“Baritone ang voice ko and I did operas before crossing over to local theatre musicals like ‘Pamana, Tribute to Ninoy and Cory’, ‘At Sa Wakas’ featuring the songs ng SugarFree for PETA, and ‘Rak of Aegis’ na naga-alternate kami ni Jerald Napoles. Then nakuha ako sa TV, first in ‘Forevermore’, tapos sa ‘Ang Probinsyano’ kunsaan napasama ako for one year as Benny, sidekick in Coco Martin as Cardo. Doon ako mas nakilala ng tao but I had to resign kasi I got sick with asthmatic lungs. Nahihirapan akong huminga at mabilis akong hingalin. I quit smoking and it helped.”
He starred in the indiefilm “Sakaling Hindi Makarating” opposite Alessandra de Rossi. It was an entry in the 2016 Cine Filipino Filmfest and it won him the best actor award. “But I wasn’t able to attend the awards night kasi nataong birthday ko noon and papunta kaming out of town ng family ko,” he says. “Nagda-drive ako sa NLEX when I got the call from our producer na ako raw ang nanalo, which I never expected.”Now, he gets to play his first lead role in a mainstream film, “The Hopeful Romantic”, opposite Ritz Azul. “I play Jess, a valet parking attendant sa Manila Hotel. Nakatira ako sa lolo’t lola ko, sina Bodgie Pascua and Beverly Salviejo, and we’re very conservative. At my age, virgin pa ako kasi I believe I should give myself dun lang sa true love na pakakasalan ko. E, I meet Ritz Azul, na sobrang sexy and one leads thing to another. I lose my virginity to her and I’m afraid to lose her kaya nagpanggap akong mayaman para mahulog ang loob niya sa’kin. Pero siempre, the truth will come out at doon ang malaking conflict ng movie.”
Is he also an NGSB (no girlfriend since birth) in real life? “Ay, hindi naman. Nagkaroon na rin ako ng ilang kasintahan through the years. But at the moment, none. Single ako by choice. Aside from ‘Hopeless Romantic’ kasi, may isa pa akong movie na ginagawa, ‘Ang Pangarap Mong Holday’ for Globe Studios, a heist comedy movie with Jerald Napoles, Paolo Contis and Kate Alejandrino. Meron pa kong digital TV series sa ABS-CBN with Arci Munoz. So, sa work muna ako.”He considers “The Hopeful Romantic” a very big blessing. “First mainstream movie ko, sa Regal pa, feeling ko Regal baby na rin ako. Napakasayang magtrabaho kina Mother Lily at Mrs. Roselle Monteverde kasi magaan ang vibes ng lahat. Kami sa shooting ni Direk Topel Lee, masaya lagi.”
“The Hopeful Romantic” opens on September 12. Does he feel pressured that some folks are comparing him to comedian Empoy Marquez? “Ayokong i-compare or i-pressure ang sarili ko tungkol diyan. Hindi ako competitive at kaibigan ko si Empoy. Basta nagpo-focus lang ako na happy akong nakapagtrabaho ko sa Regal, nakapareha ko si Ritz and we’re all hopeful that the people will watch and support ‘Hopeful Romantic’ kasi we did our best para patawanin sila rito.”
#ShowbizPortal #PepeHerrea #RitzAzul #TheHopefulRomantic
