Jericho Rosales: “I don’t want to do soap [operas] anymore”

Despite the success of his hit primetime series ‘Halik’, seasoned actor Jericho Rosales has come to a point in his career where he no longer intends to continue doing soap operas.

This he revealed during the thanksgiving press conference for ‘Halik’ held at the R20 Events Place in Quezon City this Thursday. According to the 39-year-old star, the plan was never to quit acting, but to actually expand his craft further. “Why do I always feel like I want to rush into the next project? I’ve been working on soap operas or TV shows for 23 years now, [and] I don’t want to do soaps anymore. Is that a problem for me? No. Do I want to stop TV? No. It’s a time for me to challenge myself, to create something new for myself. Hopefully, it works,” he said.

“I will graduate already from soap operas. But a different kind of TV show? Why not. There’s digital. We don’t know where things are going. It’s a season of each and every actor can create, can direct, can produce, can write. One of the very few that actually offered me that was Direk Ruel Bayani [RSB Drama head and Halik director],” he added.

Jericho said that recently he had an epiphany while watching an episode of ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya’ that he did with Ruel when he was only 17 years old. “Last night, I was watching Agiw, the episode that he directed when I was very young, at 2:30 AM. His very first masterpiece, Maalaala Mo Kaya, [starring] Gloria Romero, Jackie Lou Blanco, Rita Avila, Lito Pementel, Pupi Pla (Hazel Ann Mendoza). I was watching it last night for the very first time. I was watching myself, and sabi ko, ‘Parang ibang tao ‘yung pinapanood ko. [I was] 17. Funny enough, ‘di naman dahil binubuhat ko ‘yung bangko, umiiyak ako ‘pagnagda-dialogue ‘yung 17-year-old Jericho Rosales,” he said.

“I had an epiphany na if I allow my advisors to take that step to create, to maybe someday do something for myself, and challenge the people around me, to make something new, then maybe I will be great. For now, I have to take a break. I have to make more movies and then come up with another TV show of a different kind,” he added.

According to Jericho, he has already approached his endorsements regarding his plan to move on to his next venture. “But will I say goodbye to the fans? No. Will I say goodbye to the one I love most, acting? No. I just want to create something new. I want to challenge myself. If it doesn’t work, it’s my fault. I’m backed up by my endorsements and they’re all saying na, ‘Jericho, we do not mind if you want to do your own thing,’” he said.

“Now it’s out there, nalabas ko na. Something in me is dying already so I have to breathe new life into this career. So the next ten years, I don’t know. We’ll see,” he added.