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John Arcilla reveals how theater acting helped him conquer stage fright

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Mary Ann Bardinas

He is recognized as a formidable and award-winning actor who has astounded us through the years with his portrayals both on the small and big screen. However, not many of us know who “<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/pamilyasagrado" target="_blank">Pamilya Sagrado</a>” star John Arcilla is off the spotlight, such as a son to his parents, as well as how his passion for the performing arts and helping those who are in need started.And in his recent interview with Kapamilya broadcast journalist Bernadette Sembrano for the latest episode of her YouTube channel, he was accompanied by his cherished mother, Eustaquia “Kaginday” Gonzales Arcilla, who are among his greatest influences in life.According to the veteran character actor, he grew up in a family who are into visual and performing arts, which he was able to absorb. He idolizes both his parents as his father was into hosting, singing, and politics, while his mother was into drawing. As his relatives were into poetry, the young John became an orator and declamation contestant at school.But prior to that, his fascination with the performing arts apparently got enkindled when he was just 11 months old. His parents told him that when they watched the movie “Sound of Music” in 1965, the cinema attendants initially refused them entry since he might cause noise inside the theater and disturb other moviegoers. But much to their surprise, the infant John didn’t cry nor make any sound and was so focused on focused on big screen.It was further confirmed when he was three years old and was caught by his family members dancing to “Lupang Hinirang” every time it was played at the school across their ancestral home. There was even an instance when he went to that school without underpants and stood at the steps of the flagpole, then conducted in front of the students and teachers who were attending the flag ceremony. Besides, he would also sing or declaim at the PTA meetings spearheaded by his dad.Since he was so accustomed to presenting himself in front of many people, John said that he didn’t have performance jitters when he was still a child. His consciousness of nervousness and having stage fright began when he was in his adolescence period and his voice gradually changed.There was a moment when his voice suddenly cracked while singing Rico J. Puno’s “Kapalaran” at an amateur singing contest, which got him really traumatized, so he never sang solo nor declaim onstage anymore. That’s what prompted him to try acting.“’Yong pagiging aktor ko, actually, hindi ko maintindihan kung accidental ‘yon kasi nga hindi na ako maka-perform, hindi na ako makakanta nang mag-isa onstage unless mayroon akong ka-duet. [Sa theater kasi] ensemble e, mayroon kang ka-eksena or mayroon kang kabatuhan, so ‘di ka mag-isa sa stage,” he said.As early as 1980, John already underwent workshops at the National Media Productions and PETA (Philippine Educational Theater Association). After that, in the late ‘80s, he already applied for a scholarship at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). There, he started singing again as his way of dealing with his stage fright, to which Nonon Padilla, the founding artistic director of CCP who also became his mentor, was so amazed.From then on, he became a fixture in all the musicals of the center, such as Ryan Cayabyab musicals, Severino Reyes’ “Walang Sugat,” and “Circa.” Unbeknownst to everyone around him, he was actually overcoming his stage fright through singing, which he thought was really effective since aside from the people liking his performances, his stage fright also transformed into theater singing.When asked by Bernadette why he had to conquer that, he stated, “Sabi ko, hindi ako ‘yon e. Hindi ako ‘yong takot na tao, hindi ako takot na kumanta, hindi ako takot mag-perform. So, I have to deal with this.”Unlike his father who was into politics, not to mention running for mayoral post at their hometown in San Luis, Aurora, John never had an interest to be part of it and would rather be a critic of it because he already witnessed how the system goes, which didn’t attract him to enter. However, his roles as a hero and/or a politician, such as Eleazar Sagrado in the ongoing primetime series “<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/pamilyasagrado" target="_blank">Pamilya Sagrado</a>” and General Antonio Luna in the 2015 epic war film “Heneral Luna.”Instead, he opted to simply establish his own non-government organization called Capable Foundation (or Care and Protect Life on Earth Foundation) in 2008, which is intended for underprivileged parents and their children, fitness programs, and stray dogs. At the same time, he also hosts a free art workshop to impoverished children every Sunday, with teachers from public and private schools as among his volunteers.“Napagod na akong magprotesta. Sabi ko, gagawa na lang ako ng tulong ng sarili ko na para sa mga underprivileged na hindi ko na kailangang magreklamo. Kung ano na lang ang maitulong ko,” he explained when asked by Bernadette what motivated him to do so.According to them, all the funds used in his NGOs came from his own pocket as he opted not to have any financier nor receive any monetary aid from other people to avoid red tapes or excessive complexity of the official procedure during the application.Mommy Eustaquia was “fully thankful” to her beloved son who never fails to check on her whenever they don’t see each other and to take care of her needs especially now that she’s a nonagenarian. When asked if John is a good son, she described him as “more than enough.”John couldn’t help but be emotional as he imparted the sob story of his mom, who was left in the custody of an older sibling of hers after they became completely orphaned. It was indeed challenging for her family to pursue her education, so she only reached high school. That’s why he vowed to himself to do everything that he could for her to repay all her sacrifices and not let her suffer again.And lastly, when asked why it is important for him to “Kung ano man ‘yong mga narating ko, I was able to receive international awards, sa kanila lahat ‘yon e. I mean, gusto kong proud talaga sila. Hindi lang ako, achievement namin ‘yon ng pamilya namin.”