Atom Araullo in “Citizen Jake” —Cesar Hernando
Atom Araullo’s decision to move his broadcast homebase from ABS-CBN to GMA 7 has elicited more than the usual interest and scrutiny, due to the fact that he’s spent many years with the Kapamilya network.
But, his new Kapuso studio has wasted no time reminding everyone that Atom began his career as a juvenile TV program host and field interviewer on “5 and Up” at GMA 7—so, he’s really (really?) just come home to roost.
More to the point, some viewers want to know why Atom made his big move—and again, elucidation has come promptly and swiftly, by way of a GMA teaser spot showing Atom arriving at his new workplace and explaining that it was the Kapuso network’s vaunted expertise at producing full-length documentaries for “I-Witness” and other award-winning programs that especially appealed to him.
He wanted to learn more from GMA-based veterans in the TV documentary field, like Howie Severino and Kara David—so, get the “master class” tutorial going, quick!
For his first GMA documentary, Atom showed snippets from his long piece on the country’s underwater bounties, which we expect to include insights into efforts to keep or make our seas productive and pollution-free.
But, we hope that Atom’s GMA 7 docus will include more news and public affairs-related pieces, especially since the other big career move he’s made this year is his decision to “go dramatic” and topbill Mike de Leon’s comeback film (hopefully for the MMFF this December), “Citizen Jake.”
Indeed, the confluence of these twin major moves on Atom’s part in 2017 has been remarkably and even uncannily astute—and integral.
He’s basically a broadcast journalist more than an actor—and yet, his big shift to acting for the big screen is in the role of the TV newsperson that Mike has inspiredly cast him as! Impressive—and insightfully telling.
Of course, people want to know if Atom’s “Citizen Jake” feature-film outing is just a one-shot deal way out of his comfort zone—or is a sign of more dramatic performances to come.
The obvious answer to that is—it depends on how the movie and Atom’s buena mano lead portrayal in it are received by the viewing public.
Knowing Mike, we surmise that the answer to that P64,000 question will be positive—so, go!
Fact is, Atom is not the tyro and virgin at performance some people think he is. When he was a kid, he performed in a couple of stage musicals, so the initial, inbred impulse and yen to perform have been there all along.
It’s just taken the perceptive and perspicacious Mike de Leon to go beyond other people’s pat perception, and make his inspired casting move.
He’s put one and one together and come up with much more than two, fusing Atom’s twin broadcast and performance impulses together in “Citizen Jake”—which we hope will turn out to be, for Mike and his film-acting discovery Atom—the “sleeper” hit of the year!