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John Arcilla revisits acting journey as humble theater thespian, illustrious mainstream actor

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Mary Ann Bardinas

With a long list of acting projects and recognitions under his belt, there’s definitely no doubt that <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/pamilyasagrado">Pamilya Sagrado</a> star John Arcilla is one of the most successful actors in the local entertainment scene at present.And in this interview with seasoned broadcast journalist Bernadette Sembrano for the latest episode of “Tao Po,” he looked back on his journey from being a theater thespian to becoming the formidable and versatile actor that he is at present, as well as talked about his aspirations for himself as an actor and for the entire Philippine movie industry.The conversation commenced with John disclosing that he actually came from a family of Catholic clergy and that he used to almost be part of it as well. His mom was part of the Carmelite congregation before deciding to completely get out of the convent and marry his dad. On the other hand, his father came from a family of priests. Probably inspired by his faith and his relatives, who vowed their lives in religious order, he also entered the seminary. However, he eventually had second thoughts regarding that decision when he was about to be completely accepted into the Carmelite congregation.Instead of heeding the call to religious life, it was the summon of the stage that John obeyed as he continued his foray into acting, which started when he was still a kid. Inspired by his beloved mom, whom he regards as a “movie addict” ever since she was still young, he joined the world of theater when he was still in high school and went on to create his mark in the industry.He started as a performer for PETA’s (Philippine Educational Theater Association) community theater until he became a professional thespian as a scholar and senior member of Tanghalang Pilipino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and a performer for the musicals of National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab. Those stints boosted his confidence and made him decide to fully embrace theater and never leave.However, amidst his huge success in theater, he felt the need to “bring my art to another plane” upon realizing that some senior thespians die penniless and have no savings to send themselves to their final resting place. Thus, he ventured into commercial endorsements, including the popular bacon advertisement for a renowned food brand, which served as his springboard to show business as it opened a lot of doors for him both on television and in movies.Theater, movies, and teleseryes may observe different disciplines and processes, which shocked him at first, yet he cannot choose which among these he prefers the most. After all, these are only media, and it’s really the arts of acting and performance that he loves.Over the years, we’ve witnessed how John’s acting career on the screen continues to flourish, not only because he appeared in a slew of movie and TV projects but also because of the huge achievements that he snagged as an actor. In 2015, he depicted prominent patriot General Antonio Luna in the blockbuster hit film “Heneral Luna,” which holds the record of being the “highest grossing Filipino historical film of all time”. And six years later, he received the coveted Volpi Cup for Best Actor Award from the 2021 Venice Film Festival for his outstanding performance in the action flick “On The Job 2,” which is a first for Filipinos.“Gusto kong nando’n na tayo sa level na ‘yon na mayroon na tayong mai-sha-share sa mundo tungkol sa buhay, tungkol sa tao. May ambag tayo,” he told Bernadette. “Sana nando’n na rin tayo sa map na ‘yon kasi ang theater nandoon na tayo e, nalagay na tayo ni Lea Salonga. So, sana magtuloy-tuloy ‘yon dito sa film.”At present, John continues to astound us with his portrayal of the corrupt Eleazar Sagrado in the ongoing primetime series “<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/pamilyasagrado">Pamilya Sagrado</a>.”“Ang kagandahan lang ni Eleazar, ‘yong insecurity niya natra-transform niya into something confident in a way na magkakaroon kasi siya ng transformation from this character to this character. So, ‘yon ang nagustuhan ko doon and I can see the humanity of this character,” he conveyed when asked what he liked about his character.Bernadette, of course, didn’t let the chance to experience John’s intense and compelling acting prowess simply pass without asking him to reenact his remarkable scenes from “Heneral Luna” (2015), “<a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/dirtylinen">Dirty Linen</a>” (2023), and “Ligaya ang Itawag Mo Sa Akin” (1997).The interview concluded with John sharing his motivation to keep going in his acting career and keep beeing passionate about it.“Kasi hindi ka naman basta-basta nagpe-perform. Ako, I’m speaking for myself. May purpose ako in life. Hindi ko lang naman gustong maging hanapbuhay ‘to [at] pagkakitaan. Gusto ko naman may ma-move akong tao,” John said.

Watch as John Arcilla looked back on his acting journey from theater to screen, in this episode of “Tao Po.”