Piolo Pascual: Lessons 1 to 27

This Conversation is inspired by Esquire magazine’s broken series on The Meaning of Life, which features celebrities from various fields talking about lessons they’ve learned. The latest batch includes Jack Nicholson (the cover boy), 66; Christopher Reeve, 51; Lynda Carter, 52; Adam West, 75; Lauren Hutton, 60; Christie Brinkley, 49; George Foreman, 54; Muhammad Ali, 61; Joe Frazier, 59 and Donald Trump, 57.

What they have to say is so revealing, such eye-openers, that you rest assured that the rich and famous also have feet of clay, as human and therefore as vulnerable as you and me, haunted by fears and worries and are not exempted from or immune to the up and downs in life.

Here are samples of "what they’ve learned" (as Esquire subtitled the story):

• Nicholson: They’re prescription. That’s why I wear them. A long time ago, the Middle Americ an in me may have thought it was a bit affected maybe, but the light is very strong in southern California. And once you’ve experienced negative territory in public life, you begin to accept the notion of shields. I am a person who is trained to look other people in the eye. But I can’t look into the eyes of everyone who wants to look into mine; I can’t emotionally cope with that kind of volume. Sunglasses are part of my armor.

• Reeve: Many people at 50 think they’ve already started to go downhill. I actually think the opposite. I nearly died at 42; a neurosurgeon literally had to reconnect my skull to my spinal column. So I survived the accident, survived the surgery, survived ulcers, pneumonia, blood clots, broken bones and a severe allergic reaction to a drug that almost killed me in July 1995. I’ve been to the edge much sooner than I ever expected. The fact that I’m still here, gaining rather than losing ground, is very rewarding.

• Carter: Heaven and hell are right here. People who live for the hereafter will probably never get there because the hereafter will always be the hereafter. Even if there was a hereafter, when you get there it would be now then.

• West: The person I’ve met who’s most impressed me? Hmmm...that would have to be either Lenny Bruce or the pope...The pope wasn’t the current guy. It was Pope Paul. I was in Europe, and a few of us from the entertainment industry got this invitation. There was Marcello Mastroianni and Claudia Cardinale and all those people – and Adam West. I wondered why the hell I was invited. Suddenly, it was my turn to go up and kiss his ring. He stuck out his right hand, but I couldn’t kiss his ring because I was so damn hung over; I thought if I leaned over, I’d fall into his lap. What impressed me was that he looked up at me and said, "Ohhh, Signore West! Ahhhh, Pipistrello. I love Pipistrello!" Suddenly he’s speaking English rapidly and he’s saying, "I’ve seen all of your shows. Every episode!" In Italian, pipistrello means "the flying mouse." I’m not too happy to tell you that.

• Hutton: I have mothers say to me, "Do you think I should let my daughter be a model?" There’s this beautiful giant, tall girl with her. I’ll say: "How old is she?" The mother will say: "Fourteen." And I’ll say: "Why don’t you just shoot her?"

• Brinkley: It’s a funny thing with models. So you’re going to be posing in a skimpy bikini. You go to the location with your bikini on under your clothes. When it’s time to pose, a lot of girls will look for a place to take their clothes off where people aren’t looking. Then they’ll reappear in something much skimpier than the act of taking the clothes off.

• Foreman: After I lost to Ali in Zaire, I told everybody that I was robbed. The ropes were loose, the water was drugged...Then, once I’d changed my nature, I realized what a blemish I’d put on this great man’s career. Why would I go out and spit on his victory to mess up this great man’s name?...Losing your mother is the most mysterious lostness. You know how the astronauts walk in space, attached to the spacecraft by a line? The moment you find out your mother’s died, you feel like someone’s slipped the line off the craft. You’re just floating away. Floating... floating... I remember my daughter called and said, "Don’t worry. I’m on my way." All of a sudden that line snagged and I was anchored again."

• Ali: God will not place a burden on a man’s shoulders knowing that he cannot carry it. Parkinson’s is my toughest fight. No, it doesn’t hurt. It’s hard to explain. I’m being tested to see if I’ll keep praying, to see if I’ll keep my faith. All great people are tested by God.

• Frazier: I said some things in the past, but the truth is I love to see the Butterfly these days. He says, "We’re two baaaaaad brothers." But after all this time, there are some things I’ll never understand. Why he’d say, "I am thee greatest"? You would never say, "That is thee picture." You’d say, "That is the picture." I am thee greatest. Every word he said about himself: "I am thee."

• Trump: Fighting for the last penny is a very good philosophy to have...My children have shown me that they are willing to work hard to become successful. That’s very important. Because when children grow up in wealth, you always have doubts.

Cut to Piolo Pascual, perhaps the most-loved (by family, friends, supporters and fans) and at the same time much-maligned (by his detractors and people who feel insecure at the sight of him) below-30 actor today.

So what’s in the heart and mind of a young man forever caught in the eye of a public storm not of his own making but which he survives beautifully, emerging from the hail of brickbats unscathed by sheer drop-dead looks, enormous talent and innate goodness?

Piolo turned 27 last Jan. 12. He’s starring with Claudine Barretto in Milan, directed by Olivia Lamasan, Star Cinema’s Valentine offering (originally intended for last December’s Metro Filmfest but didn’t make it to the deadline). In the romance-drama filmed mostly in, yes, Milan and other places in Italy, Piolo plays Lino, who goes to Italy to look for his missing OFW wife, only to find himself falling in love with Jenny (Claudine), an influential figure in Italy’s working Filipino community.

The following Conversation was done in 30 minutes flat last Friday (Jan. 23) while Piolo and his family were busy celebrating the 100th birthday of his grandmother, Pacita Nonato. Following Esquire’s "The Meaning of Life" series, here are the 27 things and lessons that Piolo has learned – so far:

1. The good thing about turning 27 is that I’m growing more responsibly and becoming more disciplined with work and my personal life.

2. The bad thing about turning 27? I can’t think of anything, really. Oh, yes, the "bad" thing is that I’m growing older.

3. Do I want to live to a hundred like my Lola Pacita? Why not? If that’s Gid’s will, why not? His will be done! But only as long as I’m still alive and kicking and able to enjoy life.

4. The best lesson that I’ve learned is to live life to the fullest but knowing your limitations and boundaries. And always trust the Lord in whatever you do.

5. Success is something that God gives you, so you take care of it and enjoy it wisely.

6. My mother is the most beautiful person in this world, my best friend.

7. My (late) father... How I wish he were still around to share whatever little successes I’m enjoying now and what’s happening now in our lives.

8. My biggest fear? Losing my family.

9. I’m not as moody as I used to be.

10. Milan is one place I’ll never forget. We shot the movie there for one month. It’s a movie I can be proud of. Sulit ang pagod. It’s worth all the hassles. A movie which I can say is hard to top, mahirap pantayan ng iba kong pelikula. I’m thankful to Star Cinema for giving me such a beautiful project. I hope the public will like and love the movie the way we like and love it.

11. Claudine is one really nice person. Very loving and very thoughtful. She loves kids, just as I do. That’s the side of Claudine that many people don’t know – mahilig sa bata.

12. Judy Ann Santos? She’s a good friend. We still get in touch. I think she’s one person in this business who will remain a friend of mine forever. For life. She’s busy and so am I but we keep in touch – once in a while.

13. I’m a responsible father to my (love) child. I’d like to think so. A good provider? Maybe...I hope so!

14. The one thing that I hate? Nothing. I don’t harbor ill feelings. It’s unhealthy.

15. The one thing that I like most? Spending time with my family and going to the beach. I love the beach! I’m a nature-lover. I love the water, I love the sea. I love to commune with nature. I love travelling, too, discovering new places and meeting new people and uncovering different cultures. The best place I’ve been to? Rome. My favorite city. There’s so many things to do and so many places to see. I can go back to Rome again and again. Hindi ako magsasawa sa kapupunta doon.

16. One person who has such a great impact on me...Oh, a group of persons. I’m referring to the people at the Victory Christian Fellowship. They’re probably the nicest people in this world. I feel close to God when I’m with them.

17. I have no fear of death. I don’t look at it as the end of life but the beginning of something beautiful. Actually, I don’t believe in death. I believe in the life hereafter, though. I believe in eternity, in eternal life.

18. Evil is something bad, the opposite of good.

19. If I could be somebody else who would it be? I don’t want to be somebody else. I’m happy as I am, with what I am. I wouldn’t want to be somebody else.

20. Define love? It’s a most difficult thing to define, one question asked of me that I find really hard to answer. Love is something...love is an expression...love is a gift from God, a gift you should value and share with someone. How many times have I been in love? Many times! I’m always in love. I love the world, I love the people around me, I love being alive.

21. You know who’s the one person I’m dying to meet? Winona Ryder. Why? I don’t know. Maybe because I like her face. Very lovely!

22. I’m proud of my family and my friends – and being with Star Cinema and ABS-CBN.

23. The best book that I’ve ever read is The Bible. I read it everyday. One chapter a day. If I have more time, I read two chapters. Basta, I have to read it everyday.

24. Growing older doesn’t bother me. Growing older is growing wiser and getting better with life, getting more wisdom and knowledge from God. Am I worried about losing my looks? Not at all.

25. Money is material. Something that we need to survive but which we should not allow to rule our lives. It’s important, all right, but not as important as happiness and peace of mind.

26. My ultimate goal in life is to have a family of my own with six to seven children and a beautiful wife.

27. If I were in some place else now, I’d like to be with God. I want to have a chat with Him. The first thing I’d tell Him? I’d thank Him for all the blessings He has given me. I’d ask him to bless our country with a God-fearing President.

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