Diego Loyzaga shares lessons from investment scam experience

Diego Loyzaga

Easy come, easy go. This idiom is especially true, Diego Loyzaga found out, when it comes to money. In his hopes of growing the cash prize he bagged in a game show, the opposite ended up happening.

“I acquired some money, which I won. It was quite a large amount. I wanted to have some of it for myself and give some to others. But instead of keeping it, I thought it would be smart to invest it in something, so that the money could grow in time. That way, I can have more to share,” he said in a recent virtual conference for the Vivamax suspense thriller “Greed.”

READ: Diego Loyzaga lost money to a scammer, learns about greed

“I was scammed and the people I dealt with ran away with my money,” he said. “Greed took over. And in that scenario, I lost—big-time … Easy come, easy go. If money comes in easily, you tend to spend it in the same manner.”

Discontentment

And the same thing goes with show biz projects. “Sometimes, you’re given blessings. But when you don’t appreciate it enough, you will always want more. For example, you get a ‘raket’ but get offered a lower amount than usual, so you wish for something bigger … And then the project doesn’t push through, you end up losing the whole thing entirely,” he said.

“As they say, ‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,’” the 26-year-old added.

Doing the said movie by director Yam Laranas only reinforced his belief that greed stems from discontentment, whether it is about money, relationships, etc. “When you don’t have contentment, that’s when greed comes in. You always want something you don’t have. You want more than what you already have. You always think about things you could have had, instead of things you already have,” he pointed out.

Asked if there’s anything that tends to set off his greed, Diego said it’s quality time with his loved ones. “I can be generous. I could have saved more money, but I don’t because I would rather spend it on my family and friends,” he said. “I’m greedy in the form of wanting to have company.”

Challenging role

In “Greed,” which also stars Nadine Lustre and Epy Quizon, Diego plays a rural town farmer whose life descends into chaos after winning the lottery. “The character development was dramatic. I liked the blood and the gore, the difficulty of the terrain and our setting,” he said.

The role was challenging, he said, but having talented and wonderful colleagues made the process easier. “Direk Yam directs how he wants, but he also allows the actor to portray the character the way he understands it,” he said.

Diego Loyzaga
Actor

“I love Tito Epy, who’s friends with my dad (Cesar Montano). We hadn’t worked before, so I wasn’t sure if we would click on the set. And we did. I enjoyed working with him,” he said.

Diego described Nadine as an all-around artist. “I haven’t experienced working with someone who remains busy even during our breaks. She’s always doing something—taking behind-the-scenes footage, preparing content. She’s always thinking of concepts,” he said. “She’s in character in front of the cameras. But behind her she also takes care of the whole picture.”

Another thing that stood out to him is the film’s gritty atmosphere. “We didn’t have to put on makeup. What I realized doing this film is that you don’t always have to look all made-up or proper to portray a character that’s genuine. You don’t have to be in nice clothes all the time,” he said.

“The grit was there … the sweat. It was raw,” he said. “Without spoiling much, the movie also shows that you don’t need a cliched happy ending for it to be satisfying.” INQ

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