Marvin Keifer

While some chooses to be a lover more than a fighter, Marvin Keifer of “Survivor Philippines 2” fame is both!

As a lover, nationwide viewers of “Survivor Philippines” know that he and castaway Jef Gaitan are vocal about their romantic involvement with each other after the said reality show concluded.

Another that Marvin is vocal about is his love for showbiz particularly acting!

“I’ve always wanted to enter showbiz. I was just reluctant before because I didn’t know if I was ready or not to act after ‘Survivor Philippines.’ I’m just glad that I’m given projects to test and hone my acting skills,” shared Marvin, who is now under GMA Artist Center (GMAAC).

Marvin is actually a regular in the GMA-7 sitcom every Sunday entitled “Show Me Da Manny” which stars the boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and Marian Rivera. But what he is excited about is his newest show with real life girlfriend Jef Gaitan, Carl Guevarra and Jennica Garcia entitled “My Stalking Heart,” “Dear Friend’s” latest episode that started airing last Sunday, March 7.

“I did acting workshops even before I joined ‘Survivor’ and GMA-7 also gave me workshops which made me ready for any acting jobs. But I never expected that they would immediately give me a role like this where I’m part of the show’s focus. So I’m thankful and I will do my best,” expressed a jubilant Marvin who considered “Dear Friend” to be a good break for him as a new actor.

Directed by Mac Alejandre, “My Stalking Heart” is a romantic story of four people whose lives intersect because of their failed relationships. Marvin here breaks up with longtime girlfriend Jennica. He then meets Carl who is the best friend of Jef, the new girl of Eric. Jen and Carl then plan together how to split up Marvin and Jef and hopefully make them fall for them!

“It’s an honor having a director like Mac Alejandre. This may be light romance but this is more serious than the sitcom I’m in. He is super nice and very helpful. He talked to me and Jef and got to know us more. He even told us his style as a director. And he coached us,” said Marvin.

The question in everybody’s mind since he’s a new actor in town is whether his open relationship with Jef would be a detriment to their budding careers.

“Our relationship and careers are in balance,” he explained. “I’m the type of person who likes to keep everything in balance. My life right now is very much focused. My main focus right now is my career and work. As life would have it I was able to intertwine my work with my relationship, hindi ko naman nakita as a disadvantage!”

He added that they are given individual jobs. This makes them nurture their respective careers as individuals and as much as possible, they help each other improve their acting skills.

“This is the work that I’ve always wanted to do. I see this as a stage in my life. It is a part of my life but I don’t know how long it will be. I don’t plan to grow old in the industry. But I want to experience it and see how far I can go. Hopefully I can also focus on doing action,” related Marvin.

An extreme sports enthusiast, the warrior in Marvin comes in his passion for Mixed Martial Arts or MMA. After his stint with “Survivor Philippines,” he and his brother and an MMA trainer put up a training facility called Fighters Club MMA Philippines in Sta. Mesa, Manila.

“Recently I’ve been practicing disarming people with knives and guns. Hopefully I get to show people my skills. I want them to know that I’m not just about having good looks or appearances but that I also have skills especially in doing action,” quipped Marvin.

A Level One student at MMA, he admits to being excited about the fighting skills he is learning. Like acting, he also trains and works hard for MMA though he is not able to compete yet.

“I’m not scared to get bruised or anything because when I was doing extreme sports I met some bumps along the way but it was okay. It was part of my life… I also see it as a business wherein I can earn money. More than that it is also a way of becoming healthy,” he professed.

Only 19 years old (he turned 19 last Jan. 5), Marvin Keifer is already showing how dedicated and passionate he can be with his sports and especially with his acting career. There’s no doubt that he could survive the challenges of showbiz in years to come because he is an actor ON THE RISE!