A Natural High

Slowly inching toward his turn at the spotlight, McCoy de leon shows us how passion, dreams and a bit of dance will take you places.

Nielli Martinez

Tucked away at the heart of Turkey is a surreal stretch of rock formations and underground cities that, even on a normal day, look like they came straight out of a postcard. This piece of paradise, also known as Cappadocia, is arguably one of the most visually stunning spots in the world, but not a lot of people are aware of it. Wide-eyed 22-year-old McCoy de Leon—who, like any first-timer, is taking it all in with as much disbelief as he does with gratitude—still feels like he’s floating on a cloud even with his feet already planted firmly on the ground. “Fini-feel ko pa ‘yung mismong lugar. Ayoko pang umuwi,” he shares with a laugh.

It must be like that feeling you get when you stand atop a giant rock and take a quiet, unguarded moment to appreciate the picturesque view before you, only to be hit with the overwhelming realization that you’re just another tiny speck in the universe. Even with the continued success of his allmale dance group #Hashtags, as well as his recent, highly talkedabout time as a Pinoy Big Brother Lucky 7 housemate—both of which opened doors to a plethora of other opportunities—McCoy still has difficulty wrapping his brain around the fact that he is, in not so many words, a star. “Kilala ko sarili ko, simple lang talaga. Hindi ko maisip na belong ako sa kanila. Para akong nagdi-dream pa rin na nagagawa ko ‘yung nagagawa nila,” says McCoy of his newfound fame and that of his contemporaries. Forget that he is one half of McLisse, a young celebrity pair with a cult following and consistent social media buzz, or that he has landed notable acting roles in both TV and film (his most recent being the lead for the local sci-fi flick Instalado); for McCoy, his best role is the one where he plays himself—a small, seemingly insignificant part in the grand scheme of things.

Prior to becoming one of most recognizable young talents of local show business today, McCoy had plans of becoming an engineer. The idea was simple: to build a home for his family, and to ultimately continue the dream his mother always had for them. Today, despite the change in his career path, McCoy maintains that as far as his aspirations are concerned, nothing much has changed. At the end of every tiring, time-consuming work day, it’s still family that takes up the most space in his thoughts. “Ang gusto ko lang pong maibigay sa pamilya ko ay magandang buhay, at simpleng buhay. Kasi kami ‘yung pamilya na hindi naman naghahangad ng sobra-sobra. Masaya kami kung ganito [lang], siguro makakapunta sa iba-ibang lugar, makakain nang sabay, na walang problema, hindi naghihiwalay. Buo pa rin,” he confides.

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