What’s common with Piolo and Brad?

MANILA, Philippines - Have you heard the little urban legend that Hollywood star Brad Pitt once spent days on the set wearing the same shirt and not caring to wash himself?

Or have you seen the clip when comedian Zach Galifianakis asked him about showers? And when Brad replied, “What about showers?” the former quickly hit back, “Why are you not taking them?”

Well, it’s something Filipino actors won’t be accused of, considering the tropical climate pervading here that keeps us wanting to bathe more often than people in colder zones.

Yet, Piolo Pascual, perhaps one of the few who can claim as a certified Pinoy counterpart of Brad’s charm and fame, recently uttered something that may just put him in Brad’s company — dry but dashing A-lister.

He actually admitted he’s not a big fan of long showers, or something to that effect.

“I don’t spend too much time in the shower. It’s okay just to be able to wash the dirt,” said Piolo during a press conference that launched him as product ambassador for Silka Papaya Soap which is acknowledged as the “No. 1 beauty soap in the Philippines.”

Showers and soaps come well together but that being said, the Ultimate Heartthrob never thought of ending up endorsing a whitening soap, let alone having a personal issue with skin whitening.

“Hindi po siguro ako dumihin,” he related, “At wala po sa kulay ng balat nakikita ang pagiging natural, nasa kalooban.”

On that note, he must have taken the endorsement deal for a deeper reason, which involves his positive work ethic and strong emotional attachment to people at large.

Silka spokesperson Jane Co hit the point by saying, “We believe that Piolo’s achievements are from his many years of consistent hard work and professionalism. Similar to his success, Silka also gives its best by way of consistency in quality and affordability.”

Last November, Piolo co-hosted with sports lady anchor Gretchen Ho the Miss Silka 2014 Coronation Night held at the Activity Center of Market! Market! at The Fort, Taguig City.

“It’s definitely a privilege that they considered me to be an ambassador,” he said in a grateful tone.

Piolo, Silka’s second male endorser after John Lloyd Cruz, now goes in tandem with long-time Silka endorser and “lucky charm” Iya Villania in promoting the household brand distributed by Cosmetique Asia Corp. Two separate TV commercials are now in broadcast rotation.

Ironically, Piolo’s son Iñigo, who has entered showbiz with high promise, is his opposite when it comes to taking showers. He quipped, “Napaka-vain na bata niya, isang oras sa banyo!”

Well, apart from revealing his son’s penchant for staying long in the bath, the ABS-CBN star shared more about his pieces of advice to a teenager whom he initially did not want to get into showbiz.

He said, “I hope he doesn’t forget his core. It’s not good when the spoils of fame, money and adulation get in the head.”

Iñigo starred in the well-received film Relaks, It’s Just Pag-ibig and was reported to be joining a boy band in the US.

While sincerely happy with his 17-year-old son’s quick rise to fame, he looks back with amusement how different it was for him. He expressed, “I worked my way up, had to audition, and was turned down a couple of times. My son has to be wise in making career decisions all the time.”

That’s a show of fatherly love — a prime example of how Piolo’s defined image makes him a great choice for companies in search of good models to carry their respective brands.