Jericho wiser, more focused

MANILA, Philippines - The presscon venue called The Library along Metro Walk in Ortigas Center is an apt setting for the upcoming film of Jericho Rosales.

It is an intimate entertainment venue designed to look like a typical library with walls of books lining up the place.

His film is called Aba, Nakakabasa Na Pala Ako, which is based on Bob Ong’s bestselling anecdotes on school life.

Like it or not, Jericho says the film directed by Mark Meily (Crying Ladies and Baler) calls to mind typical elementary and high school life pretty much like his own. “It’s about going to school for the first time and having your share of cutting classes, ‘fast-tracking’ in exams and finding your special someone in the campus,” he says.

That special someone is played by Andi Eigenmann who in real life had a crush on Echo when she was just starting in showbiz.

As it is, Echo plays a character called Roberto, a good-looking, if, insecure, schoolteacher compelled to recall his school days after getting an invitation to a school reunion. “The role looks like I am playing my own past life. I went to five different schools during my grade school days. We had to move all the time wherever my Mom’s job take us. The hardest part in this new role is recreating the part of a 17-year-old high school student. I am lucky the make-up artist is good and was able to capture my bad hair days, and the prosthetics made me acquire some trademark pimples of my early youth. It’s great to have your early young life reflected in your movie role.”

By his own admission, Echo has logged some 18 years in showbiz starting with his being discovered in a noontime show which led to his teleserye and movie years and his most-talked-about romances off and on screen.

Who can forget his appearances in Pangako Sa ’Yo and Sana’y Wala Ng Wakas with Kristine Hermosa? He got acting citations for his role in Baler and was soon lured to doing indie films like Alagwa which was an attraction in several film festivals. He was also a memorable Manny Pacquiao in the boxer’s bio film.

“Yes, those 18 years saw me evolve as a person and as an actor,” he points out. “Young and inexperienced, I was impulsive and with the usual rebel streak. Later, I appreciate the value of hard work and being creative in whatever I do. I got more involved in projects and indeed, everything was a learning experience both inside and outside the movie set.”

He has two more films to wrap up while also taping for his new teleserye called The Legal Wife where he is paired with Angel Locsin and Maja Salvador.

He admits his teleserye years taught him a lot of things.

Echo chuckles, “It’s pure soap all right and it’s drama woven out from real lives. Drama na nga ang buhay natin nagiging ma-drama pa sa teleserye. But I tell you, it is the most difficult job there is in showbiz. Soap operas demand a lot from you emotionally and psychologically. If you get a good rating, it is stretched from months to even years and that means taping almost every day. Acting-wise, there isn’t much freedom in teleserye as it is a producer’s medium. But you also enjoy the fact that the entire country is watching you every night and your character becomes familiar in all households from the slums to the exclusive subdivisions.

His foray from mainstream to indie films had its rewarding moments.

Echo points out, “The mainstream films allow you to earn more and at the same time entertain. It is also true that in this medium, certain things are sacrificed to live up to box-office expectations. But if you want to do movies out of pure passion, doing indie films is it. That is the reason I want to do one more indie project after my mainstream assignments.”

There was a time in those 18 years that he had to withdraw from the showbiz circle to take stock of himself. “Everyone needs a breather from the fast pace of city life. Thus, I heeded the call of the sea and went surfing with a vengeance from La Union to Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte and Puraran Beach in Catanduanes.

“Surfing is my life outside of showbiz,” Echo confesses. “It allows me quiet communion with nature while reflecting on my own life.”

    He is getting married middle of this year and for sure, a new chapter in his life begins.

He concludes: “The new Echo is now wiser and more focused. I can now take difficult challenges with more calm. I always find time to reflect on new decisions and I make sure I cope very well with new frustrations and disappointments. Moreover, I find happiness in simple things and sharing it with your loved ones. I am more focused now, whether heeding the call of showbiz or merely enjoying the sound of waves on top of my surfing board.”

(The new Jericho Rosales starrer, Aba, Nakakabasa Na Pala Ako directed by Mark Meily, opens in theaters nationwide on Feb. 19.)