But who’s the better endorser: he or Sarah? “I’ll be honest, siempre, siya,” he laughs. “Mas marami siyang endorsements kasi she’s a great endorser. She’s number one.”
Why did Sun Life get Matteo? “We want to reach out to the millennials and Matteo is someone they look up to because he leads a very lifestyle, very successful in his career and in his investments, in other words, a good role model,” says Sun Life exec Rina Pama.
Matteo says he was surprised when he learned that his Sun Life co-endorsers are Piolo Pascual, Judy Ann Santos and Charo Santos-Concio. “I feel very honored and humbled to be in such distinguished company and I will really do my best to represent Sun Life.”Didn’t he have second thoughts doing a villain role in “Dolce Amore”? “When they presented it to originally, I’m not meant to be a contravida. But as the story went on, my character became bad. Okay na rin kasi it’s a different twist that showed a different side of me. Ibang experience naman. I did that show as a tribute to my Italian grandfather who wants to see me playing an Italian role, pero pinatay na naman nila ako, e. Bida naman ako sa ‘Single/Single’ in Cinema One which had two seasons and I also host a sports show, ‘Wheels’.”
He’s celebrating his 10th year in showbiz with a concert at Waterfront Cebu titled “Matteo, Made in Cebu”. “I come from Cebu so that’s where I want to hold my 10th anniversary concert, with Louie Ocampo as musical director and Rowell Santiago as overall director. This year has been good to me because I also opened my first restaurant in Cebu, Trattoria di Gianni, which is managed by my sister and it’s doing really well. I also opened my own production company, Big Bang. We do videos and events.”
Looks like he’s ready to settle down? “Yes, but there are more dreams to fulfill. Maybe in a few more years. Siempre, I think I’ve found the one.”
The press people swooned when he said that as they know he’s referring to Sarah. “Pero siempre, pag-iipunan ko muna. We have to prepare for the future.”
But is it true his performance in the recent Ironman triathlon was not that good because Sarah wasn’t there and is traveling in Europe with her parents? “No, it’s because I only had two weeks of training. Pero sisihin din natin si Sarah ng konti. Joke lang!”
He seems to be a positive influence to Sarah who went into mountain climbing, pole dancing and the culinary arts because of him. “Yes, we climbed mountain and we’re gonna climb more mountains, literally and figuratively. I did encourage her to open her eyes, to enjoy her life and not just work. At 28, she deserves it. All of us do. We have to enjoy life, live it to the fullest. It’s important to have a life outside of showbiz.”
