Not just a mere echo

MANILA, Philippines - Jericho Rosales is no Echo who vanishes into thin air. His more than a decade career in showbiz proves that Jericho is here to stay. What lingers in the public mind is his body of work that has won for Jericho awards.

To make each acting assignment new, Jericho doesn’t mind to leave his comfort zone and travel miles away from Manila to recharge his acting batteries and get a better vantage point of his craft.

“I went there to study, enhance my acting skills and forget my bad habits as an actor,” says Jericho of his Big Apple sojourn. “I wanted to be inspired. So I went back to the roots (of acting).” Jericho quickly dispels rumors that “I have a career there,” although he starred in the Hollywood movie Subject: I Love You.

Jericho attended the acting for film class at the New York Film Academy. He got a “refresher” on Actor’s Acting Studio, Stella Adler and Eric Morris approaches.

“Why did I study acting for film?” Jericho asks himself. “(It was) to make my acting natural and raw. They taught me how to be sensitive and to be spontaneous. They taught me how to audition (for a role). I was also interested to know how (people) work (in Hollywood), how to land a job in the States and how to (attend) a casting.”

His stint at the film academy re-introduced Jericho to the nitty-gritty of Acting 101, scene study and monologues, among other things.

“I think I have enhanced (my work attitude,) my professionalism,” shares Jericho after finishing all the course requirements. “If you hire me as an actor, I will give my all — my 100 percent on the set. I promise to do my homework.”

If there’s an important learning from studying abroad that sticks with Jericho, it will be “how to approach a character and how to bring out the truth (in the portrayal). The viewers will know if you’re just acting. It’s an opportunity to go to the States and take advantage of the experience. I (encourage) new actors to go to an acting school in L.A. or New York. But I still want to work here in the Philippines. I just went there to study and improve my craft. It is how I keep my alas in acting.”

After the reality show I Dare You and primetime series Green Rose, Jericho is set to do three movies.

“It’s been awhile since I acted on the big screen,” says Jericho, who is part of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Regal Films’ official entry to this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival. “The last one I did was with Gabby and KC Concepcion. It’s my dream to do more movies. Next year, I plan to do my first indie (titled Alagwa) and I also might involve myself in the production. (It sounds) exciting to me and I’m preparing myself for all this.”

Also in the pipeline is the Kapamilya soap Padre de Pamilya starring Piolo Pascual, Christopher de Leon and Maricar Reyes. On the side, endorsements such as Vantage Ace 2 keep Jericho busy these days. Bloomworks, Inc., makers of Vantage safety razors, offers the double-bladed razors to give men that “keen and smooth shave.” It has Dermaglide, a lubricating strip to reduce razor drag and skin irritation.

Asked about his idea of being gwapo or good-looking, Jericho replies, “Ang pagiging gwapo ay nasa loob,” adding that being respectful to others and a gentleman to women complete that package.

Thus, it’s not surprising why Jericho has remained Mr. Pogi all these years.