BY MARCHEL P. ESPINA
Friday, June 14, 2019

Rising star Javier “Javi” Benitez was still working in the corporate world when he was encouraged to give show business a try.

Growing up, he said he liked to watch Chinese action films that starred Jet Li, Jackie Chan, or Bruce Lee.

Javi Benitez on the set of “Kid Alpha One”*

“I had an inner desire to do something like that, but I never thought I'd enter the entertainment or showbiz industry. My parents said I must finish schooling before getting into it full-time, if ever,” Javi, 22, son of outgoing Rep. Alfredo Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District), said in an interview with the STAR.

Javi was born in Quezon City and raised in Manila. He studied in Xavier School until high school and went to Santa Clara University in California where he graduated from a political science and computer science course in 2017.

He described himself as an adrenaline junkie and sports enthusiast. “I was a go-kart racer for about seven years and I was part of my football varsity team.” He also loves non-fiction books and reads The Economist every week.

After “Game Changer”, a docu-magazine program hosted by him and his dad aired on ANC, an ABS-CBN executive talked to them and he was encouraged to give show business a try.

After making what he said was a hard decision, Javi joined workshops and enrolled in acting, singing, and dancing classes. Recently, he was launched as one of the 16 new faces of Star Magic for 2019.

Currently, he is working on a movie titled “Kid Alpha One”, with Richard Somes, a Negrense director best known for horror and action films.

He said his dream project is a leading role in an action romance movie, like “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”, adding he believes that’s the key niche that will work both locally and internationally.

“We Filipinos need the romance, but there’s a surge in demand for innovative and creative action movies,” he added.

Javi said his parents have always been supportive of what he wanted to do, and to do it with passion and commitment. “Since they are familiar with the industry, they remind me to remain humble and to respect everyone, not only the management or fellow actors but the crew and staff,” he said.

His mom also told him “to stay away from bad influence or toxic people, and not to get anyone pregnant. I'm single and don't plan on having kids anytime soon. I feel I have to be able to financially support myself and my dog.”

He said he received warm welcome and congratulations from friends, family members, and especially Negrense followers on social media after the Star Magic launching.

“Before getting into this, I promised myself to never settle, keep improving on my craft, and to be a good role model especially to the youth,” he said.

For more of Javi, follow him on Facebook (Javi Benitez), Twitter (@whatsjavinin), and Instagram (@javibenitezzz).*