Jake Cuenca raring to do stage play on his birthday: I’d rather perform than party

Jake Cuenca (right) with “The Iron Heart” costar Richard Gutierrez
at Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo. —JAKE CUENCA/INSTAGRAM

Jake Cuenca, who was with Richard Gutierrez in Japan recently to shoot for the action-drama series “The Iron Heart,” said he is now looking for a stage play to mount and star in on his birth month, December.

“I love what I do. I’m the type of actor who needs to constantly do it. If I’m not doing it, I feel like I’m regressing. So if I’m not doing a movie or TV show, I certainly have to do a play,” the 34-year-old told Inquirer Entertainment in a recent interview. “I’m looking for a new play to do, especially on my birthday. Rather than throw a party, I want to perform.”

Jake, Richard and “Iron Heart” lead director Lester Pimentel Ong spent a week in Japan to film the finale of their show’s second season, which will be replaced by “Can’t Buy Me Love” on Oct. 16.

During the interview, Jake hinted at the possibility of the program having a third season. “I’m always ready to jump straight into work for that show and for (producer) Star Creatives. I told my directors about this—we’re preparing to finish the show but, for me, we’re only getting started. I’m not really that tired yet. But it’s OK to try something new. Sometimes, it’s also good to have a season break, just like what they do in Hollywood. This is so you can recalibrate and hopefully, come up with new and better ideas. If there’s any unit that would be able to do it, it’s Star Creatives. They’ve done it in the past, with ‘Lobo’ and ‘Imortal,’’’ Jake pointed out. “To be honest, there’s this feeling inside of me that doesn’t want to let go of the show, so anytime they ask me to come back, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

Jake also signed up for the extension of his TV5 sitcom “Jack and Jill sa Diamond Hills,” opposite Sue Ramirez, as well as for another TV show still under wraps.

Moment on the red carpet

At the recent ABS-CBN Ball 2023, Jake chose to walk solo on the red carpet instead of going with actress Chie Filomeno who he has been dating since early this year.

“We’re going to see each other inside [the ballroom] anyway. We will have our moment there,” Jake told Inquirer Entertainment minutes before the highly publicized charity event started on Sept. 30. “Of course, ABS-CBN hasn’t done this in a long time, so for me, it’s very important that she has her moment on the red carpet. She gets to show herself now. I want this to be a big moment for her. I can respect and understand that.”

In fact, Jake is nothing but supportive of Chie’s acting career. He even attended the premiere night of her latest project, Petersen Vargas’ “A Very Good Girl,” also starring Kathryn Bernardo and Dolly de Leon. “She’s good in the movie, but more than anything, I’m raving about the director. Petersen is good! I’m a fan,” he said.

Asked whether he gives Chie who is seven years his junior acting pointers, Jake said, “Honestly, she’s already good. She can do this on her own, so rather than teach her what to do, we just work on refining things. We do this by reading scripts together. It’s fun that way. That’s much better than telling the person what to do all the time. In any relationship I’m in, we do things 50-50 [informal term to mean sharing equally]. Chie is already a good actress. She’s ready. She’s been waiting for her big break for a long time.” INQ