David Licauco is slowly rising to the showbiz ranks, thanks to his impressive performance on the viral historical fantasy series Maria Clara at Ibarra. ICYMI, the actor plays Fidel on the show, the mischievous friend of lead character Crisostomo Ibarra (played by Dennis Trillo) and potential love interest of Klay (Barbie Forteza). Given his boy-next-door looks and on-point acting skills, it comes as no surprise that netizens have been showering David with praises—dubbing him as one of GMA’s actors to watch. Below, get to know him more.
10 facts about David Licauco:
1. He’s been in showbiz for seven years now.
David was first discovered after winning Mr. Chinatown way back in 2014. Back then, he transitioned from being a part-time model to a full-time actor, gracing appearances in Kapamilya shows Gandang Gabi Vice, Flordeliza, and Ipaglaban Mo.
2. He’s a La Sallian.
He took up a Business Management course at the College of St. Benilde.
3. He’s Filipino-Chinese.
The actor is of Filipino-Chinese descent. Surprisingly, he doesn’t mind dating girls who don’t have Chinese roots! In an interview, he reveals that his parents don't mind who he dates, as long as it’s “someone [who] supports him, makes him happy, and takes good care of him.”
4. He’s an established food entrepreneur.
David surely knows his way around food! Currently, he owns three business ventures under his belt: As Nature Intended, Kuya Korea, and Sobra Comfort Food. For his entrepreneurial mindset, he credits his background as a Business Management graduate and learnings from his businesswoman mom—who’s fond of franchising—as driving forces.
5. He's a former collegiate basketball player.
He might be pursuing a different track now, but if there’s one thing David used to be passionate about: it’s the game of hoops. He previously played in the NCAA (National College Athletic Association) under his alma mater College of St. Benilde.
6. He did some projects with the Kapamilya network, one of which was with Vice Ganda.
One of David’s notable projects during his first few years in showbiz is with ABS-CBN host Vice Ganda in his hit movie The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin.
7. He has a big crush on Heart Evangelista.
One of David’s first big projects on GMA is Mulawin vs Ravena, which granted him the opportunity to work with famed style influencer and actress Heart Evangelista. On his first day meeting her, he gushed about feeling like a teenage boy: “It’s just nice to know that you are working on the same set with your long-time crush." Cute!
8. He has already been teamed up with Barbie Forteza before.
It’s no secret that he’s being *shipped* to leading lady Barbie’s Klay, given the character's undeniable chemistry with his role Fidel. But did you know that this isn’t really their first time as a love team? They were previously in a love triangle with fellow Kapuso star Rob Gomez in Mano Po Legacy: The Family Fortune.
9. He was once in a relationship with an ABS-CBN actress.
David has been notoriously private with his love life, yet on some occasions, was unafraid to speak his heart out. Albeit refusing to reveal her identity, he shared his heartbreak story with an ex-girlfriend who is a Kapamilya actress. "Sobrang umiyak ako nun. Pero siyempre once na-accept mo naman na yung fact kung bakit wala na... okay ka na."
10. He’s thankful for all the support he’s getting for his performance at Maria Clara at Ibarra.
Nowadays, you can see David dominating TikTok trends with performance clips of his scenes in the historical drama. He shares that while the role is something new and different from what he’s used to doing, he believes in its relevance to the plot’s story. "Additional character si Fidel, I would say parang comic relief. Siyempre si Ibarra is super serious so si Fidel 'yung magpapa-lighten somehow ng mood of the some of scenes,” he quipped.
This story originally appeared on Candymag.com.
* Minor edits have been made by the Preview.ph editors.
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