Actors’ advice: Focus on the positive as show biz adapts to pandemic-driven changes
“Content is coming in so easy. Everyone is selling. There are already so many outlets. It’s the competition that we have to step up to,” declared Arjo Atayde when asked what he thought would be most challenging for actors like him during the pandemic.Arjo participated in an online panel discussion on Friday night called “Actor’s Cue,” along with Gerald Anderson, Sid Lucero, Jason Abalos, Martin del Rosario and Enchong Dee.“Right now, every industry is affected [by the global health crisis]. This is the best time to recreate your business ideas,” Arjo pointed out. “I have nothing against rom-coms (romantic comedy), but we’ve always been doing rom-coms in movies. Online viewers are totally different [from TV and the big-screen audiences]. The way they see things is different, so we have to step up.”He further said: “What’s good is that we all are starting from scratch. Let’s see first how this works. It’s a good thing that we can still create ideas, tell stories we’ve never told before or do roles that we never thought we’d actually do.”
As for Jason, the No. 1 challenge today “is to not get sick and surpass this pandemic.” As of press time, there are already 10,800 recorded cases of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections in the Philippines and 4.1 million worldwide.Jason is confident that “since we have the technology, we’d be able to adapt. But until the spread of this virus is controlled or a vaccine for it is found, we would not be able to move and execute our plans. Survival is the most important thing.”Gerald agreed with Jason, but added that “another priority is to be able to help those who have been badly affected by the situation,” he pointed out. “We should also use our celebrity status to spread awareness about the disease. In fairness to our industry, I see a lot of celebs who are doing their part in helping out.”Gerald added that “after all of this, I’m certain that a lot of new ideas will emerge, especially since we’re just at home with more time to think things through. We’re now more open to trying out new things,” he declared. “Yes, the world economy has been greatly affected, but after this pandemic, I think more platforms [where we could express our artistic ideas] will emerge. It doesn’t look hopeful right now, because we’re still in the middle of things. It’s best to just focus on the positive side.”Enchong, meanwhile, likened the local entertainment industry to a phoenix about to rise from the ashes. He said it would reemerge stronger and better, “but also the biggest challenge would be how to adapt to the changes. For example, there are actors who don’t like to go on YouTube or use Zoom,” he added. “These are all new to us. Prior to this outbreak, I didn’t even know about Zoom! I think it all goes back to adaptability. If we can adapt fast, then we will survive.”
Martin echoed what Enchong said. “Because of this pandemic, we would soon have new norms. Maybe producers would be able to develop a system that would enable us to practice social distancing while taping!” On the flip side, Martin said, he’s excited to be able to participate in the telling of new stories. “I used to just watch about viruses and plagues in the movies. It’s only now that I’ve tried Zoom, or experienced being quarantined. I’m imagining that we’d be able to come up with movie projects by just using Zoom. There are so many new experiences we can draw inspiration from,” he declared.The “Actor’s Cue” online panel discussion is part of the “#ExtendTheLove” initiative, which is organized by director Adolf Alix Jr. It aims to raise funds for Filipino film workers displaced by the lockdown ordered by the government to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
