The wake-up call that reaffirmed Piolo Pascual’s zest for life, career

Piolo Pascual in “Pamilya Sagrado” —PHOTO COURTESY OF DREAMSCAPE ENTERTAINMENT

Piolo Pascual doesn’t merely look good, youthful and refreshed these days. “I feel good,” the 47-year-old actor told us when he, along with his twentysomething costars Kyle Echarri and Grae Fernandez, met the press to announce “Pamilya Sagrado’s” time slot adjustment last Sunday. “My endorsements require me to look presentable and fit, so it comes with the territory. I’m in good shape [because] I take care of myself.”

Beyond all that physical pluperfection, however, is a string of good reasons for the country’s No. 1 heartthrob to feel engaged and “reenergized.” He attributes this to the risks he began taking at the height of the pandemic.

Asked what clicked for him during the long and stultifying lockdowns and drove him to pick riskier roles (as a serial killer in “Mallari” and as Padre Pedro Pelaez in “GomBurZa”) and pursue brand-new artistic endeavors (like making his foray into musical theater via “Ibarra”), Piolo said, “I had a wake-up call. I remember wanting to quit before turning 40. I wanted to quit while I was still on top.

“But I was humbled by the Lord, who made me realize there were still a lot of projects I could do. Like, ‘How dare you resist or refuse work that comes your way? You can be a conduit or a vessel for projects that can help people or illuminate their minds.

“That epiphany led to renewed excitement about my career. During the pandemic, I realized how boring it was to stay idle (laughs)! Ayokong walang ginagawa (I didn’t like being unproductive). When things began to ease up, hindi na talaga ako tumigil (I never stopped working). I finished four movies during the pandemic. Thereafter, I kept doing stuff left and right—and that hasn’t stopped since. I just try to bring my A game every time so I won’t regret doing them or feel like I was compromising [on the quality].”

To greater heights

If we go by the acting awards he has won so far for his portrayals in “GomBurZa,” “Mallari” and even “Ibarra,” it certainly doesn’t look like Piolo has been making some ill-advised judgment calls.

“I’m just kilig [about all of this],” he quipped, beaming. “You know, I was asked by direk Mike Tuviera (director of ‘The Kingdom,’ his upcoming Metro Manilla Film Festival entry with Vic Sotto) if I accept projects with awards in mind.

“I said, ‘I never do something to get an award, because winning one is just a reward [for a job well done]. It isn’t something you ask for. So when I get one, I’m so grateful for it. It fuels me to keep doing better.

“That’s why I was emotional when I won an Aliw award [for best actor] for ‘Ibarra.’ It got to a point where, while I was holding my trophy, I couldn’t believe where that role has led me. It made me feel grateful for the opportunities that have been coming my way.

“You know that the risks and challenges you take on are pushing you to greater heights. You don’t expect to get anything from them. It’s really just a matter of going for it and giving every character your 100 percent.”

His role in ABS-CBN’s top-rated series “Pamilya Sagrado”—as Rafael Sagrado, who will stop at nothing to protect the family name—is no exception.

Piolo is enjoying his unconventional, cache-boosting role in the Dreamscape Entertainment production so much that he said he can’t wait to do another teleserye. Need we say that uncovering Moises Malonzo’s (Kyle) true identity could raise the stakes even higher for Rafael, Justin (Grae) and the other characters in the series?

“I’m excited to do another series, yeah,” Piolo stated. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop acting. After ‘Flower of Evil’ and ‘Pamilya Sagrado,’ I’ve already asked Dreamscape and ABS-CBN what they have in store for me after this (laughs).

“That’s where my renewed excitement or enthusiasm for unique content is coming from … giving life to characters that have become increasingly more diverse. Because nowadays, we have more choices for roles and greater access to different platforms.

“I’ll never stop creating content or producing stuff that would keep me productive. I want new concepts and ideas that we can champion … something that our audiences can truly be proud of.”

During the interview, we reminded Piolo that “Real Life Fiction,” his bleak existentialist film directed by Paul Soriano (and costarring Jasmine Curtis-Smith) that began playing in cinemas last week, also tapped into pertinent mental health issues and how man’s sense of uncertainty and deepest fears could play tricks on him.

While it may not be every viewer’s cup of tea, it is nevertheless a spot-on depiction of what people were all feeling at the height of the pandemic in 2020.

“That film was haunting to a certain extent, because it delves into the psyche of a person—a popular actor-turned-director named Paco—who is very similar to me. He’s dealing with his inner demons. It was like me mirroring myself, so it felt very close to home. And I had to really shake the character off after working on it and detach myself from him right away.

‘Disturbing thoughts’

“You know how things are when a role haunts you… it leaves a mark and stays in the back of your head. Take ‘Mallari,’ I get scared when I watch it now, so that isn’t something I want to do again any time soon.”

Was Piolo also feeling Paco’s issues during the lockdown?

“Yes, I felt that especially during the pandemic … when there was so much uncertainty swirling all around us. I guess that was why I didn’t want to stay home and just work and not get stuck doing nothing … because I didn’t want to have to deal with those [disturbing] thoughts.”

Since characters like Rafael in “Pamilya Sagrado” can be perceived as hero-antiheroes, Piolo was asked how he deals with real “contravidas” in the crazy world that he inhabits.

He answered, “I struggle with that as well, because I also tend to deal with my own attitude or character when I feel na parang sumasama ang ugali ko or the way I think, talk or deal with other people. Ako mismo ang kontrabida sa sarili ko (I am my own contravida). So, before I judge people, I place myself in their shoes … because that’s just another way for me to understand myself better.”