Piolo Jose Pascual was born
January 12, 1977. The son of a Filipino mother and a
German-Spanish father, he is the youngest of six children.
Piolo always wanted to be
an actor. His father, Philip, was a casting director for international films
shot in the Philippines. "I don't know if that influenced me," says Piolo,
"but even when I was really young, I'd go in front of the mirror, act and
sing."
Piolo's first TV appearance
was in Kuya Germs Moreno's "That's Entertainment." After high school he went
to UST, where he studied Physical therapy and joined the UST theater group,
Teatro Tomasino. He landed a part on the children's show Atbp and was chosen
as a member of ABS-CBN's Star Circle, Batch 3. But before his career had
a chance to take off at home, Piolo decided to move to the US. For a year
he lived with his mom in California, working in a hospital and at other jobs
to support himself while going on acting auditions. Although he didn't land
any big parts, while in L.A. he participated in acting workshops where he
learned a lot about his craft.
Upon his return to the
Philippines a year later, things started to fall into place for Piolo and
he began to realize his lifelong dream of becoming an actor. He was cast
as Raffy in the ABS-CBN miniseries "Sa Sandaling Kailangan Mo Ako," with
the popular Judy Ann Santos, and got further exposure in "Esperanza," again
with Juday. With his boyish good looks, he soon became a teen idol. While
Piolo enjoyed his newfound heartthrob status, he did not want to remain "just
another pretty face," with his performances limited to light TV fare. He
was serious about his acting and wanted to take on more challenging roles.
He soon got his chance to
prove himself as a serious actor when he landed his first starring movie
role in "Lagarista." He character, Gregory,
was a biker who transported movie reels from one theater to another. His
love interest was played by Janna Victoria. Piolo felt a lot of pressure
to turn in his best performance, since this was his first major film, and
his hard work paid off. The Philippine Daily Inquirer proclaimed in its Aug.
6, 2000 issue, "Not a few people who saw 'Lagarista' during the celebrity
premiere last Tuesday have expressed belief that its lead actor, Piolo Pascual,
will become the next big star in local cinema. He has the glamorous looks
and more important, he can act."
In his next movie, "Kahit
Isang Saglit," Piolo's character was part of a love triangle with Judy Ann
Santos and Leandro Munoz. "With this movie ang naging challenge ko is more
of emotions," Piolo explained in an interview. "It is a heavy drama, a story
of love." Passionate about acting, Piolo really gives his all when portraying
a character, to such an extent that he often feels physically and emotionally
drained after shooting a movie.
Piolo's most critically
acclaimed movie so far is "Dekada '70." He portrayed Jules Bartolome, a student
activist who joined the New People's Army after martial law was declared.
Christopher de Leon and Vilma Santos played his parents. Piolo won the Grand
Slam for his excellent performance, sweeping all four Best Supporting Actor
trophies from the major award-giving bodies: Metro Manila Film Festival,
FAMAS, Star Awards, and the prestigious Urian Award.
By now Piolo had achieved
his objective of becoming a respected serious actor. But that didn't
mean he had to abandon the lighter side of his career! He was now one
of The Hunks, ASAP Mania's popular singing and dancing beefcake quntet. And
he continued to satisfy the legions of Piolo-Juday loveteam fans, with TV
series like "Sa Puso Ko IIngatan Ka," and movies like the very popular "Till
There Was You."
When Piolo was approached
about recording a solo album, he was hesitant at first, because although
he had performed all over the world with The Hunks, he was "not really a
singer." But he went ahead with the project, and his self-titled debut album
turned out to be a big success, going platinum four months after its release
and spawning three hit singles, "Kailangan Kita," "Till There Was You" and
"Ikaw ang Buhay Ko." His second album, produced by the talented Ogie Alcasid,
was titled "My Gift," which was also the title of Piolo's concert at the
Araneta in April 2004. He was honored to have his idol Basil Valdez as a
special guest, along with the vocal harmony group The Akafellas and Ai-Ai
delas Alas. The jam-packed event also featured appearances by many of his
ASAP Mania co-stars including Martin Nievera, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Kuh Ledesma,
and the other four Hunks. The concert was televised a few weeks later on
ABS-CBN. Reporter Nestor U. Torre commented in the Philippine Daily Inquirer,
"It was a pleasure to finally hear a movie star sing well, after suffering
through the musical 'performances' of TV-movie celebrities who can't sing
to save their lives, but cut records anyway, because their ga-ga fans buy
their albums despite their abysmal lack of singing talent."
He never thought he would
be doing a concert at the Araneta. "I've just always wanted to follow my
heart and do what I always wanted to do as a kid and that's to act," he said.
While he will always consider hinself primarily an actor, he is trying to
improve himself as a singer. "I've been attending voice lessons religiously
for almost a year now," he told the Philippine Star. "My teacher has been
so good to me and it's nice because I learn a lot. Even if I already sing
professionally I still try to attend my classes because there's still a lot
more that I'd like to learn. I'm more comfortable acting than singing but
since I'm being given this opportunity to broaden my horizons in singing,
I'm doing my best."
 Piolo's most recent movie
is "Milan," which focuses on the lives of domestic helpers in Italy. While
he and co-star Claudine Barretto were filming a scene in the Milan subway,
they were surprised to find themselves being photographed by the local paparazzi!
The next day their pictures were splashed on the pages of an Italian tabloid,
which described Piolo as The Richard Gere of the Philippines, and Claudine
as the Sharon Stone. Claudine was flattered, and Piolo was amused that the
Italian press was so interested in them. As usual his performance drew accolades.
A review on Showbizpinoy.com said Piolo "was able to convey various layers
of emotions in the most effective manner all throughout the movie. You feel
his sadness, desperation and helplessness in this foreign land. But at the
same time, there are moments you want to just punch him in the face because
his screen character can be arrogant and a braggart. These little nuances
that can only be done by a sensitive actor, he is able to display most
brilliantly in "Milan."
Also this year, Piolo starred
in the TV series Mangarap Ka, which has just completed its
seven-month run. He played a tough Robin Hood-type
character, Oslec, and studied martial arts for the role. He sported a goatee,
a departure from his usual clean-cut look, but his fans didn't seem to mind.
His performance has earned him a new addition to his trophy collection, as
he was named Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series in the first TV Entertainment
Press Society Awards, beating out six well-known competitors including
Christopher de Leon, Robin Padilla and Eddie Garcia.
In his free time, Piolo
enjoys playing pool, watching videos and spending time with family and friends.
Basically a shy person, he's not into the club or party scene. Family is
very important to him; at his Araneta concert, and at a show in Calfornia
earlier this year, he introduced his mother Amelia and sang to her. Piolo
has a seven-year-old son, Inigo, with a former girlfriend. "Ang sarap maging
daddy," he said in an interview. "I like the feeling of responsibility that
comes with it... he's proud of me and I really enjoy it... we go to the mall,
watch movies, play at the arcade, shop for stuff. Enjoy talaga." Father and
son frequently worship together on Sundays at the Victory Christian Fellowship
Church in Pasig City. Piolo is a born-again Christian, which among other
things has helped him control his temper. He says that when he first entered
showbiz he "used to be very hot-tempered. That was before I knew Christ and
before I knew that I needed the Lord beside me."
Although he remains on good
terms with his son's mother, and also has some close female showbiz friends
including Judy Ann Santos, he is not dating anyone seriously, and has said
that if he ever marries it won't be until he's 32 (he turns 28 in January
2005). As for rumors that he's gay, Piolo admits to being a mama's boy but
asserts he's "not a bading."
 There
are several active Internet message boards were Piolo fans can talk about
their idol to their hearts' content; check out
Piolo Pascual No
Limits, Piolo Pascual
Forum or
Piolo Pascual
Hotter Than Hot Zone.
Piolo's current projects
include a new movie with Bea Alonzo, and an album of Louie Ocampo songs.
Fresh from a world tour with The Hunks, he has four upcoming shows in the
US in December 2004: San Francisco Dec. 3, Washington DC Dec. 5, Los angeles
Dec. 11, and Chicago Dec. 12. Buy tickets now at
Tiketan Online.
Previous Caroustars: OCTOBER
2004: GARY
V • SEPTEMBER 2004:
AIZA
SEGUERRA • AUGUST 2004:
LANI
MISALUCHA • JULY 2004:
ANDREW
E • JUNE 2004:
LEA
SALONGA • MAY 2004:
JOEY
ALBERT • APRIL 2004:
VINA
MORALES • MARCH 2004:
RICA PERALEJO
• FEBRUARY 2004:
RACHEL
ALEJANDRO • JANUARY 2004:
GENEVA
CRUZ
|
