MANILA, Philippines — Two years after the death of his brother JM, Elijah Canlas and his family continue to grapple with their loss.
Elijah shared in an interview during the presscon for “Salvageland” how his craft has aided him in dealing with grief and anxiety. Aside from movies, he is also pursuing music and theater.
“I like being busy. It keeps me not really distracted, but when I’m busy, I think less about the grief or whatever anxieties I have. When I’m on set, just doing what I love to do, yun yung nag e-equate sa happiness (for me),” he stated.
“It’s been two years since my brother passed, but it’s really hard to process grief, of course, grief is non-linear. It comes and goes. Sometimes, you’re OK. The next hour may makikita ka or maalala and then, it ruins the vibe, not really ruin, but mas bumababa lang bigla yung emotions and energy.”
The thespian, nonetheless, used such emotions “for the better.” “Use it as an inspiration to do better in my projects and pumili ng mga bagay na matutuwa ako.”
As an actor, he admitted that his diverse roles have somehow affected his mental health.
“But I guess with the proper training and experience, you will get used to learning how to detach and attach to the characters that you play. But at this point, kinakaya ko na din po mag-detach easily,” he maintained.
“But I’ve been talking to a lot of actors, especially the young ones who have difficulty detaching from their characters and separating what’s real and what’s not. They will experience it eventually. But masasanay din na lang po yung mga aktor na this is just work and our lives shouldn’t be defined by our work.”
Elijah and his family established a non-profit organization dedicated to mental health advocacy called Kalinga, Unawa at Linang sa Isip at Taglay (KULIT) The JM Canlas Organization in honor of his brother who was 17 at the time of his passing.
“My brother passed away two years ago because of mental health problems. Ever since that happened, we’ve been trying to help more people, especially in the youth sector, adolescence, who are going through the same thing and hopefully save more lives and be there for each other.”
When news broke of the death of 19-year-old Emmanuelle “Emman” Atienza, daughter of TV host Kim Atienza, recently, Elijah couldn’t help but be reminded of the memories of his own sibling’s passing.
“The memories resurfaced. Yung dati ko na nagkaroon ng relapse, anxiety and depression. It’s like a wake-up call for us that every time na may balitang lalabas ng ganito, sana di tayo mawalan ng mga buhay, especially with the younger generation because of this kind of problem. I hope people will take this more seriously. Start the conversation and let’s not be afraid to talk about it because it is necessary. Life is at stake here,” he reflected.
He stressed that people should be “more emphatic, considerate and kind.”
(If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Center for Mental Health Crisis Hotline through the following hotlines: 1553 or through mobile numbers 0919-057-1553 for Smart/TNT users and 0917-899-8727 for Globe/TM users).
Meanwhile, “Salvageland” marked the return to acting of Richard Gomez and the feature filmmaking of director Lino Cayetano.
In the action-thriller, Richard and Elijah play the father-and-son tandem who are both policemen.
The synopsis reads: In a desolate town along a dead highway stands a rundown sub-police station occupied by the characters of Richard and Elijah. It’s looking like a regular night for them until a wounded woman comes crying for help. She has just escaped from her abusive boyfriend, who’s also the leader of a crime syndicate… and he’s hunting her down.
Naturally, this sets the father and son duo into defensive mode, not just for the sake of the woman, but of their town. As the nearly-retired cop and his rookie son find themselves thrust into a brutal battle like never before, they realize that it’s not just their survival skills, but their principles and their bond that are being put to a test.
Described as a neo-Western kind of film, “Salvageland” is co-written by Shugo Praico and JC Pacala. The collaboration project between Rein Entertainment and Viva Films is showing in cinemas nationwide.
Joining the cast are Mon Confiado, Cindy Miranda, Mccoy De Leon and Angela Morena.