VILLA PARK : ‘Phantom’ Star Speaks at School

Davis Gaines, star of the current “Phantom of the Opera” production in Los Angeles, took a break from the stage Wednesday to deliver an uplifting message to Serrano Elementary School students.

“When I was a kid, I wasn’t very popular,” the 34-year-old performer said. “I didn’t have a lot of friends. I had asthma. So I liked to pretend to be someone else. But if you just be yourself, everyone will like you.”

Gaines, who had been invited to speak at Serrano by a group of parents last year, told the children the story about the phantom while flipping the pages of a picture book.

“This is a story about a singer, and the phantom likes her,” he said. “So I come behind a mirror and take her to my house, but I let Christine go because I realize she loves Raoul and I realize that it’s not how you look that’s important.”

The hundreds of admiring students asked dozens of questions about the musical drama and its star.

They wanted to know Gaines’ age, how he began his acting career, if he has a girlfriend, if he ever gets nervous, what kind of car he drives, and other personal and professional details.

Though Gaines did not reveal his age, the children took guesses, shouting numbers from 17 to 53.

Gaines, a spokesman for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, answered the other questions. He told the students that he had dreamed of becoming an actor since he was about 7 and that he has a girlfriend named Lizi. Gaines, who said he does not get nervous on stage anymore, divulged that he drives a Mazda Miata.

After the question-and-answer session, Gaines said he was amazed at how many children had seen the musical. “By coming here, I show the kids that I’m just a real person like their parents and friends and that they can become anything they want to become because if I can do it, they can do it,” he said.

Second-grader David Ho said he liked what Gaines had to say.

“It’s whether you’re good on the inside,” the 8-year-old said, “not what you look like on the outside, that matters--just like the phantom.”