Kapuso actor Alden Richards aspired to become a pilot, but later he shifted his interest towards becoming a chef. It was in the entertainment industry that he finally saw his dreams come true.

"Kung anu-ano na lang talaga. Parang wala talagang pangarap sa buhay," said Alden when he talked about his dreams when he was younger in an interview with Toni Gonzaga-Soriano on "Toni Talks" recently.

"I have this thing of living out my parents' dreams," said Alden on why he wanted to become a pilot. "Dream talaga ng tatay ko 'yun."

Alden, who is often told he looks like John Lloyd Cruz and Joshua Garcia, mentioned that his late mother was the reason behind his decision to pursue a career in show business.

"She loves watching telenovelas on GMA Network. Lahat ng telenovela ni Thalia. Marimar, Rosalinda. Maria Del Barrio," Alden also said.

The Kapuso actor also recalled auditioning for Pinoy Big Brother in 2010. He also tried Starstruck. But he was never lucky in both reality programs. "Hindi talaga tayo pinalad."

But it was in Eat Bulaga where he finally achieved stardom. Alden and Maine Mendoza, collectively known as AlDub, became a phenomenal love team in the noontime show's KalyeSerye series.

"Until now before I go to sleep, sinisilip ko pa rin yung mga clips ng KalyeSerye. Nakakatuwa. It was a blessing," Alden said. "We are grateful for that."

Alden remembered that he never responded to any negative comments or criticism on social media.

"In my 13 years, kung meron man, mabibilang sa kamay," he said. "Sometimes, my sincerity and authenticity are being questioned."

Alden also revealed he experienced burnout.

"First time in my career in 2016 to 2017, almost 2018. For three months straight, I did commercials continuously. Yes, you are grateful. But sometimes you have that feeling, 'Is this the price I have to pay?' " the hunk actor said.

Alden believes that everyone can be a celebrity with the available platforms.

But he hangs on to what media producer and businessman Tony Tuviera had told him. "The true battle in our industry is not about quantity but longevity."

Alden said he and Maine had a heart-to-heart conversation before she got married.

"I told her everything. At the end of the day, it's your differences that will determine whether you will make it or not...and your priorities in life," he said.

"I had a burnout episode during one of my shoots or tapings. Sometimes people tend to abuse your kindness," he said.

Dealing with rumors

During the AlDub years, Alden admitted that absurd rumors plagued him: he and Maine got married, and they had a child. "They have their storytelling.

Alden thought the rumors related to AlDub would finally disappear when Maine and Cong. Arjo Atayde got married. "Unfortunately, it's still there."

"I already said my piece about this. It's not true. There's no truth to it at all. We have no children. We never got married. We don't have a love child. Masaya sila doon eh. Will I take that away from them? Will I rub it to their faces? I always support the happiness of people," he said.

Alden admitted he's tired of hearing gay rumors.

"If you think I'm gay, fine! What I think sometimes when there are rumors, wala na bang iba? In showbiz, if you have no girlfriend, you're like that. The judgment call for men's gender in the industry is easy just because of that fact. 

"Will I go that route again? I want to please. I have my life right now. I am happy. Perfectly happy with what I have. What can I do at the moment? I seize every opportunity. There's time for that.

"To the people who know me, who really know me like my friends, most especially Julia (Montes), and Coco Martin. With just one project, we instantly clicked to the point where they became part of my life. And I became part of their lives. It's a nice feeling to get to meet authentic people. And those people, I tend to treasure," Alden added.

Alden also said he got depressed for three months recently.

"This is how I define the phase in my life where I was down. I was ungrateful. I think the element of questioning entered. I compared myself to other people," he said.

Toni reminded Alden that comparison is a joystealer.

"So it's like eating my own words that, 'I don't compare myself to others. I tend to focus on myself. But what happened? It was like I suppressed anger. The 'let it go' on yourself. You're fine. Let it go. You just sleep on it. Just get a massage then you'll be fine," said Alden.

Alden said he's not ready to settle down.

"When you say settle down, it's like a nice word. But what comes with settling down? They become your life. Priorities. Right now, my company just started in September of 2022. I'm very much excited for the people who are very much interested in partnering with us. That I don't want to waste.

"By the time I settle down, I will not be this. I will not be this busy. Goal-oriented. So we know our priorities. We will not do something that we will not finish," Alden said.

Alden apologized to the people he had hurt in 2023.

"I'm very grateful for those who have been there for me even at my lowest of lows. Even though I'm pushing them away. Sometimes, you push people away when you're not in a good place. You want to be alone. Like, 'You don't understand me.' 'You don't know what I'm going through.' It's saddening that I hurt these people. These people love me unconditionally. I'm very sorry about it. The way I treated them. But still, then, they tend to forgive me for that. That's what I'm grateful for."

Alden just turned 32 last Jan. 2 and he's proud of it.

"Wala na ako sa kalendaryo. Bingo na. But I am not ashamed of my age. In my 31 years of existence, looking back, I was able to conquer all the challenges. I was able to do things for myself and my family. Before my company started, I also started a foundation for scholars. I was able to send them to school. I haven't finished my education," said Alden, who only reached first-year college at De La Salle University.

"That's why I'm very emotional when I talk about education. It hurts that sometimes they say that 'Poverty is not a hindrance in studies.' No matter how hard you try, if you don't have the finances, you will ask for help from anyone to help you. And you know what it takes. You know in your heart and yourself that you know, 'I wanted to finish school because I wanted to change my life.' That's why my foundation is here. That's my vision," he said.

Currently, Alden's foundation has 25 scholars, five of whom are already college graduates."There are two engineers, an accountant, and an ongoing criminology student. And a CPA, too. Those are the people we are currently helping."