After 7 years, Arjo Atayde finally gets 1st lead role

Arjo Atayde

In spite of the positive feedback he has been receiving, actor Arjo Atayde claimed he doesn’t think he is a good actor at all.

Arjo started getting rave reviews when he played the villain Joaquin Tuazon in the long-running series “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.” He was also part of the drama “Hanggang Saan” and the ongoing action series “The General’s Daughter.”

“Self-doubt is what keeps me going everyday. Being great is all in the head. I make sure I’m always ready, always able to give 100 percent in what I do; and when I’m home, I’m just me and not an actor,” he told reporters at a recent gathering to launch “Bagman,” the action series featured in the streaming service iWant.

“I thought I would merely be supporting all these lead actors. Thankfully, after seven years, it’s now time for me to tell a story—and the first story I’m telling is about the ‘Bagman,’” he pointed out. “If you ask me whether or not I’m proud of this project, I’d tell you that I can never tell until I’ve seen it. But when I watch my work, it’s never to tell myself, ‘Ang galing ko!’ It’s to see what mistakes I’ve made, and to see what else I can do to develop as an actor.”

Arjo, son of actress Sylvia Sanchez, said: “I’m hard on myself. That’s what keeps me going everyday. It keeps me grounded. I think all jobs are the same.”

The actor said he would never turn down any role, whether big or small. “I want to be the first in my generation to get to do 257 different roles in my career as an actor.”

“Bagman,” directed by Shugo Pracio, also features Raymond Bagatsing, Yayo Aguila and Alan Paule. It began streaming on March 20.

In the series, Arjo plays barber Benjo, a dedicated family man whose shop is about to get demolished to give way to the municipality’s road-widening project.

Before long, Benjo becomes a “bagman” for the governor. But as he gets dragged into a deadly game of lies, deceit and power struggle, he decides he must move out of the shadows.

Asked what he thought were Arjo’s strengths as an actor, Raymond said: “I like actors who are simple but truthful. He is understated, pero ang lakas ng dating.”

Yayo agreed. “I can’t think of anyone who would have done better than Arjo,” she declared.

“Bagman” is a coproduction of Dreamscape Digital and Rein Entertainment. The 12-part series is written by Shugo, who conceptualized it with Lino Cayetano and Philip King.

Shugo said: “We made efforts for it to be more relevant because we want to impart lessons related to the times. We made sure the story echoes what is happening in real life. It’s an eye-opener.”

The aim of the series, according to Philip, “is not to be preachy. It hopes to present the situation as it is and perhaps convince the audience to do something to change that situation.”

For Lino, “Corruption is so deep a problem for it to be blamed on just one person. It’s part of our culture.”