Peter Georgo: How ‘stranded’ American actor ended up in PH show biz

Georgo in “Ang Probinsyano”

At that point, I realized that I needed to start a new life here,” said American Peter Georgo, whose experience of getting stranded in Manila during the first implementation of the pandemic lockdown in March 2020 has lead him to an all-important acting gig in the iconic action-adventure series “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.”

Georgo is of Greek descent, with Georgopoulos as real name. “I used a stage name because ‘Georgopoulos’ is too difficult for non-Greeks to pronounce,” he explained.

He flew to the Philippines in June 2019 to personally meet his would-be wife, Jennifer, who hails from Libmanan, Camarines Sur. They got married a month later. In January 2020, they traveled to Manila to process their documents. “But it was a very slow process,” Georgo recalled, adding that they were making progress until the government decided to declare Manila, and later the rest of Luzon, under enhanced community quarantine.

“Our documents weren’t completed and travel was stopped. Jennifer wasn’t able to return to Libmanan and I had to make a very difficult decision because I had a flight to the United States scheduled later that month,” he said.

Tough decision

Georgo had to decide to either return to the United States and leave Jennifer stranded in Manila alone with their baby and with no place to live in, or push his flight back in the hope that COVID-19 would be over in a few weeks. “It finally got to the point that the agency where I bought my ticket from wouldn’t allow any further adjustments,” he said.

Georgo has since started making his “stay” in the Philippines legal and documented. He is now a bearer of a 13A ACRI card (permanent residency), has his own TIN number and official receipt (OR) for his business transactions.

Of course, he needed to generate income in order for his family to survive. “Since I have been part of several film productions, as well as TV shows and commercials [in the US], I started looking into the entertainment industry here,” Georgo said. “I’m not going to lie … my journey has been difficult!”

Georgo said that for a long while, he couldn’t find anyone willing to help guide him properly. “I would ask hundreds of questions to people we met during auditions,” he recalled. “I noticed that very few of them knew what an IMDb page was, so saying I was an American indie actor didn’t mean anything to them.”

Then came an online audition for a TV series. “As soon as I was done with the audition, about five people popped up on the Zoom meeting and introduced themselves to me. The main person, and the one I remember was Direk Albert Langitan. We then discussed my part and the show, ‘Ang Probinsyano.’ That’s how I ended up in the Philippines entertainment industry,” he beamed.

Georgo added that his stint in “Ang Probinsyano” got him a role in the new GMA 7 series “Never Say Goodbye,” which starts airing on Oct. 18. Georgo is also “in discussions” with the production team of an upcoming action movie.

Georgo (right) with wife Jennifer

Asked to recall some of his memorable experiences while working on the set of “Ang Probinsyano,” Georgo said: “Everyone, even the biggest stars, was so polite and courteous. We were at the Batangas pier shooting the drug/money transaction with Lito Valmoria (Richard Gutierrez). I was dressed in a suit while we were all under the sun with very little shade. It was at least 42 degrees at the time. “

‘Memorable moment’

“I was standing, waiting for the next scene, when Richard brought me a chair and cold bottle of water. I thought, ‘Are you kidding me?’ There were dozens of people there that could have done that at Richard’s request, but he did it on his own! Several hours later, Direk Albert did the exact same thing for me, except that he sternly directed me to sit,” he recalled.

He further said: “No one will ever see that on TV, but that was such a memorable moment. The caring and concern they both showed me—remember, I’m just an unsigned foreigner—was heartwarming. I felt that they both respected me, not just as a person, but also as a fellow actor.”

When it came to sharing what Filipino industry practices he appreciated the most, Georgo said: “It’s how laid-back the director and cast members are. We’re human and we all make mistakes. You can read, memorize and learn your lines days in advance to the point where you don’t need to look at the script any longer, but everything changes once you’re doing the scenes live with your actual acting partner. Feeling relaxed on set allows you to focus on creating a memorable character rather than reading a perfect script.” INQ