John takes comedy seriously

Two years have already passed since John Prats joined the cast of ABS-CBN’s Banana Split which now carries an add-on title Extra Scoop, and until this day, anxiety never gets to him when dealing with the production staff or doing comedic scenes with Angelica Panganiban, the remaining original member of the show.

“I feel at ease here. They welcomed us (with contemporaries Jayson Gainza and Zanjoe Marudo) wholeheartedly,” John begins. “That’s why we’re so thankful being part of the team where everyone is treated equally. We’re like one big family and it is one reason why we stick with the show (and) with one another.”

Melai Cantiveros, Pooh, Pokwang, Sunshine Garcia and Ryan Bang complete the cast that adds fun to Saturday nights TV fare. This year, Banana Split marks its fourth year with special presentations that began last month. On Nov. 10, the show celebrates Angelica’s birthday with John Lloyd Cruz as special guest.

Each of them, John says, can freely contribute “hilarious and crazy ideas” as long as they are not offensive to the audience and to the cast. “All comedies start with a conversation. Yes, we have scripts but we do ad-libs most of the time which we find easier because of our unique bond as a group, alam na namin ang magiging reaksyon ng bawat isa. We also know our roles, like me I’m not the guy who drops the punchline. It is Jayson who’s good at it. I’m more of a feeder.”

He even dares viewers to closely observe every episode to find out for themselves that everyone in the cast gets a fair share of the spotlight as “all of us are the stars of the show; walang sapawan, walang leader-leader.” 

Having starred in gag shows like Ang TV when he was this tall had given John some pointers in comedic timing. Still, there are times when doubts seem to cast a bad spell. As result, he finds his lines too tough to deliver. Good thing, John has found an “antidote” for it.

“Trust your director,” he shares. “Sometimes, there’s this feeling that our dialogues are not funny. I’m in doubt na, ‘Do you think guys this will work?’ at nakakatawa pala talaga sa audience when we do them onstage. You have to trust the director talaga because he knows what he’s doing.”

Asked if he believes that jokes are half-meant, John replied, “Well, here our motto is jokes are true. We don’t simply do jokes because we want to make people laugh. Comedy is a serious business. It’s not all about stupid stuff na porke’t comedy ay lokohan at ga--han lang. We take it seriously and doing comedy is the hardest part.

“For me, drama is easier because all you have to do is act according to the script — tutulo luha mo, lalapatan ng musika nakakaiyak na but in comedy you can’t just do that. Timing is a must, combined with perfect rapport with your co-star.”

Away from the Banana Split stage, John describes himself as “sometimes serious and sometimes crazy. I have my moments when I prefer to just keep quiet. Perhaps, it’s natural especially when one does a lot of stuff, gusto mo minsan manahimik lang.”

When it comes to life, John says, his outlook has become much better these days. He no longer is the happy-go-lucky type. Now that he’s 28, a sense of maturity is taking over and a different goal is starting to creep in.

“I’m thinking about my future like I want to have my own family, I’m giving myself another four years because I want to play with my kids na di masyadong malaki ang (age) gap na sila bata pa at ako matanda na. That’s my goal.”

After John called it quits with Bianca Manalo last May, he has remained single and loveless. Perhaps, his schedule doesn’t permit him from finding a new love. He relates how he spends his waking hours on a lot of stuff. Read on.

“I wake up early almost every day. Mondays-Wednesdays-Fridays, I’m up at around 4 a.m. then I head straight to the location set to tape for (Kapamilya drama soap) Angelito. I spend the whole day working on the set. I usually go home at 4 a.m. the next day then I passed out. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my ‘relaxed’ days. We tape for Banana Split every Tuesday night so I can wake up late, eat lunch and spend time with my family. Then, I hit the gym before going to work usually thrice a week ‘yan. Thursdays (are tapings for) I Dare You (Season 2, which will air soon).

“Saturdays, I attend rehearsals for ASAP then Sundays I do ASAP. I really work every day. Do I still have ‘me time’? Well, I’m planning to go to Boracay to rest.”