“I’m proud to say that this was not offered to me on a silver platter kundi pinaghirapan ko talaga nang husto,” he says. “Four years na ako sa GMA since I started with GMA in the youth-oriented show, ‘Teen Gen’, when I was only 19 years in 2012. I did supporting roles in soaps like ‘Villa Quintana’, ‘InstaDad’, ‘The Half Sisters’, ‘Little Nanay’ and now finally, I get my biggest break in ‘Magkaibang Mundo’.”
The second in a brood of five kids with two boys and three girls, Juancho lives with his family in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. He was a business management junior in La Salle when showbiz beckoned. What does he think is his edge over other young actors?
“Una siguro, my height, I’m 6’1”. Then, I can do both comedy and drama. Comedy dahil sa exposure ko in ‘Bubble Gang’. Drama because of the soaps I did, lalo na in ‘Little Nanay’ where I get to work with great actors like Eddie Garcia, Nora Aunor and Bembol Roco. I can also do hosting, kaya nga nakuha akong summer co-host sa ‘Unang Hirit’.”
He’s always shirtless in ‘Unang Hirit’. How come? “E, kasi nga, summer edition ito ng show, so nagho-host ako from the beach. I had to prepare for this. Nag-workout ako, less carbo, no dinner, to make sure nasa tamang porma ang katawan ko when I face the camera na walang pang-itaas.”
What can he say about being paired with Louise de los Reyes in “Magkaibang Mundo”? “Siempre, matindi ang pressure dahil first time kaming magkatambal. Hindi namin alam kung tatanggapin ng viewers ang bagong love team namin, so we vowed to give our very best.”
How does he feel that Louise already has a boyfriend? It’s said that she’s now playing beautiful music with singer Champ Lui de Pio of Hale. “Ang alam ko, break na sila, e. Hindi na sila.”
When we ask Louise about this, she refuses to answer, saying she doesn’t want to talk about her lovelife at all. Does Juancho see himself falling for Louise? “Let it just come naturally. Ayoko namang agad sabihing in love na ako sa kanya at baka magmukhang promo lang for the show. But she’s very attractive at masarap kausap, pareho rin kaming 23 years old, so we’ll see.”
