s September installment. Indeed, at one point in his life, he felt the same way for sexy actress Joyce Jimenez. “Na-attract ako and inamin ko naman dati na hindi naman siguro super obsessed kundi sobra ko’ng naging crush ni Ms. Joyce Jimenez who was about six years older than me,” he agreed. In his case, however, he dismissed it as mere teenage infatuation. “Kasi nung na-experience ko yung stage na ganun, nung 18-years-old ako, parang lahat ng gusto ko that time mas matatanda sa akin. Feeling ko kasi nun ‘pag mas matanda girlfriend mo, mas challenging and mas marami kang matututunan.Yung excitement nandun pero wala pa rin akong nagiging girlfriend who's older than me. ‘Di ako makaligaw kasi nga natatakot ako nun,” he ended.

Catch John Prats and Aiko Melendez’s sweet reunion on Your Presents Someone Like You, Sundays, right after ASAP ’08