PHILIPPINES – Film and television actor, host, model, athlete and businessman Sam Milby once burst into the local entertainment scene like a breath of fresh air, warming Pinoy hearts everywhere.
Young, shy, and new to the scene, Sam had his share of joys and struggles—and this weekend, in Cinema One’s program “Numero Uno,” the Kapamilya heartthrob tells all about where he came from, where he is, and where he wants to be in the years to come.
This weekend (September 13 and 14), Sam takes the spotlight and is joined by close friends and family to talk about his rise to fame.
“Numero Uno” tackles how Sam spent his younger years in America, where he was a quiet boy-next-door type whose life revolved around sports until a fateful trip to the Philippines. The show traces Sam’s stint in the Pinoy Big Brother house, where his fan base quickly grew to skyrocket him into a surprising level of stardom over the span of a year—something that Sam still deems “surreal” to this day.
Of course, “Numero Uno” goes through Sam’s film career and traces his timeline of the wide variety of projects that he starred in on the big screen. “You are so happy you were able to do roles and to do movies that touch people’s lives and inspire them,” he said, talking about the passion that grew with each film, and what keeps him going in the realm of acting.
The show also looks into the other challenges Sam faced in pushing this career further—from jumping from drama to comedy to action-adventure films, and even venturing into indie films like “Cul de Sac” and the Cinema One Originals film “Third World Happy,” which earned him his first ever nomination in the Gawad Urian. Sam’s acting skills also stood out when he took on “Death March” under the direction of Adolfo Alix, Jr., which sent the ever-promising actor to the Cannes Film Festival.
Sam opens up about on-and-off screen partners as well that he had worked with over the years, such as Toni Gonzaga, Ai-Ai delas Alas, Pokwang, Eugene Domingo, KC Concepcion, and even ex-flame Anne Curtis.
Sam even delves into the topic of the pains of heartbreak, and opens up about how things went with Anne, whom he was still working with when the break-up happened—a challenge in his acting career that conflicted with his personal life. “It did make it hard,” he said when asked about all of it.
