Jose and Paolo brothers no more.

(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Byline: Gibbs Cadiz

PEOPLE with New Age inclinations may be forgiven if they think Film-Am actors Paolo Montalban and Jose Llana are brothers-perhaps even twins-in a previous life.

Llana and Montalban actually look alike-both about 6 feet tall, impressively built, and good-looking in an unmistakably Pinoy way. Both of them were born in the Philippines but grew up in the US, accounting for a shared lack of fluency in Filipino.

Both found their calling in musical theater. Montalban first joined a touring production of "Man of La Mancha," while Llana was cast in the Gene Kelly role in a special revival of "On The Town" in Central Park, before they gained fame for their breakthrough lead roles in two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals- "Cinderella," a TV production where Montalban played the Prince opposite Brandy and Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother, and "Flower Drum Song," the recent Broadway revival with Llana playing Ta to Lea Salonga's Mei Li.

At one point, their paths even converged. In the 1996 Broadway restaging of "The King and I," another Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, Llana was Lun Tha, while Montalban cooled his heels as his understudy and as a member of the ensemble!

Both Llana and Montalban have also had recurring exposure on popular TV shows-Llana in "Sex and the City" and Montalban in "Mortal Kombat."