Piolo Pascual says was rooting for Cedrick Juan to be MMFF’s Best Actor

Piolo Pascual and Cedrick Juan in “GomBurZa.” Images: Courtesy of Jesuit Communications and MQuest Ventures

Truth be told, Piolo Pascual said that he’s “really happy” for newcomer Cedrick Juan winning the best actor award at the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), saying it’s time to “see somebody else” reap the rewards of their hard work.

Juan, who starred as Padre Jose Burgos in the historical drama “GomBurZa,” was up against Pascual, Alden Richards, Dingdong Dantes, Derek Ramsay, and Christopher de Leon during the MMFF 2023 Gabi ng Parangal last Dec. 27.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Pascual said he was fully supportive of Juan’s bid for the plum award, and that he is really happy that several opportunities followed the recognition the award gave him.

“I’ve worked with Cedrick. All my scenes in ‘Gomburza’ were with him. I even messaged him, I was really happy for him. It definitely opened doors for the guy, I was rooting for him,” he said.

Pascual, who was nominated for another MMFF movie, the suspense thriller “Mallari,” took on the role of Padre Pedro Pelaez in a special appearance at “GomBurZa,” as the mentor of Juan’s Burgos.

Given, not asked

In a past interview, Pascual shared that he was asked if he ever “claimed to win” the award at some point, but said he opted for his MMFF film “Mallari” to perform well at the Box Office instead.

“‘I guess before the Best Actor, box office first, which we got. I mean, that’s the bottom line. Our producers were able to do business. ‘Yung reward ng acting is a given, hindi naman hinihingi ‘yun (An acting reward is given, not asked),” he said. “But it’s nice to actually hear something like that. That’s enough already validation for me.”

Pascual also noted that he’s “been around for quite a while” and it’s time for other actors to take the stage and have more opportunities in the industry. “It’s nice to be able to share. It’s also nice to see somebody else or other people getting the awards, getting the breaks.”

“It would be too selfish to say that you shouldn’t be the one to win… Hello, you’ve been around for quite a while. Why would you want this award? If it’s given, thank you. But if it’s not, then it’s not for you. Simple as that,” he continued.

Other than the award, Pascual said he would rather focus on his ability to “pull off” his characters in “Mallari,” and that he was able to make the film’s director and his acting coach “proud” of his progress.

“My point is, as long as I’m able to pull it off, I was able to look at my director in the eye and my acting coach in the eye and say and ask them, ‘Kamusta ba (How was it)?’ And they were happy about it. My producers were happy. So that’s more than what an award could give,” he said.

In “Mallari,” Pascual was Juan Severino Mallari, a Catholic priest who is said to be the Philippines’ first documented serial killer. He also starred as the MMFF film’s fictional descendants Johnrey and Jonathan.