Martin del Rosario: There’s more to me than the sexy roles I portray

Martin is aiming for versatility.

Martin del Rosario has always been comfortable showing skin onscreen, and would do it if the project is good and calls for it. But while that is what people usually notice about him, it isn’t all there is to him.

“I have done many different roles—it just happens that people tend to focus on the sexy ones I do. I want to be known as a good actor,” he told the Inquirer in a recent interview.

Martin has, in fact, already won a prestigious acting prize—an Urian best supporting actor trophy for his performance in the 2015 indie film, “Dagitab.”

Talent

“I’d like to believe that it’s still an actor’s talent that people appreciate more … I make it a point to always give my all, so that when the audience sees my work, they won’t scoff at me and say I only peeled off my clothes,” the 23-year-old GMA 7 talent related.

Thankfully, Martin pointed out, he isn’t being pigeonholed in such kind of roles. In his recent movie, for instance, the QCinema entry, “Ang Manananggal Sa Unit 23B,” he portrays a “wholesome” character. “My role is that of a loser, a brokenhearted man,” he related. “The film is a dark romance, so it is something different for me.”

While he loves being a character actor, Martin would also like to be a leading man in the future. “I enjoy doing all the heavy and at times sexy roles, but I can also be in a romantic-comedy, which I have always wanted to try. I think I can do it,” he said.

Dream project

His dream project, however, is a coming-of-age story. “We don’t see local movies like that nowadays. And I want to do it while I’m still young. I want something that tackles the lives of millennials,” related the actor, who is part of the Kapuso network’s coming afternoon soap, “Pinulot Ka Lang Sa Lupa.”

Meanwhile, Martin is also one of the celebrities to undergo voluntary drug testing. “I took it on the same day I was told to. I was confident,” he said.

Asked if it is harder for celebrities to stay away from vices, given the kind of environment they inhabit, Martin said that it is all up to the person. “I do go out, and sometimes some random people would offer you something, and I just decline,” he said. “I have never tried illegal drugs—and I don’t want to.”