Luis Manzano says wife Jessy Mendiola has ‘complete freedom’ to do her job

Luis Manzano —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

TV host Luis Manzano said he is giving complete freedom to wife Jessy Mendiola, who will be making an acting comeback this 2024, to choose whatever role she wants to take on—even those that require bed scenes, especially “if this would give her artistic fulfillment.”

Luis said Jessy is very excited to return to work, especially now that their daughter Isabella Rosie has turned a year old. “She misses the industry. She misses the craft and the people she works with regularly. Whatever the offer may be, a teleserye or a movie, I encourage her to go for it. In fact, based on the first few days of the year, it’s going to be a very busy 2024 for her,” Luis told reporters during the recent of a brand, of which he is an ambassador.

Luis added that Jessy has been getting quite a number of offers lately, but she would always choose to spend more time with their daughter. “Having Peanut (their child’s nickname) has really shifted our priorities. I told her, ‘Just do whatever you want. By all means, go ahead.’ I grew up in an environment where my mom (award-winning veteran actress Vilma Santos) would do bed scenes and kissing scenes, and so I fully understood that these were all for the craft,” Luis pointed out.

The next generation

“Yes, I’d allow Jessy if she thinks there’s fulfillment in that particular role she wants to take on. If she would tell me, ‘I’m happy as an artist,’ then I’d give her the go-ahead. I’d never ever argue with that. This is why I’m telling you now that I’m also ready to do more mature roles,” he said, laughing.

Luis also said he wouldn’t mind if Peanut would eventually choose to work in show biz, too. “In fact, Peanut has already shot two endorsements. When it comes to acting, I would love for her to try—although I promise not to pressure her. If she’d eventually tell me, ‘Papa, ayoko na.’ At least, after a few years, she’d be able to tell herself that, ‘I tried,’” Luis explained.

Meanwhile, Luis said he is very pleased that his mom is becoming more involved in filmmaking once again. Vilma bagged the best actress award at the recently concluded Metro Manila Film Festival for the dramatic film “When I Met You in Tokyo.”

“I know how hard she and the whole team worked on the movie. I’m very happy for her. It’s touching how she broke the news to me—she sent me a message that said, ‘Nanalo ako, Anak.’

“I noticed that my mom shows a different persona when she’s a public servant, also when she’s an artist. Right now, she is very happy vlogging, It’s one step at a time for her. She could still return to politics, or do more movies or TV shows. Actually, there are talks for me and my mom to do a sitcom,” he declared.

As for shows like “Pilipinas Got Talent,” which Luis once hosted and is reportedly making a comeback on TV soon, he said he has decided to “take a break” from doing similarly themed programs. “I think I posted this on social media before—why not give it to the next generation? I see potential in the likes of Robi [Domingo], Donny [Pangilinan], Edward [Barber] and Enchong [Dee].”

Manzano (right) with wife Jessy Mendiola and daughter Isabelle Rosie —LUIS MANZANO/ INSTAGRAM

Expect the unexpected

What Luis said he would rather be doing is “my own original game show,” like the recent “It’s Your Lucky Day,” which first aired as a replacement to “It’s Showtime” while it served the 12-day suspension ordered by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board. “It’s a show where the Filipino audiences could actually win. They are what I call my ka-Lucky. That’s what I want to push through in 2024,” he declared.

Luis said his goal for 2024 is to “work on having more blessings—whatever that entails. If it’s more projects, then that’s okay because my family would benefit from it. I just hope for a lot of happiness in 2024. I want to manifest a happy home, a happy work life,” he stressed. “This would sound very ‘Pilipinas Got Talent,’ but my advice is to ‘expect the unexpected.’ There were so many things that happened in 2023 that I never thought would happen to me in this lifetime. It’s true that when life throws you a curveball, the bigger issue is how you bounce back.”