Piolo Pascual at 49: ‘I Can Still Do Things That Would Shock People’

“As much as you want to say that it’s just age or age is just a concept, you feel it in your body.”

We are talking to Piolo Pascual at the Cornerstone Entertainment office in Quezon City, and he is discussing how his relationship with his body has changed as he approaches 50–his birthday is on January 12. 

The topic of his age—and his body that refuses to betray his age—made headlines earlier this year when he endorsed an underwear line of a local clothing brand. With photos of Piolo in various states of (tasteful) undress plastered along the prime billboard spot of EDSA Guadalupe, the actor had everyone asking: how is it possible that Piolo—the Ultimate Heartthrob, quintessential leading man, beloved Papa P—is turning half a century old next year.

What’s even more interesting: in an industry that rewards youth more than tenure and wisdom, Piolo is fronting a campaign where his age and body is the main attraction. 

On one hand, Piolo is flaunting his body for the underwear campaign—and, by extension, for this Esquire Philippines cover shoot held in Dubai, showing a bit of skin along the way—because he knows Piolo Pascual, more than just an actor, is also a product.

“That's part of the whole package. You're not just selling your acting, but you're selling the physicality and also I think the whole persona. It's all part of it,” he said.

On the other hand, Piolo knows there is also a sort of a subversion at play here. There is power in what Piolo is exhibiting. After all, is there any other 49-year-old Filipino actor who can do what he is doing—both physically and artistically?

More importantly, you have Piolo, generally acknowledged to be the signifier of a Filipino leading man, playing the game actors half his age are playing, asserting his dominance and relevance after proving over and over again that, in showbiz parlance, “meron pa siyang maibibigay.”

“Maybe (I did it) just to prove a point to myself that at this point of my life and my career, I can still do something different. I can still do something that would shock the audience or the people that are following (me),” he said.

Piolo added: “It's an inspiration for me to not just rest on my laurels, but to also always push it forward, always do something different that would challenge you, challenge me as a person. You never stop. You never stop learning. You never stop growing. After that, now you move on to another thing that you can do that you haven't done before.”

Piolo is aware that he is Piolo Pascual, the product. But beyond that, he is also aware that he is Piolo Pascual the actor.

And here lies the duality of Piolo; the thing that has made him relevant throughout his almost 30 years in show business. 

In this interview, Piolo talks about what has changed (and hasn’t changed) about him now that he’s almost 50, what he’s looking forward to in his life and his career, and whether he’s ready to retire his “Ultimate Heartthrob” moniker.
The interview has been edited for clarity and consistency.

What have you been doing these days?

Travels. I’ve been touring with my son (Iñigo). We just did a father-and-son (concert) tour in California. Come May, we have Australia. Acting-wise, I’ve been reading a lot of scripts. But I’m consciously trying to veer away from the stuff I’ve done already. As soon as there’s a good script that will come along, I’ll be working on that. But I also keep the other dates free, so I have more time for myself, which doesn’t happen regularly, because I’m a workaholic. I love to work, I love to be productive. But I’m taking this time to rest, and do other things.

You’re 49. What does that mean, if it means anything to you at all?

I'm not focusing on it as much. I just woke up one day and realized, you know, I'm actually turning 50 in a few months. And as much as you want to say it's just age or age is just a concept, you feel it in your body. You feel like you kind of want to slow down. Mentally, I would say with all the experiences I've gone through, I've learned so much, you know, through the years. Being in the public eye, I've become more conscious of how I should act. I have a son, I have my family, and I have my friends looking at what I'm doing. So I guess I've just become more responsible to that effect. And work-wise, I don't want to say I've become more choosy because after the pandemic, I just started grabbing anything I could get my hands on. But more than that, now, not that I want to slow down, but I kind of want to choose the roles that would matter, that would make a difference, and would play a significant role in my maturity as a person, as an actor.

How has your relationship with your work changed?

I would say that I've become more aware of the responsibility that's been given to me. I am a producer now. I'm more involved in the process of whatever I do. TV, movies, music and everything else. So, unlike before, you just do what they tell you to do. Now, I'm part of it because I'm also protecting my own brand.

So you’re now more active and hands-on in looking for the material you want to work on?

Yes, yes. I haven't stopped looking. I already am trying to get young writers to help us come up with concepts. We do a lot of brainstorming here and there. I talk to a lot of people because of the conscious effort to give your audience something they've not seen. We want to elevate our content from the Philippines. Everything has become global because of streaming. You can do anything. Sky's the limit, I would say. But you also have to be aware of the limitations of your audience. I still want to be able to cater to a more global audience, not just Filipinos. So, there's always a thing in my head that you want to be able to champion Philippine content by the things that you do. Not just because you have to earn, not just because you have to be relevant, but you want to be able to champion our artists. We want to pave the way for them, for the next generation to be able to have more work, to be able to be seen by more people. Not just here in the Philippines, but also in other parts of the world.

What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about you in relation to the entertainment industry? 



That you're limited. That you're limited based on your age. And what we're trying to prove is that an actor is an actor regardless of your age. So you adjust accordingly.

I read this one comment on the film I did with Ms. Maricel Soriano (Meet, Greet, and Bye). Our age difference is 12 or 13 years. So they were saying, how can they play mother and son when the age difference is so small? But that’s why we’re actors. You either make us look old or young, and you just do your part.  

Are you concerned about your legacy?

Well, it's at the back of my head. But it's not something that consumes me. Because legacy is something that you leave behind.

How do you want the next generation to see or to understand who Piolo is?

That I'm a risk-taker. In this business, when you're offered something, you make sure that you not just give 100 percent but more than you can give. Ever since I got into this business, I've always been open about saying that I'm married to my job. This has always been my top priority. It's not the same for other people, but it's just me. I go by the saying, strike while the iron is hot. I've been striking for the last 30 years. I'm not conscious about what people are going to think of me or what they're going to learn from me. I just do me. Hopefully, they learn from it and just pick up the good things from it.

What do you think is the biggest risk you’ve taken in show business?

Every time I take on a role, it's a risk. There was one role I did 25 years ago, Dekada ’70. I tried to back out from the project several times because I was so intimidated by the whole thing. I was playing an activist, I was so scared. That was for me a risk because I also had to do a scene where I had to be naked. I was like, wow, how do I do this? But I was able to pull it off. From that time on, I said, okay, if I'm able to do this, then I'm able to do other things. Every time I accept something, for me, it's a risk because you're not sure of the outcome. You just give it your best, not knowing as to how people are going to take it. You just go for it.

 
Do you have any regrets? 

I don't live in the past. If I did something and it's not taken well, you just shrug your shoulders and move on.

Last year, I did seven films. I never regretted any of it. Now, I'm more choosy because I have to be. I have to be more aware of the things that I do. You don't want to be overexposed at my age. A lot of my friends have been saying, you don't have to do certain things anymore because you've already proven your worth in this business. You want to give the other writers or other producers, other actors a chance to grow. You want to grow with them and evolve with the industry as well. So, you're selective in what you do.

What excites you about the work that you do?

It's the process. It's the process of coming up with something out of nothing. When we come up with a concept, it's always an idea. Then you see it grow. You form your team. You get someone to write the stuff. You're so involved in the whole process of making a whole film, making a whole project. I enjoy doing that. I enjoy the process of movie making or even doing TV. That's what excites me. That's what keeps me going. 

What doesn’t excite you about the work that you do?

The redundancy of work. If you can keep on doing the same things, you're not offering your audience something that's worthwhile. I guess that's where I'm at right now. I don't want to sell myself short. I don't want to waste people's time by watching the same thing that they've seen before. 

Years ago, showbiz pundits would say that Piolo Pascual is safe… 

I was manufactured by (ABS-CBN). There's a template. I'm not ashamed to accept that. It's how they mold people. It's how they mold their artists. I had to abide by that. I'm able to stay in this business for that long. I'm grateful for that. That's when I realized, actually, before Starting Over Again (his 2014 romantic drama film with Toni Gonzaga, which became one of the biggest box office hits that year), that I've already hit the glass ceiling. I was turning 40. That's when my crisis began. That's when I thought, I've done everything already. But after Starting Over Again came out, that's when I realized, oh, there's still something else that I can do in this business. I'm able to grow. After that, I realized, there's still so much to do. I guess I limited myself, because of the roles that they were giving me. I was always packaged as a leading man in rom-coms.

 
Those were the things that I did. I'm not ashamed of it, but it helped me grow, not just as a person, but as an artist. Because of those things that I've done with ABS-CBN, the way that I was molded, it helped turn me into who I am right now. I'm grateful for that. Now, at this point in my life, in my career, I'm able to choose better. Because when you're climbing up the ladder, you cannot choose. You have to really make sure that you give it your best. I guess at that time, I didn't have the right to ask for whatever I wanted, because they had to be sure that they would get their money back from the shows or movies that I was doing. That was the limitation back then.

I'm still evolving. And I'm still evolving now.

How have you changed after you hit and broke your so-called ‘glass ceiling’ more than 10 years ago?


The last two years I would say I've been getting a lot of offers for different roles. When I was offered Mallari (the genre-defying horror film he did as part of the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival, where he played three characters), I was like, can I do this? And it was a big risk for me. But after that I realized, I can still grow, I can still take on characters, I can still take on roles that I've not done before. So I guess because of my age and because of how long I've been in the business, now I can take on roles that are more diverse and I can choose better and the roles that are given to me have so much variety that I'm able to move around better. 

So I've gotten old in this business, I've gotten older and I've gotten more, I guess, loose in the sense that I'm able to kind of diversify the roles that I play because of my age, because of, you know, my exposure in the business or my experience for that matter.

How much of yourself are you showing your audience?

When I was being asked to do a YouTube channel, I said, I'm not a vlogger. First of all, I'm not a host. So I want to stay in my lane.I don't want to do something that is not me. I guess I'm fortunate enough or I'm blessed enough to say that I didn't have to do that. Because I didn't have to be inauthentic. So for me, I just show whatever I can show, not to try and be a different person.

As for my relationship with my audience, I'm always authentic in such a way that what you see is what you get. I don't have to please you by doing something that I am not comfortable doing. So I try to stay authentic in the way that I take on social media by being true, by being candid, by being honest, by being authentic, by being myself. I guess I'm fortunate enough to say that I've already built my own brand through the years, and I don't have to kiss ass or to please people by doing what they want me to do.

Is there anything that you want to change in the showbiz or film industry?

I wish we had more support from not just the audience, but the government. That's a big factor. Those countries with film industries that have exploded (in popularity) were supported by their own government. And I wish we had that. I hope we have that. I hope they find interest in supporting us because we're like the spokespersons of the Philippines. Whatever we put out there, it speaks about the Philippines. So if we have the support of not just the audiences or the fans, but the government to give us funding, to give us rebates, that would make a lot of difference. And that's very important also for me because in the past few years, we've done a lot of very interesting work in terms of production and operational action. 

You’re known as Papa P and the Philippines’ Ultimate Heartthrob. If you were to give yourself a new nickname, what would it be? 

You know what? I look at Papa P as a third person. So whenever I look at myself in the mirror, I'm like, ‘oh, look at Papa P’, something like that. So it separates me from that persona. So I'm okay with it. But the Ultimate Heartthrob... I don't know. Years down the road, it's going to be awkward for a 60-year-old man to be called an ultimate heartthrob.

You are often seen as the definitive Filipino actor. In essence, you are seen as the image of the Filipino man. How would you define what the modern man is now? 

A modern man, I would say, is someone that is more approachable, someone who's not on the pedestal, someone you can talk to, someone you can approach, someone who's humble, someone who knows his worth, and who's up for the challenge, and would not be scared to take a risk, would always want to take on a challenge. A modern man is someone you can look up to, but also you can talk to, approach, and be the same. It should be a co-equal. It should be someone that has the same energy, but also someone who's always willing to just get out there and do something unexpected.

Story: Chuck D. Smith

Editor-in-Chief: Paul John Caña

Art direction and photography: Rozen Antonio 

Onsite creative direction: Ivan Cabatit

Concept: Igi Talao 

Production: Ryan Banks 

Fashion styling: Khel Recuenco assisted by John Harry Jay Senier 

Wardrobe sourcing: Pamela Andrea Sapitan

Videography: Ric Thirdian

Behind-the-scenes videography: Dawn Julius Bleza 

Video editing: Jino del Mundo and Greeko Junio 

Makeup: Jessie Tabla 

Hair: Lemuel Eubert 

Location: Bab Al Shams Desert Resort 

Special thanks to: Lulu Romero, Erickson Raymundo, Giselle Carlos, Jeramaine Hermosa and Cornerstone Entertainment

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