(From left) Coco Martin and Elijah Canlas. Images: Instagram/@cocomartin_ph, @elijahcanlas
Coco Martin expressed his support for Elijah Canlas after he was cast as one of the leads in “High Street,” apart from portraying the villainous Pablo Caballero in the action series “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.”
Canlas reprised his character Archie in “High Street,” which follows the events of the youth series “Senior High.” As one of the leads, his character is the father of Roxy’s (Xyriel Manabat) child.
Interviewed by reporters on the sidelines of the Box Office Entertainment Awards, Martin said he has no problem with the young actor taking on other high-profile projects alongside “Batang Quiapo,” as this is for Canlas’ personal growth as an actor.
“Oo naman. Nand’un ako sa practical. Kaya kami nandito ay para mag-hanapbuhay. Binibigyan ko lahat ng opportunity para lumipad at magkaroon ng career, at makapag-hanapbuhay lahat ng tao,” said Martin, who not only serves as the lead star of the primetime series, but also serves as its co-director, creative director, and producer.
(Of course. We have to be practical. We’re all here to work. I give opportunities to everyone to soar and have a career, and for people to make ends meet.)
In a separate interview, Canlas said he’s “very grateful” to Martin for allowing him to do “two shows that a lot of people love and value” at once.
“I’m doing my best. Ang daming nagtatanong sa’kin tulad sina Kuya Coco kung kaya ko pa. Oo naman, kayang kaya ko pa,” he said. (I’m doing my best. Many are asking me like Kuya Coco if I can still do this. Of course, I can do it.)
The series is headlined by Andrea Brillantes, Juan Karlos, Angel Aquino, Dimples Romana, Elijah Canlas, Xyriel Manabat, and Zaijian Jaranila, just to name a few. @inquirerdotnet pic.twitter.com/gZkegc3plv
— Hannah Mallorca (@HMallorcaINQ) May 7, 2024
The “High Street” star admitted that he’s initially worried about disappointing Martin with his additional acting pursuit, but said it was the latter himself who pushed him to be part of the youth series.
“Nag-invest na kasi sila ng time. We’ve been doing workshops and stunt training. Ang worry ko is baka hindi magustuhan ni Direk Coco na may ginagawang show at the same time. Baka isipin na hindi ako nagfofocus, but si Kuya Coco ang nag-push sa’kin na gawin ko ‘to,” he said.
(They invested time in me. We’ve been doing workshops and stunt training. I worried that Direk Coco might be disappointed in me doing a show at the same time. He might think of me as someone with no focus. But it was Kuya Coco who pushed me to do this.)
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