"This is my most challenging role so far," he says. "It’s my first filmbio and I had to lose weight for this dahil featherweight lang si Manny. I had to shed off about 15 lbs. to look lean like him."
Is he really a boxing fan? "Honestly, no. I only became interested in boxing after I saw Will Smith as Muhammad Ali, then I started watching all the fights of Manny. Little did I know I’ll play him on the screen someday."
Even before shooting started, he already studied videos of Manny’s fights to see how he moves on the ring. "I also went to the gym where he trains to see how dedicated he is as a boxer. I had an interview with him at ABS and I took the opportunity to get to know him better up close. I also got a sparring partner from Gen. Santos City, si Ariel, who helped in training me and, through him, I got to know boxing better. This is very important as about 30 to 40 percent of the film are boxing scenes."
His biggest problem is that he looks so citified and Manny still looks like a probinsyano. "Director Joel Lamangan pointed this out to me and told me that I should change my projection. I didn’t find it hard to do as probinsyano naman talaga ako before, since I grew up in Bicol. In playing Manny, direk Joel told me I didn’t have to copy or mimic him exactly, as I was thinking I’d even imitate his accent. He said I can’t copy Manny dahil, to begin with, I’m already taller than him. The important thing is to capture his essence as a person and the highlights of his life that can surely serve as an inspiration to viewers to show them that anyone can succeed if one would work hard enough to pursue his dreams. What makes Pacquiao difficult for me is that I just came from an action-fantasy like Panday, so I have to adjust again in doing a realistic film like Pacquiao that is based on a true story. It’s nice to be working with a director like Joel Lamangan as he guides me well in my role. He knows when I’m faking it and I’m glad when he calls my attention as I really want to give a serious performance."
Is it true his girlfriend, Heart Evangelista, got jealous as he’s doing a lot of love scenes with Bea Alonzo who plays his wife, Jinkee, in Pacquiao? "That’s not true as Heart is not the jealous type and she knows that whatever I do, it’s just part of my job as an actor. Also, my love scenes naman with Bea are for the movie lang so there’s no need for her to be jealous."
The movie is a co-production between Mommy Rose Flaminiano of FLT Films and ABS-CBN’s Star Cinema. It has a budget of P50-M and a lot of that went to scenes that were shot on location in Gen. Santos City, Manny’s home province, and in Los Angeles and in Las Vegas where Manny trained and staged some of his crucial boxing matches. The movie’s powerhouse cast also includes Jaclyn Jose and Tirso Cruz III as his parents, Gloria Sevilla as the woman who took him to Manila as a teenager to train him as a young boxer, Jiro Manio as the young Manny, Polo Ravales as his brother Bobby, Jay Manalo as a composite character of various boxers who later became has-beens, Biboy Ramirez as a boxer who died on the ring, Zoren Legaspi as his friend and trainer, Desiree del Valle, Glaiza de Castro and Andrea del Rosario as his past girlfriends.
When it comes to his lovelife, he’s aware that he has the reputation of being a ladies man. "They only say that as I’ve had some girlfriends na taga-showbiz din, like Angelika de la Cruz, Kristine Hermosa, Cindy Kurleto and now, Heart Evangelista," he says. "But in all fairness to me, no one can accuse me na pinagsasabay-sabay ko sila. My relationships usually last for over a year. When I’m on with someone, I remain faithful to her. I’m not the kind of guy who has two to three girlfriends all at the same time."
It’s said that many people are against his relationship with Heart? "My intentions with Heart are honorable. I am ready to marry her to show that I am serious with her. I can feel she’s really the one I want to spend the rest of my life."
It’s also said that her parents are against him. "I’ve met her mom and we’re okay. It’s her dad who I have yet to meet. Actually, I’m just waiting for Heart’s go-signal to meet and talk with her dad. I’m really eager to tell him that I honestly love his daughter very much at malinis ang hangarin ko rito."
What does he love about Heart? "Everything in her, including her asthma," he jokes. "Putting it simply, she personifies the girl of my dreams. It’s really funny as before we were paired in Panday, nagkikita kami sa ABS but we don’t even talk. Hanggang hi and hello lang kami. It’s really different once you start working with a person, especially in our case as we were shooting on location in a far away place, at the sand dunes of Vigan. And since we’re always together, we were eventually drawn to each other. We got to know each other better and right now, I don’t think I can live without her. What’s nice about our relationship is that we’re both at a point that we consciously seek the Lord. We go to church and do Bible studies together. And with the Lord guiding us, I know we can’t go wrong."