On December 2, actor Piolo Pascual admitted that he almost turned down his role in the Metro Manila Film Festival 2023 movie ‘Mallari.’
At the media event for ‘Mallari,’ which LionhearTV covered, Pascual felt he couldn’t do the three roles he had to portray in the MMFF movie.
“Di ko naman po in-expect na mag-play ng tatlong character. For the record, I turned this down, sabi ko kaya ko ba ‘to, pagod na pagod na ko sa ginagawa ko, so when I found out the reality that Mallari was, sabi ko baka naman po.”
He acknowledged that it was an actor’s job to push himself and do something different for his growth as an artist.
“As an actor, I guess it’s your job to push yourself, to [always] do something different, and I guess for my growth as well, for my evolution, I want to be able to give myself that challenge, so that I can [become] better. Hindi naman pwedeng mag-rest ka palagi sa laurels mo, hindi naman pwedeng mag-settle ka palagi.”
Pascual also pointed out how streaming platforms helped expand the range of roles actors could work in.
“And I have this big opportunity to be able to choose the roles that I can play. And with this time around, with the streaming platforms, mas broad na po kasi ‘yung mga roles na pwede mong tanggapin. So mas madali nang mag-diversify nowadays.”
He then maintained his passion for acting, stating that he was open to any roles that would challenge him.
“And I guess for me, I’m really just passionate about my job and what I do, and open po ako sa kahit anong roles na pwedeng magbigay sa akin ng challenge para mag-grow pa rin po ako sa craft ko.”
As for ‘Mallari,’ the psychological-horror MMFF movie stars Piolo Pascual, Janella Salvador, and JC Santos with a stellar cast including Elisse Joson, Gloria Diaz, Mylene Dizon, and Ron Angeles.
Directed by Derick Cabrido and with the screenplay of Enrico Santos, ‘Mallari‘ opens in cinemas on December 25.
