Joross Gamboa prefers not to be the ‘bida’ both in his show biz career and personal life

Joross Gamboa (left) and Roxanne Guinoo-Yap play a married couple Jules and Marge in “Hoy Love You”

“I just can’t let go of my funny side. It is who I am,” said character actor Joross Gamboa, who admitted that the Kapamilya network once planned to package him as a leading man, but he had to turn down the offer because it would require him “to be someone I’m not.”

“I never aimed for popularity. My goal in this business has always been longevity. My idol is the late Tito Eddie Garcia (whose show biz career spanned seven decades). It’s true that there was a plan to package me as a leading man before, but I just can’t let go of my humor, my kakulitan. For that plan, I even had to change the way I speak, which had to be modulated. I thought I sounded weird and funny because of that,” he told reporters recently.

‘Overwhelming’

“I prefer making people laugh. I want to stay in this industry for as long as I can,” said Joross, who, unlike other actors, remained in demand even during the pandemic. He is part of the cast of the Kapamilya sitcom “My Papa Pi,” the action-thriller “Flower of Evil” and the family sitcom “Hoy Love You,” which will stream its third season on iWantTFC starting on Sept. 30.

“I feel so blessed. I just came from an accident that required me to have an operation because I tore my Achilles tendon. As a result, I had to let go of some movie and TV projects. I felt so bad, but my family and I simply prayed for it. Our prayers were never about requesting for things to happen but about saying thanks. Now, the blessings are overwhelming. It’s true that God never forgets. There might just be delays in our plans because God has other plans for us, but it’s true that things happen in his perfect time,” Joross declared.

Joross has been active in the industry since 2004. Asked to share the secret of his staying power, the 37-year-old said: “I consider acting as something that helps me provide for my family. I don’t mind doing small roles. I even enjoy doing cameos or being a bit player. I understand that my star doesn’t need to be shining all the time. It’s also important to be there to support others. For example, in ‘My Papa Pi,’ the leads are Piolo Pascual and Pepe Herrera. I made sure to be there for them, to make them shine. Meanwhile, in our personal lives, we shouldn’t be the bida. It should be God.”

Joross said this is also the work dynamics on the set of “Hoy Love You,” where he plays Jules, husband to Roxanne Guinoo-Yap’s character Marge. The series also features Aljon Mendoza, Karina Bautista, Brenna Garcia, Keanna Reeves, Yamyam Gucong, Pepe Herrera, Dominic Ochoa and TJ Valderrama.

“Everyone will be able to relate to the show. It is a collaboration of all the cast members. We sit down to share personal experiences before the script gets written. It’s a collective experience,” he said, adding that Season 3 is all about Jules and Marge’s journey to becoming new parents.

“I think I’ve experienced paglilihi before,” said the father of two. “When my wife was pregnant, I would bring her food from outside, like sinigang na hipon. But when I get home, she will say she doesn’t like it so I will end up eating it. I later realized that it was me who was craving for sinigang.”

For program director Theodore “Ted” Boborol, the aim of Season 3 is to teach the audience all about love and sacrifice. He explained: “The pregnancy journey of Jules and Marge will test their faith, love and willingness to sacrifice. Generally, Season 3 is a reflection of what is currently happening in our society. I feel that there’s an urgent need for us to reintroduce our core values to the audience. We want to remind them that Filipinos are God-fearing, family oriented and are people of faith. You will see these in a lot of subplots.”

Sacrificing personal interest

Joross further said: “Jules has the core values that Direk Ted is talking about, those that we hardly find in most Pinoys today anymore. Let’s admit it that we’ve become too influenced by other cultures, especially those of us who live abroad. We are known for our willingness to sacrifice our personal interest for the sake of our families. This show will remind us of this.”

“Hoy Love You” will stream on the iWantTFC app and website beginning on Sept. 30. Starting Oct. 15, 9 to 10 p.m. It will air on the A2Z and Kapamilya channels.