What keeps Carlo San Juan busy these days

Carlo San Juan carries on to pursue his passion for acting. He has been part of the ensemble cast of “Ang Happy Homes ni Diane Hilario,” starring Angeline Quinto in the title role and directed by Marlon Rivera.

He portrays Joshua, a stranger who finds temporary refuge and solace in the home of Diane and somehow challenges the sense of community among the people in the compound where Diane is being looked up to as a leader. The movie is now showing in cinemas nationwide.

“Habang ginagawa ko yung character ko (while I was playing him), sobra akong na-a-amaze, na parang kinakabahan din. Part of me may kaba (I felt amazed and nervous about his part in the film narrative),” said Carlo in a brief chat with The STAR after the special screening. “Nung nasa kalagitnaan, duon ko nakikita na teka may diin talaga din yung character (In the middle of the movie, I began to see his value). Akala ko nung una para lang cutie, cutie. Tapos biglang, ‘Wow. OK. Seryoso na. Let’s go.’ (I thought at first Joshua was a cute character. Then, things became serious for him).”

Through Joshua and his plight, the viewer further understands the meaning of kindness to the characters, who are also defined by their personal interests.

“I’m so happy na nagawa ko ‘tong role na ‘to (that I’ve played this role) and so thankful na na-pitch nila ito sa akin atsaka yung trust ni direk (that it was pitched to me and for the trust of director Marlon),” added he, the Mr. Pogi winner who eventually became a Sparkle GMA artist, doing varied roles in programs like the sitcom “Daddy’s Gurl” and the weekly anthology series “Regal Studio Presents.”

From there, Carlo is now with the talent management agency KreativDen. With his good relationship with the former network, he still gets acting assignments.

“Actually, nagkakaroon pa rin ako ng guestings sa (I’m still having guestings in) GMA like in ‘Tadhana’ and ‘TikToClock,’” shared he.

Aside from acting, Carlo has tried his hand at recording. His single titled Ambisyoso has been released. It’s about loving someone and dreaming of spending time with her.

Although he has the voice and talent for this creative field, he remains an actor at heart.

“I’m still more on acting,” said he, describing himself as a Jack of all trades. It goes to show the range of interests he could venture into. “For me, it’s good in a way since I can adapt easily,” added he, who wants to excel in acting and win awards.

Asked what’s in the pipeline for him and on his wish list after “Ang Happy Homes ni Diane Hilario,” he had this to say, “Ang ni-lo-look forward ko is magkaroon ng serye sa ABS (I’m looking forward to having a TV series on ABS-CBN). Sana ma-push nila yung sa Dreamscape (I hope a work with Dreamscape will be pushed through).”

As for his acting genres, he would love to do family drama and love-romance. “Para sa akin, feel ko lang dun ako makakapag-pe-perform ng maayos (For me, I feel I will do well in those genres).”

Carlo has entered show business through “Eat Bulaga”’s talent search for heartthrobs in 2019. Then came the pandemic, which put on hold his then young career and allowed him to earn a degree in Information and Technology. He also had a bar business in La Union.

As someone who has seen how to jumpstart a career and keep it going in this line of work, Carlo advised aspirants to avoid being haughty, feeling better than other people, and be thankful to fellow workers. Gratefulness is one of the things everyone will linger in their mind.

Then, never give up on chasing a dream and be resilient.

“Kung gusto mo talaga, (if you really want it), hindi naman madamot si Lord (He is generous),” said Carlo. “Ibibigay naman niya sa’yo (He will give it to you). Just be obedient.”

Please listen to his song Ambisyoso on streaming platforms like Spotify.