“Wooh” was only John Arcilla could say on Friday, December 10, after being aligned to the great Eddie Garcia.
In the virtual media conference for his Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry A Hard Day, Arcilla said he was truly honored to be aligned with the late Garcia, who, just like him, has proven that he was versatile as an actor.
“Well, it’s an honor. It’s really an honor. Because he is one of the icons of the Philippines who actually was able to transcend from being an antagonist to a protagonist and then from doing serious roles to comic roles.”
Just like Garcia, the Volpi Cup Best Actor would also like to explore other genres, revealing that he already has upcoming projects for comedy.
“I love those and I really want to explore those four facets also in acting. And that’s what I’m doing also. So if you are going to tell me that I would be the next or comparable to him, that’s really, really an honor. It’s an honor for me.
“Of course we have differences na p’wede ko pa ring i-explore na kakaiba. But somehow comparing to him is a really, really big honor.”
Arcilla bagged the Best Actor award in the recent Venice Film Festival for his work on the movie On The Job: The Missing 8. But earning such recognition did not change the respect he received from his co-actors.
This was because Arcilla embodied the phrase, “respect begets respect.” According to the actor, he always has been respectful to his co-actors ever since.
“The respect was actually there ever since naman eh. Siguro because I also respect. Sabi nga nila, ‘you get what you give.’
“From the very beginning naman kasi lahat nang co-actors ko, kahit saang production hindi lang dito—I mean I can get the respect I also give. So parang ganoon yung klase ng kultura and value na kinreate ko rin for myself and my co-actors.”
For him, earning the respect of his co-actors and co-workers mirrors the dedication and passion he exerts in every project he is part of.
“But this point, siguro noong makuha ko ‘yon, siguro na-affirm na yung work ko is… na parang na-affirm din sila na ‘o see, tama yung sinabi ko.'”
Nevertheless, winning such a huge award and other accolades was a concern for the award-winning actor.
In his early career as an actor, Arcilla was dealt with controversies and accusations of being big-headed as well as demanding a higher talent fee after earning several awards, eventually damaging his reputation.
This time around, being recognized internationally, Arcilla hopes that he would not experience it once again as he has already “proven himself as an actor.”
“I wish not. Siguro noon kasi hindi ko pa noon alam i-handle. Kasi when it happened, I did not actually go out and defend myself. When it happened, I just went back to the theatre… and sabi ko, ‘those accusations are not true so I don’t need to defend myself bye!’ Medyo may pagka-ganoon ako when I was young.”
“Kasi nga parang sa akin, parang hindi yata ako welcome so balik na lang ako sa theatre. But this time, I think I have proven na those are just parang hearsays. Kasi hindi naman kasi talaga. So I don’t think it will happen again kasi na-prove ko na hindi siya totoo.
“Plus meron na kasing nag-trust sa akin na nakita nilang hindi nga totoo yung accusations. Kumbaga na-prove na nung mga ‘key person’ na competent naman ako para pagkatiwalaan na hindi ganoon, hindi totoo yun,” explained Arcilla.
A Hard Day also stars Dingdong Dantes and is under the direction of Lawrence Fajardo.
The movie will premiere in cinemas nationwide, December 25.
