Piolo Pascual
Is our time almost up?” Piolo Pascual laughed as he teased a group of reporters in front of him, when his love life was inevitably brought up in a recent interview.
But no, there’s no love life to speak of, the actor insisted—he’s not seeking it and doesn’t plan to, any time soon. “Saka na lang. I don’t want it at the moment. There are other things I want to prioritize,” the actor said at a recent press con for ABS-CBN’s coming primetime series, “Since I Found You.”
Focus
Piolo, who has been linked most recently to actress Shaina Magdayao, sees himself focusing on his career “for the next couple of years.”
“Should I enter a relationship, I don’t want it to end up being a task. For now, I’ll devote my time where I see fit,” Piolo pointed out. “I’m not selfish. I can give more of myself if I didn’t have so much on my plate.”
“But if it comes, then good!” he added.
One such thing Piolo would like to focus on is producing films. His film company, Spring Films, has been holding castings for an advocacy film about Marawi, whose earnings will go to rehabilitation efforts in the war-torn city. It’ll be helmed by Sheron Dayoc, who directed the acclaimed “Women of the Weeping River.”
“Joyce Bernal (his partner at Spring Films) told me she was planning to donate part of her earnings from ‘Kita Kita’ to Marawi, through a foundation put up by Robin Padilla. I found it really noble. I thought, we could help more if we do a movie about their plight,” he related.
He didn’t think he would one day venture into churning out movies; he wanted to be an international star, he quipped. It’s a risky business, but one that motivates him to work harder.
“This time you’re putting out money, so there’s a risk. But then, I get to use all the things I’ve learned in show biz. Spring Films is turning 10 years next year and I’m happy,” said the actor, who has also been doing brainstorming sessions for other projects, including an animated film.
Another golden age
“I want to come up with movies that are brave, aggressive,” he added. “We want to help lift Philippine cinema and hopefully start another golden age.”
“Since I Found You,” which airs starting April 16, is Piolo’s first primetime series in four years.
He admitted that he had tried veering away from doing daily soaps, because it’s exhausting—he didn’t think he could do it anymore.
“But when you do projects like this, you eventually draw inspiration and strength from your coworkers and the viewers who want to see me,” said Piolo, who plays a hardened executive of a construction company. Despite his looks and charisma, his employees are intimidated by his leadership style.
“You don’t do it for yourself but for your fans,” added Piolo, who will be joined in the series by Arci Muñoz, JC de Vera, Alessandra de Rossi and Empoy Marquez.
“I don’t think too much about ratings these days—I just want to do my work well and be a team player. I count my blessings, instead of thinking of competition,” Piolo stressed.