Sef Cadayona takes comedy seriously

Sef Cadayona doesn’t rely on his easy likability and Everyman charm to get his comedic punches across on “Sabado Badoo,” “Bubble Gang,” “Vampire Ang Daddy Ko” and those wacky commercials—he works hard to make them look spontaneous and unpredictable.

The soft-spoken 26-year-old actor-dancer is initially guarded when he isn’t in front of the cameras, like many comedians we know—but, get him to warm up to you, and you’ll see the method to his comedic madness!

Sef shares, “I was very shy as a kid—but, I learned from the best: Vic Sotto, Michael V, Ogie Alcasid, etc. Comedians have to learn how to laugh at themselves, to be aware of what’s going on around them—and see the lighter side of the news!”

What happens when a gag isn’t as funny as it appears on paper? He quips, “It’s a performer’s job to turn it around and ‘sell’ it—you have to find ways to make it funny. That’s what makes comedy difficult and fulfilling—it requires a lot of hard work and inventiveness.”

Instant gratification

Social media perpetuates the young generation’s penchant for instant gratification, Sef says: “If we ignore its reach and influence, we get left out. Comedy these days is quick on the draw. Take Vine (the video-sharing service utilizing six-second film clips)—that’s the way much of the world operates these days. The challenge lies in how to get your message across in six seconds!

“Vine demonstrates a structural difference in the diverse comedic forms the public patronizes: In the US, many of the jokes are within the lines themselves, while Pinoy humor banks on a punchline toward the end.”

Sef takes comedy very seriously—but, his sense of humor is just one of many traits that makes him effective as a multifaceted performer. We first noted his prodigious terpsichorian skills on “Sunday All Stars” and in his well-meaning but undercooked 2013 MMFF entry, “Kaleidoscope World.”

It was in the indies that Cadayona acted in that he truly made us sit up and take notice, however: The laugh-out-loud comedy, “Slumber Party,” proved that Sef could hold his own alongside other promising actors. But, his dramatic portrayal in the MMFF New Wave entry, “Gayak,” was just as memorable.

The versatile actor attributes the relative success he enjoys to a healthy attitude, perseverance and a lot of luck—after all, he didn’t really expect to get this far, especially after getting the boot too early in the fifth season of “StarStruck,” won by Sarah Lahbati and Steven Silva.

He recalls, “I didn’t even make the top 10 (laughs)—but, I treated it as a free workshop and learned so much about focus and discipline! ‘Listen’ to your mentors.”

What does he find attractive in girls? Sef muses, “I’m drawn to girls who can carry a conversation. It would be hard to keep things interesting kung walang laman ang pinag-uusapan ninyo (laughs)— especially if what you’re after is a long-term relationship!”