The entertainment industry may be unpredictable but judging by their performance in the highly successful mystery-drama “Senior High,” its young cast members will likely have the success and longevity of the icons before them.

They’re armed with passion, skill, and intellect so huge for their age, allowing them to engage in intense acting sparring with luminaries.

With the amount of brilliance and grit these new-gen stars possess, youth is definitely not wasted on the young. Here, we rounded up their best moments in the series. Brace yourselves because these future acting titans are ones to eat and leave no crumbs. We can even tag them as the latest topnotchers in the “mata-mata school of acting.”

Andrea Brillantes

Taking the lead role in a teleserye is a challenge on its own, as you’re handed the responsibility to carry the storyline and the show itself. But it gets even heavier when you’re portraying two characters at once.

Andrea is truly a pro for handling the ‘twin shots’ that require a ton of patience, as well as her mystery-laden and dramatic moments on the show.

With her talent and knowledge sharpened through the years, she has truly mastered the art of pushing herself further into new acting territories, with playing twin sisters Sky and Luna as the latest testament to what she could do for the love of her craft. The two characters might look the same but viewers can distinguish who’s who, proof of Andrea’s masterful portrayal.

It’s impossible to pick just one highlight scene for her, as she’s been astounding in every episode. But overflowing excellence streamed from this scene of Sky inching closer to solving Luna’s murder case.

Here, she listens to the shattering revelations through the phone, careful not to make any noise so Harry (Baron Geisler) wouldn’t notice the ongoing call on Obet (Kyle Echarri)’s phone. Though seemingly effortless, Andrea masterfully conveys a storm of emotions solely through her expressive eyes and cascading tears, defying the traditional rubric that measures a compelling performance with raised voices. Turmoil rages within her character – fear, anger, hurt – yet she maintains a composed exterior, painting profound power in her silence.

Andrea has one of the most beautiful faces in the industry, so it’s no surprise that she also looks devastatingly beautiful when she cries. She shared gripping moments with Angel Aquino, who plays her mom, Tanya, in the story. There was a scene where she delivered a powerful monologue about not being ashamed of Luna’s fate, so fierce that it pierced through the audience.

Kyle Echarri

He has a smile that radiates dazzling charm, but he can also tug at your heartstrings with his moving display of tears. He plays a struggling student forced by circumstances to get into drug dealing and who becomes empathetic when confronted by life’s hard blows. His eyes breathed the right emotions in that scene where his character, Obet, stormed to his grandma, Lydia (Sylvia Sanchez), in the hospital. There were fear and worry in the beginning, then, he mellowed down and spoke volumes of love through his eyes, so palpable that we felt his soul at that moment.

After showcasing irresistible charisma in his romantic exchange with Andrea in the ‘prom’ episode (which led to their first on-screen kisses), Kyle made viewers die in anticipation as he faced danger head-on in the succeeding scene. Kyle in an acting showdown with Baron Geisler? It’s a collab that really slaps.

Xyriel Manabat

From start to finish, Xyriel ran a stretch of emotions as the feisty Roxy. Often, she’s cold and ‘masungit,’ at other days broken and tender. She dazzled best in her breakup scene with Zaijian Jaranilla’s Tim, serving up a delicious concoction of drama and humor.

Zaijian Jaranilla

Not all straight actors can pull off the intricacies of the life of an LGBTQ character, but Zaijian breathed life into Tim with a respectable acting performance. It takes bravery to make his portrayal alluring to all viewers. In that scene where he asks for space in his relationship with Poch, played by the promising Miggy Jimenez, his authenticity paints the character’s loneliness and confusion, hurt by the fact that love is never easy.

Juan Karlos Labajo

Through this teleserye, JK has proven himself to be a dual threat, playing the enigmatic Gino, the son damaged by his parents’ toxic relationship. He etched his character with depth, so much that it was not hard to be caught by his emotions. In a scene where Gino has had enough of his father’s abuses and tries to enlighten his mother about it, JK plays along with angst, fury, and love, making it a crushing crying feast for the viewers.

Daniela Stranner

She has the face that could launch a thousand ships. But behind her allure as Northford High’s Ms. Popular, Zyra or Z hides a twisted persona. Z’s multi-faceted persona is given life by Daniela Stranner, now dubbed by netizens as the new generation’s best ‘kontrabida.’ Apart from her infuriating moments as the campus Queen Bee, Daniela nailed her hysterical sequences, showing the realities of living with mental health issues in a sensitive yet illuminating portrayal.

Elijah Canlas

He’s not award-winning for nothing! In the show’s splendid ensemble, Elijah can own the spotlight as the dangerous power tripper and campus bad guy, Archie, just through the look on his face. And when paired with Baron Geisler in a confrontation scene, 23-year-old Elijah proved that he’s an actor worth his salt.

Miggy Jimenez

Among the myriad tools at an actor’s disposal, none is as powerful and captivating as a pair of expressive eyes, which Miggy a.k.a. Poch is blessed with. He understands that his eyes can captivate, connect, and convey the essence of a character’s emotions in ways that words alone cannot. When it was his turn to shine as the story arc focused on Poch’s struggle with his ‘sugar daddy,’ putting his love for Tim beyond his control, Miggy enriched the sequences with his pleading gazes.

Tommy Alejandrino

He triggered viewers’ ‘gigil, got them cursing in anger when he agreed to set up Sky in a cheating scandal on campus. The way he tried to manipulate Sky’s group and feign innocence when confronted about it turned out to be effortlessly infuriating, which, if anything, only proves that Tommy is effective in his role.

Gela Atayde

The perpetual appetite for learning is an essential ingredient for longevity and success in showbiz – Gela knows this for sure, being Sylvia Sanchez’s daughter. From hip-hop, she crossed over to acting and showed great potential as Sanya in the series. She might be one of the quietest students at Northford High, but when she speaks, everyone listens, such is the magnitude of Gela’s effect on screen.

We can’t wait to see this ensemble of great young talents soar higher. For now, we’re keeping tabs on them by tuning in to “Senior High”'s finale week, “Ender to Remember.” Don’t miss an episode, weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, TV5 and A2Z.