Piolo Pascual

FATHER AND SON: Claiming that he’s ready for father roles at this point in his life and career, Piolo Pascual says his new TV series proves he’s ready to move on from romantic dramas from here on.

The country’s leading actor plays father to Zaijan Jaranilla, the star of “May Bukas Pa” in which he was known throughout the world as the miracle wonder boy Santino. Zaijan’s partnership with Piolo in an adventure drama set in the great outdoors and forests of Subic is expected to strengthen their hold on the primetime block starting Monday, July 12.

In an interview, Piolo said Zaijan reminded him of his US-based son, Iñigo. Zaijan, on the other hand, had other ideas in mind.

By now, Piolo must be realizing that working with children, next to animals like dogs, is one of the hardest acts among actors. One never knows what they’ll say or do, on and off-camera.

With his recent statements to media, Zaijan has been proving to be a challenge to Piolo, who’s generally known to be mild-mannered and kind.

When Zaijan was quoted recently by reporters as saying he didn’t want Piolo for a father, it didn’t mean he had no love or respect for his co-actor. He was probably caught off-guard as he answered outright and without as much as a second thought.

Bear in mind also that children are children. They can say the darn-dest, the craziest things without fear or favor. Then again, one must consider. How old is Zaijan Jaranilla? He’s past 12 years old, and no longer really a tot.

One must also understand the context in which Zaijan’s answer must be taken. The boy merely answered a hypothetical question, a favorite fare among some reporters. It wasn’t as if he floated the idea himself out of nowhere, far and away from the fictional island of Noah itself.

MOTHER AND SON: If Santino may have unwittingly expressed tentative thoughts about his screen father, Tessie Tomas, the actress who plays Piolo’s mother in “Noah” has nothing but praisereleases for her TV son. “Napaka-gwapo ng anak ko,” Tessie said.

Tessie has, of late, re-activated her acting career. She has reinvented herself as a drama actor, who this month of July, will also be seen, aside from “Noah,” in a light drama indie entitled “Two Funerals.”

Directed by Gil Portes for a special Directors Showcase of the Cinemalaya Film Festival, “Two Funerals” tackles a case of corpse-switching and the ensuing hilarity as well as tragedy that it entails.
Tessie plays a Cagayanon matriarch from Tuguegarao who motors all the way to Matnog, Sorsogon to claim her daughter’s corpse after discovering that she had been grieving for a wrong corpse.

Together with actor Xian Lim, who plays the boyfriend of her daughter, they embark on an across-Luzon road trip. The film captures the various Lenten rituals they encounter along the way, and other small town practices and traditions.

“Two Funerals,” written by Eric Ramos, also stars Jeffrey Quizon, Robert Arevalo, John Apacible, among others. The movie runs from July 10 to 17 at the CCP’s Little Theater and will have a special gala night on July 15, 9 p.m. at the Main Theater.

(nescuar@yahoo.com)

By NESTOR CUARTERO
July 11, 2010, 2:36pm

Noah is ABS-CBN’s dream come true

A well-crafted story. A formidable cast. Highly-acclaimed directors. Hardworking staff and crew. World-class artistry. ABS-CBN has dreamt of fusing all these factors in one drama series. And yes, it has finally come true as the network brings the Kapamilya viewers into a higher notch of television viewing via ‘Noah’, premiering on July 12.

A story arced on love and family, Noah is top-billed by the country’s Ultimate Heartthrob Piolo Pascual and ABS-CBN’s miracle boy, Zaijian Jaranilla.

According to one of the directors of the series, Lino Cayetano , both are very much suited for their characters. “It was perfectly woven for Piolo and Zaijian. Mararamdaman mo yung chemistry nila as father and son. And dahil may chemistry na, napapadali ang trabaho ko bilang direktor dahil hindi na kailangan ipilit,” Direk Lino shared.

After the hit primetime series May Bukas Pa, Zaijian is set to play a ‘lost’ boy who grew up with the Ungtas, a group of ape-like beings.

Paired with Piolo is one of the most beautiful faces in Philippine showbusiness, Kristine Hermosa. Piolo and Kristine’s last project together was ‘Komiks presents: Mars Ravelo’s Nasaan Ka Maruja?’ where Piolo had a special appearance. Their reunion in Maruja filled in their 10-year hiatus away from each other after ‘Sa Sandaling Kailangan Mo Ako’.

“When I learned that I’ll be working with PJ (Piolo) dito sa Noah, natuwa ako siyempre. Noong sa Maruja kasi special appearance lang talaga siya so hindi kami nagkasama ng matagal,” Kristine said.

Other cast members included in the series are: Cherry Pie Picache, Nonie Buencamino, Jolo Revilla, Ana Capri, Joem Bascon, Melissa Ricks, Renzo Cruz Baron Giesler and Jodi Sta. Maria.

On the other hand, Noah also boasts its unique set– a warehouse customized to look as a forest and home of the Ungtas. However, some of the scenes are still taken in Subic.

Sure to take you into a euphoric viewing experience, the story of Noah zeroes in Gabriel’s (Piolo) search of his missing son, Jacob (Zaijian). His travails lead him into a mysterious island called Noah where he eventually sees his lost son whose name is now Eli. Along the way, Gabriel also encounters the Ungtas and Eva (Kristine).

Get ready for a whole new viewing experience as ABS-CBN takes you to the island of “Noah,” directed by Malu Sevilla and Lino Cayetano, starting July 12.

abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 07/09/2010 12:19 PM | Updated as of 07/09/2010 12:19 PM

Piolo Pascual, who has not made a movie for almost two years and was last seen in a drama series in 2009, admits he is “at a crossroads” in his career.

“I’m searching for that one good story for my next film. I’ve read many scripts but I have yet to find something that’s worth my while,” says Piolo. His last project, “Love Me Again (Land Down Under),” with Angel Locsin, was released in January 2009.

“I’ve also decided to do just one TV soap a year,” he tells Inquirer. “Lovers in Paris,” which lasted only one season, ended in December last year. “I’m not being picky,” he insists. “I just want to be always reinventing myself.”

Piolo is currently working on the drama-adventure series “Noah” with child star Zaijian Jaranilla. “I’m focusing on this one,” says Piolo. “Squeezing in a movie will not be good. I’d rather secure my track record [as a box-office hit star].

It’s his first time to play a policeman, plus he’s taking on the role of a father to 8-year-old Zaijian. “I don’t mind,” says Piolo, 33. “’Di na rin naman ako bata. I can’t do romantic leads forever. I appreciate the fact that my bosses at ABS-CBN are helping me grow as an actor by offering me challenging projects like ‘Noah.’ Not only am I acting here; I’m also in the production team.”

No ‘Avatar’

The actor-producer clarifies this early that “Noah” is not patterned after the Hollywood hit movie “Avatar”—an expected comparison. He points out, “The concept was thought up long before ‘Avatar’ was shown. The network had planned it way before the series ‘Gulong ng Palad.’ But like ‘Avatar,’ ‘Noah’ also aims to raise awareness on the state of the environment.”

Piolo said a big set was built in Subic just for the show. “Ginastusan talaga. It’s an ambitious project. We’ve created a tribe of monkey people. It’s hard work, especially for actors who wear prosthetics for many hours. And it’s tough working deep in the jungle. The weather isn’t always on our side.”

He still dreams of more off-beat roles, Piolo admits. On top of this, “I’m serious about my work as producer, if only occasionally. I’d like to grow as a businessman, too.”

Piolo was executive producer for the box-office hit comedy film “Kimmy Dora,” released in 2009. He also helped produce “Manila” (2009), by Adolf Alix Jr. and Raya Martin.

“Noah,” directed by Malu Sevilla and Lino Cayetano, also stars Kristine Hermosa, Jodi Santamaria, Cherry Pie Picache, Lou Veloso, Anna Capri, Baron Geisler and Noni Buencamino.

By Marinel R. Cruz (mcruz@inquirer.com.ph)
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 17:23:00 06/27/2010

MANILA, Philippines - Hunk actor Piolo Pascual admitted that his upcoming project “Noah” with Zaijan Jaranilla is somewhat inspired by James Cameron’s billion-dollar blockbuster “Avatar.”

Speaking to reporters at a press conference for his new series, Pascual said “Noah” has some thematic similarities to the Hollywood film but was actually conceived about 5 years ago.

“We would not want to say that it wasn’t inspired by Avatar. It’s a long shot but one thing that we can brag about is that this concept has been with ABS-CBN even before Gulong ng Palad,” he said, referring to a TV series starring Kristine Hermosa and TJ Trinidad.

Pascual said the concept was “locked away” as a potential project by ABS-CBN’s creative department because it was deemed too ambitious.

He added, however, that the success of the “Avatar” movie proved that a project with an environmental theme could be a success.

Piolo Pascual’s upcoming project is “Noah.” He will star alongside child wonder Zaijan Jaranilla. Photo by Nap Quintos.

“It’s in a way inspired by (Avatar), but I think it’s just about time to come up with something na mas inspiring pa, not globally but just locally sa atin sa mga Pinoy,” he said.

Pascual said “Noah” encourages viewers to take better care of the environment. He said that aside from the environmental aspect of the show, the series will also show the love of a father to his son and to his family.

Pascual said ABS-CBN pulled out the stops for “Noah”, making it one of the most expensive productions ever created by ABS-CBN. He added that the show is even more expensive than his hit teleserye “Lobo.”

New partner

Pascual, a single parent to his son Iñigo, said that he is really happy working with the country’s child wonder Jaranilla .

The actor said “Noah” was offered to him before the child star’s hit series “May Bukas Pa” ended last January.

“I’m so excited not only because of the project but working with Zaijan because napakagaling ng bata, napaka-broad niya and this is another inspiring story na pwedeng kapitan ng tao at napapanahon siya about where we live. We have to be aware of what we have and what’s left,” Pascual said.

The hunk actor said that he also sees his son whenever he looks at Jaranilla’s eyes.

“Yes, nakikita ko ang mata ng anak ko sa kanya and I’m proud of the kid. Masyado lang energetic. Kapag magkasama kami kulitan, bro ‘dude’ nga tawag sa kanya,” he said.

Pascual said that he will be spending more time with his son as soon as the latter arrived from the United States.

This coming Father’s Day, Pascual said that he will be doing his regular activities like hosting musical variety show “ASAP XV” and taping.

by Reyma Buan-Deveza, abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 06/17/2010 5:38 PM | Updated as of 06/17/2010 6:14 PM

MANILA – It’s confirmed. Piolo Pascual is portraying slain former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., but not in a film.

ABS-CBN’s “Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK)” is set to feature Ninoy’s life story and it tapped Pascual to play the coveted role. Pascual made this confirmation during the launching of his 6th album called “Decades.”

The actor disclosed that the taping will start next week. And as part of his preparation, the “Lovers in Paris” star shared that he is now doing his own research about the man whose death triggered the 1986 bloodless revolution in EDSA.

He also disclosed that he will sit down with television host-actress Kris Aquino, Ninoy’s youngest daughter, for some advice.

“Nakaka-pressure din. Ang laki ng expectations. ‘Yong mga tao, hindi pa lumalabas, may judgment na hindi mo kamukha [or] you are not eloquent as he was. And then sasabihin sa’yo na wala kang karapatan. Ako, I’ll just come up with something na version ko,” he said.

Aside from accepting the MMK episode, Pascual is also willing to portray Ninoy in the big screen. The actor was quick to clarify, however, that no offers have been made so far.

Pascual is the personal choice of Aquino’s daughters - Ballsy, Pinky, Viel and Kris - to play the role of their dad in the upcoming film about the life of the late senator’s wife, former president Corazon Aquino.

When asked about his other co-stars, meanwhile, Pascual declined to divulge any detail. “Hindi ko pa pwedeng sabihin. Ako pa lang ang confirmed.”-Reyma Buan-Deveza, abs-cbnNEWS.com as of 12/10/2009 1:16 PM