n the veins of 24-year-old Dennis Trillo —who's Dennis Ho off camera—runs a beautiful blend of Filipino and Chinese blood that has become his ticket to show business.

He was 12 years old when a talent scout handed him a calling card at the mall. That fateful meeting opened the door of commercial modeling for him. After appearing in print ads and television commercials, he joined ABS-CBN's Star Circle Batch 10 . That was October 2001, when reality-based talent searches were not yet the craze. As a Star Circle member, Dennis became a mainstay in the network's primetime drama show, Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan . He went on to appear in other network-produced shows.

When his six-month contract with Talent Center expired, he moved to GMA-7 and became a regular face in the now defunct drama series Kahit Kailan and, later, in the romantic series Twin Hearts . More recently, he was seen in the network's top-rating telefantasya, Mulawin .

Dennis loves talking about his thriving TV and blossoming movie career. He appeared in Mano Po 3 in 2004, the same year he was declared best supporting actor for Aishite Imasu at the Metro Manila Film Festival.

But if you want him to talk nonstop, ask him about music and films. These are his passions at the moment, and rather than going out partying, he prefers to stay home to watch something from his collection of DVDs and VCDs. It's an impressive collection that ranges form recent releases to rare finds, from classics to anime, from art to foreign language to indie films. And he sure knows his stuff. He even knows the names of the directors!

“ Isa sa mga kinokolekta ko ‘yong Japanese anime, ‘yong sa mga Animatrix ,” Dennis says. “ Napanood mo na ba ‘yong Animatrix? Sina [Yoshiaki] Kawajiri, sina Peter Chung… Meron din akong mga Richard Linlater… Napanood mo na The Waking Life [directed by Linklater]? Siya din ‘yong director ng Dazed and Confused . Meron din akong mga trilogy, like trilogy ni [Polish director] Krzysztof Kieslowski, ‘yong Red, White and Blue … Mga films ni Tsui Hark [Chinese Filmmaker notable for his Once Upon A Time In China series], meron din ako .”

Among independent or indie filmmakers, his favorite is Darren Aronofsky: “ Siya gumawa ng Requiem for a Dream at saka ‘yong Pi .” He also likes the comedy touch of Wes Anderson and owns copies of two Anderson movies, Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums . He can even offer trivia about Rushmore star Jason Schwartzman: “ Siya ‘yong drummer ng Phantom Planet [a rock band]. Nagda-drums na lang siya, kasi wala na siyang masyadong [film] projects.” About his DVD copy of Rushmore, he says: “ Nahirapan akong maghanap ng kopya nito . Out of stock na sa States ang DVD copies. Pero nakabili ako sa Astroplus sa Podium.”

He shows off another favorite: “ Ito pa ‘yong isa kong magandang nabili , Akira Kurosawa's Dreams . Influence nina Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas. Maganda iyan .” Also part of his collection are Terry Gilliam's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas , Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels , and Christopher Nolan's Memento .

Dennis appetite for movie watching is not limited to his home theater. When a film catches his fancy, he can watch it three or four times on the big screen. “ Pag gustung-gusto ,” he smiles. “ Halimbawa , Two Towers [the second installment in the Lord of the Rings series], mga apat na beses ko pinanood iyan . The Matrix , tatlo ; Spiderman , dalawa .”

And what of his music collection and influences?

“ Sa CDs, marami nga classic rock, ‘70s rock, psychedelic. Iba-ibang genre, kasi medyo diverse ‘yong mga musical influences ko . From classic rock, acid jazz, alternative, heavy metal, death metal— ano pa ? Punk, ska, reggae… Halos lahat, basta music that would make me feel good. Ang favorite band ko , marami . Led Zeppelin, isa ‘yan . Gusto ko rin ang Queen. At saka, ‘yong Sleepnot— medyo maingay siya na banda at mga nakamaskara sila . Heavy ‘yan talaga .”

Strange but true: Dennis, a quiet guy who even looks aloof at times, is into noisy bands.

What an interesting guy—and he's a good actor, too!

Dennis says his mother, Mommy Florita, saw his showbiz potential at a very young age. “ Bata pa lang ako, pinag -singing lessons na ako . Parang noon pa lang, gusto na niya na mag-artista ako . Kasi sayang daw, may itsura ako . Kaya siguro noong tinuloy-tuloy ko nang maging artista , talagang sobrang natuwa siya at saka proud .” Besides singing, his fellows can play drums and guitar. “ Una kong natutunan , drums. ‘ Tapos, nagsawa ako . Sabi ko , guitar naman . Kasi ‘yong sister ko , nag-aral siya [ ng guitar playing] sa Yamaha, ‘tapos di niya ‘pinagpatuloy. Sabi ko, ituro naman niya ‘yong mga natutunan niya. ‘Tinuro ng niya sa akin. Hanggang sa ako na lang naggitara. Siya, hindi na niya pinagpatuloy.” Dennis says he prefers heavy rock music, but when YES! eggs him to do an impromptu song-and-guitar number, he serenades us with a sentimental love song.

As kid, Dennis collected comic books, particularly those under the Marvel imprint. Now he's an avid collector of films on DVD and VCD, such as the complete DVD set of the Lord of the Rings that he's proudly showing off here.

Believe it or not, this open-air living room used to be a garage! Here's the back story: Dennis's family used to live in a modest 60-square-meter stilt-type house on a 240-square-meter lot. Dennis's father Leslie explains: “ Sinadya naming ganoon para kung may expansion ka, puwede mong gamitin ‘yong ibaba.” Beside the house, there used to be a small warehouse-type building that served as office and factory for the Ho family's carpet manufacturing business. (Up to now, the family is still into manufacturing all kinds of carpets—wall-to-wall carpets, area rugs, doormats, even carpet for cars.) When business boomed, the Hos bought the adjoining lots surrounding their small home. Through the years, the family kept adding to the original structure. Now the house sits on a 1,000-square-meter lot and has six bedrooms. It also has this unique open-air living room, which comes with a fountain-and-pond section that is home to schools of Japanese Kori, janitor fishes, and a turtle. Landscaping and design are by Yoyong Lau.

Dennis is more than just a television actor and commercial model. He has a degree in International Studies form Miriam College . He was once an on-the-job trainee office of Senate President Franklin Drilon , where he was required to attend a Senate hearing and then submit a hearing report. It wasn't a job that appealed to him, and he decided then and there that was not going into the diplomatic service. “Hindi kasi masyadong masaya ‘yong trabaho,” he smiles. “Ewan ko nga kung bakit ‘yon ang pinili kong course. Pinilit ko na lang talaga matapos kasi nandoon na. ‘Yong mga research, ‘yong thesis, ang hirap! Tungkol sa mga ethnic conflicts sa Aceh, sa Indonesia . ‘Yong nagkaroon ng gulo-gulo doon dati,” ‘yong kina Mahathir Mohammad, ‘yong mga ganoon. ‘Yong mga pagpalit ng prime minister … Ayoko na ngang alalahanin ‘yon, e, nakakainis.”

Dennis is a homebody. “Nandito na sa bahay ang lahat, e,” he explains. “Siguro ang pinakalabas ko na lang is ‘yong pag nanonood ako ng sine sa mall, pero mall lang. ‘Yong mga bar-bar, mga Eastwood, Malate, hindi ako pumupunta diyan.” Does he drink? “Sometimes.” Does he smoke? ‘Hindi.” Wow.

“Masyadong playful, says Dennis of his pet pooch, Max. “Pati mga sapatos, nginatngatngat. Lahat, sinisira! Nakakainis!” The gazebo in the foreground—which is made entirely of pure molave (acquired from sculptor Rey Contreras's shop at SM Megamall) and ipil wood—was designed and built by Dennis's father. -