Carlo Aquino is a New Man

The first thing you’d notice about Carlo Aquino is his smile. To call it a movie star smile is too obvious because he is a movie star. Perhaps it is best to call it charming, disarming, the type of smile that would make you forget everything. Before this interview, I made a mental note to remember what Carlo was wearing, a detail to include in this profile. That mental note? Gone, the moment he flashed his smile at everyone while he introduced himself. As if it's possible for anyone who has watched TV or films the past couple of decades not to know who he is. An introduction was not necessary. At the very least, you should know him from his iconic line—easily one of the most iconic lines from Philippine cinema in the last 30 years—from that movie he did as a child actor: Akala mo lang wala…

It’s also the kind of smile that made me forget that I was actually dreading the idea of interviewing Carlo Aquino. 

A disclosure: I worked for the marketing team of the historical film Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral, where Carlo played Colonel Vicente Enriquez, the aide de camp of General Gregorio del Pilar (the film’s titular role, played by Paulo Avelino). In short, it was a supporting role. This was 2018, just a few months after his romantic comedy-drama film Meet Me in St. Gallen opposite Bela Padilla came out in theaters. It was the film that signalled Carlo’s emergence as a possible leading man. This was also a few months before release of Exes Baggage, his romantic comedy film with Angelica Panganiban that eventually became a massive success.

I wouldn’t say Carlo was unpleasant when we were doing our promotional activities for Goyo. In fact, he was polite. He made sure to say ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye’ to us after every marketing event (a small gesture, but one that many actors don’t always extend). He was always present when needed (a contractual obligation, though that doesn’t stop some actors from being absent when they want to be). 

But Carlo was, at least back then, a bit too quiet, aloof, and mostly kept to himself. Is it possible that he is just shy, I asked myself, or is this something else? Disinterest? Arrogance?

An example: he initially refused to do a video interview with us for one of our marketing executions, saying he was anxious and may not be able to answer the questions properly. He eventually agreed to do the interview, though as a compromise, we only asked him a couple of questions.

All of this was, to be perfectly clear, nothing out of the ordinary in the realm of working with actors. But the detachment he exhibited back then stayed with me. I thought—perhaps too harshly—that he did not want to be too associated with a film that had him playing a supporting role, especially when he was on his way to (finally, deservedly) establishing for himself a career as a leading man. 

 
That Carlo Aquino from 2018—much like my mental note and reservations—was gone, it seems. The Carlo Aquino we met at the Brazilian Japanese restaurant Uma Nota, the venue for his Esquire Philippines’ cover shoot, was charming, pleasant, present.

“I didn’t expect itong Esquire,” Carlo said at a lull moment during the shoot. “Kasi syempre yung Esquire ang nakikita ko dati sina tito Eddie (Garcia), sina Echo (Jericho Rosales).” He added: “Yung mga elite. Elite, men! So when you guys called, ‘really?’” 

This smiling, quipping Carlo is a far cry from the detached Carlo I encountered almost a decade ago. A far cry from the overly serious Carlo who rarely engaged with the media during press for his movies and television shows. This is a different Carlo Aquino.

What’s the difference? This Carlo Aquino looked content, maybe even happy. The Carlo Aquino of today—dare we say it?—seems at peace with himself.

There are many possible reasons for this. The most immediate: Carlo just came back from a vacation in California, where he spent time with his wife Charlie Dizon and her family. “Because last year was a very busy year for me. Sobrang dami, jam-packed yung schedule. So, nagpahinga lang ng two, three weeks.”

Jam-packed is accurate. Carlo was probably one of our busiest actors in 2025—though that, too, could account for the air of happiness he is exuding. He starred in the Netflix Philippines hit original fantasy-romance film The Time That Remains with Jasmine Curtis-Smith and Bing Pimentel. He played Matmat Gonzales, an illustrator with high-functioning autism, in the Philippine adaptation of the Korean soap opera It’s Okay To Not Be Okay. 

Last year, he also filmed A Special Memory, his reunion project with Meet Me in St. Gallen co-star Bela Padilla. A Special Memory, which is based on the Japanese series Pure Souls—a project originally announced back in 2021 to star Alden Richards and Bea Alonzo—is slated to premiere in local theaters on March 11.  

And, of course, most recently, he starred in Bar Boys: After School, an entry in last year’s Metro Manila Film Festival and a sequel to 2017 cult favorite Bar Boys. In the sequel, Carlo reprises his role as Erik Vicencio. Now a public attorney working for the marginalized sector, Erik deals with a problematic labor case and anxiety from the death of a client. 

Carlo shared, expressing his gratitude over playing Erik again: “Actually, nung hindi pa namin shinu-shoot yung Bar Boys, sinabi pa lang sa akin ni Kip [Oebanda] na magkakaroon ng Bar Boys: After School, I was looking for a secondhand car. Tapos yung isang nasilip ko na Subaru secondhand, ‘yung may-ari nag-aaral siya, magte-take siya ng bar. Sabi niya, ‘Kaya ako nag-abogado dahil pinanood ko ‘yung Bar Boys’.”

“Nakakatuwa kasi. Sa isang artista, as an artist, ‘yun lang naman ang goal mo. ‘Yun lang naman ang gusto mo. Maka-connect. Maka-inspire. Kaya ka gumagawa ng art, e. Para maka-inspire.” 

The hectic schedule came with a price—or, if you may, a blessing. During the press conference for Bar Boys: After School, Carlo revealed he had a health scare while working on his multiple projects. “Parang nag-decline ‘yung health ko and nakakita sila ng parang bara sa puso ko. They had to check. Fortunately, hindi kailangan ng stent but siyempre nangayayat ako. Ngayon nakakabalik-balik na. Medyo nakabawi na ang health ko kahit papaano,” Carlo told the press last year.

Elaborating on the health scare, Carlo told Esquire Philippines: “Nalaman ko ‘yun kasi nagshu-shoot up yung blood pressure ko sa It’s Okay Not To Be Okay ng 170/110.” The normal blood pressure for adults is around 120/80 mm Hg. This prompted him to do a complete lifestyle change.

“Wala na ‘kong bisyo, coffee na lang,” he said. 

But more than the lifestyle change, Carlo said the health scare made him realize what’s important to him. 

“Mas na-appreciate ko ‘yung buhay,” Carlo said when asked what he learned from his experiences in 2025. “Nakita ko ‘yung parents ko na getting older. Nakita ko ‘yung daughter ko na tumatanda. Sabi ko, andun ako sa sandwich ng oras. Tapos nagkasakit ako.”

He further explained: “Ang daming nangyayari, pero pinili kong i-reframe. Pinili kong i-reframe para makita ko specifically kung ano ‘yung gusto kong i-keep. Nagkaroon ako ng clarity.”

And what is it that he wants to keep? What did he realize was important to him? 

“Family,” Carlo said, without hesitation. “Lahat ng ginagawa kong trabaho is for them. Para in the near future, kapag kaya ko na, ‘yung oras ko is para na lang sa kanila. Na maibibigay ko na hindi ako nagmamadali.”

The 40-year-old wasn’t always this calm or—in his own words—balanced. 

He started out as a child star as part of the ABS-CBN sketch show Ang TV during the early 1990s. 

“Nakita ako sa LRT ng agent for a commercial,” Carlo said of his showbiz origins. “Umiyak ako. Ayoko mag-commercial. Fast forward to 10 years old, nag-audition ako for Ang TV.” 

Back then, Carlo did not see what he was doing as a profession. Which made sense, because he was only 10 years old.

But, surprisingly, he did not see acting as a profession until much later. This was despite being given plum roles, including a lead role in the 1997 fantasy film Kokey and, most famously, the role of Vilma Santos’ son in the movie adaptation of the Lualhati Bautista novel Bata, Bata, Paano Ka Ginawa… The role, which got him a Gawad Urian nomination for Best Supporting Actor, marked him as a young dramatic actor. But he was also molded to be a potential matinee idol. In the 1999 teen drama G-mik, the teenage Carlo was paired opposite Angelica Panganiban. He was also part of the singing trio JCS, with fellow G-Mik co-stars John Prats and Stefano Mori. Unimaginative group name aside, the trio was described as “the country’s answer” to the Moffats, a popular early 2000s Canadian pop-rock band. 

“He’s being touted as the ‘new Christopher de Leon, the new Jomari Yllana,” wrote the late entertainment editor Ricky Lo in May 2000. “Something which at once scares Carlo and encourages him to work harder.”

He starred in a number of films and television shows after G-mik ended and his JCS trio disbanded. But, even to Carlo’s own admission, the success he got so early in his showbiz life did not lead to a promising career when he became an adult actor. 

“Nagkaroon kasi ako ng parang awkward stage,” he said. “Parang hindi nila alam kung saan ako ilalagay. Kung may love team ba. So wala na akong trabaho. E isa ako sa breadwinner sa family. So I had to provide. Hindi ko alam kung saan ako kukuha (ng livelihood).”

But this was also when he felt that he loved acting. “Naramdaman ko na lang na profession siya nung hindi na ako kinukuha.”

Carlo also said: “Doon ko naramdaman na kailangan kong seryosohin ‘yung ginagawa ko. Pero ever since, mahal ko na ‘yung ginagawa ko.”

He continued acting. He played support in television shows. Quite notably, from the late 2000s up until the mid 2010s, hedid a number of interesting independent films, mostly with director Adolfo Alix Jr. But admittedly, he felt unhappy—not because he wasn’t satisfied with the roles that he got, but because he wasn’t able to properly provide for his family. Independent films paid significantly less compared to TV shows and mainstream movies. The pay wasn’t enough to allow him to fully support his family, particularly his parents Jose and Amalia.

“Malungkot na malungkot ako noon. Although nagagawa ko ‘yung trabaho na mahal na mahal ko, ang point ko lang talaga is, kailangan ko mag-provide for my family and hindi ko nagagawa ‘yun.” 

“Kinailangan pa magtrabaho ng dad ko para makatulong sa amin. E syempre may edad na si daddy. So syempre kailangan ko dumoble kayod.”

But Carlo persevered. His breakthrough came in the form of Meet Me in St. Gallen in 2018. The film was positioned as Carlo’s ‘movie comeback’ as a male lead. At that time, Bela already had a couple of movie hits to her name.

“‘Yun yung naging floodgate,” he said. “Nung kinausap ako ni Erickson Raymundo (of Cornerstone Entertainment, which co-produced the film) at ni Direk Irene, sabi ko, ‘talaga?’ Ako, leading? Kasi hindi ko in-expect.” It reportedly earned P75 million at the box office. Carlo said he thanks Bela until now for accepting the offer of playing opposite him in Meet Me in St Gallen. 

Months later, Carlo was announced to star opposite Angelica Panganiban in the romantic comedy-drama Exes Baggage, produced by ABS-CBN Films subsidiary Black Sheep Productions. The project very obviously took advantage of Carlo and Angelica’s past; aside from being a teen love team in the early 2000s, they also dated in real life. Exes Baggage reportedly earned over P350 million at the box office and sparked rumors of a rekindled romance between its two stars. The romance, however, also ended in another, much-publicized split. 

His second shot at leading man fame came with the inevitable showbiz intrigues. In particular, the attention put a spotlight on his romantic relationships: first, with Angelica Panganiban, and then with internet personality Trina Candaza, with whom he has a daughter, Enola Mithi.

Even Carlo would admit he received a lot of hate and bashing after reports came out of his falling out with Angelica after Exes Baggage. 

“Before, talagang umaabot sa akin. Hindi ko masabing nade-depress ako. Pero sobrang tinatamaan ako. Lalo na pag nadadamay ‘yung mga mahal ko sa buhay, yung family ko. Paminsan, ‘yung anak ko nadadamay,” he said. 

What was the painful comment he received over these intrigues?

“I think yung pinakamasakit is ‘yung hindi ako pinalaki nang maayos ng magulang ko,” Carlo said. “Hindi ko matatanggap ‘yun ever, dahil sobrang loving ng parents ko at tama ‘yung pagpapalaki nila sa akin. Although hindi ako perfect, pero I think ginawa nila ‘yung kaya nila.”

Where did this particular comment come from? “Wala raw akong isang salita with what happened with Angge and with my ex,” he answered.

Carlo continued: “Nung time na ‘yun, siguro hindi lang din ako sure sa sarili ko, sa mga bawat hakbang na gagawin ko. And masyado kasing nakatutok sa akin ang lahat.” 

“Kahit na artista ako, ayoko ng fame. Gusto ko ‘yung obscurity. Kaya kapag medyo andyan na, medyo natataranta ako, medyo nagkaka-anxiety ako,” he explained. 

Particularly, he said of the time while working on Exes Baggage: “‘Nung time na ‘yun, parang lahat ng mata nasa amin. Hindi ko alam kung paano i-handle. I wanted to walk away.”

“Galing sa labas lahat,” Carlo said of the intrigue, of how he was able to separate the trappings of showbiz from his reality. “I don’t feel the need to explain myself. Ang nagpapahaba lang at nagpapalaki ay ‘yung mga taong hindi naman ako kilala, hindi ako kilala personally. At hindi ako mahal. Kasi kung mahal mo ang isang tao, hindi ka magsasalita ng kahit ano.”

Carlo repeats what he mentioned earlier in the interview: “Hindi na ako apektado kasi marunong akong mag-reframe nga, lumalayo ako nang konti kapag feeling ko masyado nang toxic. Kailangan ko muna hanapin ‘yung balance ko bago ako mag-react.”

Carlo reiterated: he is an artist, he is an actor. He wants to inspire. Correction: he wants his roles—not him as a personality—to inspire other people.

“Kung may iiwan man ako siguro, gusto ko lang maiwan sa isip nila na professional ako at very humble. Saka nakapag-inspire, hindi ng mga tao sa showbiz kundi ‘yung normal people na wala sa circle natin,” he said. “‘Yung nakabuo ka na authentic na connection, na kaya ako naging ganito kasi pinapanood ko ‘yung mga pelikula. Hindi ‘yung Carlo Aquino, kundi ‘yung character mo. Yung character, hindi ‘yung tao, ‘yun ang gusto kong tumatak sa kanila.”

Is he conscious of his time as an actor, as a leading man? “Hindi masyado. Ngayon, hindi ko naiisip na ganun. Kasi yung career ko, nag-peak, nawala, nag-peak, nawala. Feeling ko ‘yung talent na lang ang nakakapag-survive sa akin.”

“‘Yung talent, feeling ko ang yabang pakinggan, pero hindi mawawala. Naniniwala ako sa kaya kong ibigay sa industriyang ito. Kapag nawalan ako ng project, kaya kong pakiusapan ‘yung mga tao para sabihing, ‘Bigyan mo naman ako.’ Kaya hindi ako conscious na mawala sa prime ko.”

Carlo said: “Never ko nga naisip na… dumami yung projects ko, pero never kong naisip na ‘prime’ ako.”

His wife Charlie has a lot to do with the calm and balance Carlo has been showing of late. “Si April,” the actor said, referring to the actress by her real name many times in the interview, “walang preno, e. Kapag may mali ako ginagawa, she calls me out. Talagang, ‘Mali, hindi.’ And same rin ako sa kanya.”

“‘Yun ang sinasabi ko e. Maghahanap ka ng partner mo na kaya mong maging transparent. Na hindi mo kailangang i-filter ‘yung kailangan mong sabihin o kailangan mong gawin kasi magiging kasama mo siya habang buhay.” 

“And nung nagsisimula kami ni April, ganun na kami. Wala na kaming filter. Talagang bato kung bato. Kung masasaktan, masasaktan ka. Pero napag-uusapan namin nang maayos, kapag may masakit akong nasabi o masakit siyang nasabi.”

What’s next for the actor? On the career front, more romantic movies, for sure. He is excited for the release of Special Memory. Directed by Jerry Sineneng with a script written by National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Ricky Lee, Special Memory, Carlo said, has a feel “na instant classic yung pelikula.”

Carlo has also been open about wanting to have a baby with Charlie this 2026. He has also talked about his desire to direct a film someday. “Sinabi ko kay Adolf (Alix). Sabi niya magbukas na raw ako ng production. Tinutulungan niya ako dun, so nakaka-excite,” he said. 

On the horizon for Carlo: a deeper appreciation of what he has right now, a desire to maintain the balance of having a fulfilling family life, a successful career, a rich inner life. 

“Ngayon ko lang na-realize, maybe in the past 10 years now, na kailangan mo namnamin lahat ng nangyayari sa buhay mo. You have to be grateful sa mga taong nakakatrabaho mo. Bumabalik e. Nagiging full circle ang buhay,” he said.

Story: Chuck Smith

Production: Rhia Grana

Editor-in-Chief: Paul John Caña

Shoot concept and creative direction: Igi Talao

Cover design: Warren Espejo

Photography: Jan Mayo assisted by Xavier Yu
and Clyde Amadeo

Videography: Teddy Garcia Jr. and Greeko Junio

Grooming: Muriel Vega Perez

Styling: Ryan Viloria assisted by Argie Tan

Shot on location at Uma Nota Manila