JOLO ESTRADA tried acting once in “Ang Tatay Kong Sexy” with his dad, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, and he got offers to sign up with a top network but he decided not to accept it.
“I decided kasi to focus on my college studies and I finished entrepreneurship at the Ateneo,” he says. “May other offers after that but I got so fat. I weighed 228 pounds. Nade-depress nga ako when I saw my chubby self on the mirror.
"So sabi ko, ayoko mag-showbiz or politics. I’ll just go into business dahil yun naman ang pinag-aralan ko. I now have my own barber shop in San Juan and soon, I’ll open my boxing club, UltraBox. Dapat last year pa ito, but inabutan ng pandemic so ngayon ko lang uli itinuloy.”
He started working out and now, he’s down to 170 lbs. and looks like a hunk.
Talent manager Leo Dominguez saw him six months ago and offered to manage him, but he said no. Leo then asked him again through his mom, Precy Ejercito, and this time he reconsidered. What did Leo see in him?
“I really saw so much star potential in him,” says Leo. “Sabi ko, pang-leading man. So nagpursigi ako until finally, pumayag siya.”
“Naisip ko, why not give it a try,” Jolo says. “If Tito Leo sees so much star potential in me and this opportunity keeps on coming my way, why not give it a shot?
"Baka kung later pa, too late, tatanda na ako. I’m not getting any younger kasi 27 na ako.”
Jolo is the second of four children of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and Precy Ejercito.
He comes after former Vice Mayor Janella and after him comes Julian Estrada who made a good impression in the movie “Relaks, It’s Just Pag-ibig”. The youngest is Jillian.
He’s using Jolo Ejercito in his Instagram account where he posts his work out videos. Now that he’s going into showbiz, how come he’s choosing Estrada?
“My family and I talked about it and we thought it best to follow Julian and our dad, para pare-parehong kaming Estrada.” What kind of role would he like to do? “Nothing special.
"Any role, basta it’s a good and challenging role. I’ve taken acting workshops with Star Magic and Director Jo Macasa and when my dad saw my acting videos, he said mas magaling daw ako sa kanya.”
Who are the actors he admires? “Chris Evans, I really like him as Captain America. And Ryan Gosling. I saw him in ‘The Notebook’ and he’s really good.”
Who’s the local actress he would like to be paired with? “More than anyone else, si Angelica Panganiban. I’ve seen her doing both drama and comedy at parang kaya niya kahit anong klaseng role ang ibigay sa kanya.”
Will he accept doing BL or Boys Love stories so common these days and would he be willing to do sexy scenes baring his body?
“Okay lang sa’kin kung BL man or straight roles, I’m open to all sorts of roles, basta the important thing is very challenging yung role. Okay rin sa’kin to go sexy. I work out five times a week sa gym to get this kind of physique so okay lang for me to show it kasi pinaghihirapan ko naman ito.”
Jolo is also a good singer and at his contract signing with Leo Dominguez, he was asked to give a sample. He sang “Kung Ako na Lang Sana” and we can say he has a good voice.
Writer Francis Simeon who’s close to their family says he got it from his Mommy Precy who’s really a good singer. Jun Lalin calls her a stage mother.
“Hindi naman stage mother,” says Precy. “Loving mother lang. Hindi naman ako makikialam kasi Jolo is of the right age. Si Leo na ang bahala sa kanya. Sobrang mahiyain lang yan.
"When Leo offered to manage him, he asked me and since I have already heard so many good things about Leo, I told him, why don’t you give it a try. I said with Leo, you’ll be in good hands.”
How about her other son, Julian? Is it true he’s moving to GMA-7?
“He’s still in college. May nag-inquire from GMA and it depends on him kasi, although he was launched by Star Magic, we didn’t sign any contract with ABS-CBN. I think what he really wants to do is focus more on his music and also be a film director someday.”
