Losing herself in every role

MANILA, Philippines - Most of those who followed her acting career know that Jaclyn Jose was launched via William Pascual’s sex comedy, Chikas, way back in 1984. It was in Lino Brocka’s White Slavery, however, where the public took notice of her acting prowess and started her ascent to becoming a dramatic actress.

Since then, Jaclyn has done a gamut of challenging roles that transcended her sexy image and allowed her acting talent to shine. She loses herself to the character that’s why viewers witness the depth of her performance that never fails to make a mark on the big screen and resonates with glowing sensitivity.

She basks on her 24 acting trophies — 10 Best Actress wins including two from Asian Television Awards and three from Urian for Takaw Tukso, Itanong Mo sa Buwan and Sarung Banggi. Eleven are for Best Supporting Actress and one Star Awards statue for Actress of the Decade. She also won awards for Private Show, Masahista and Tirador.

For her, there are no small roles. “I don’t choose roles,” grants Jaclyn, who is Mary Jane Guck in real life. “I accept all the roles that are offered to me, be it in a major film or an independent movie. Of course, it’s not every role I’ve desired. But thankfully, I’ve got the most challenging, sensitive, emotional and physically disturbing roles. They’re larger than life. They’re totally different characters.”

To date, she is most proud about her role in Chito Roño’s Private Show, where she played a live sex show dancer. “That film brought me to Cannes Film Festival in France, with Takaw Tukso and Itanong Mo sa Buwan,” Jaclyn shares. “I’ve been to places I’ve never even imagined visiting before because of acting. I hardly find any frustration in this job.”

Through the years, Jaclyn has never run out of acting offers, too. She is grateful to her manager of 27 years, Ed Instrella, for choosing the right projects for her.

“We never fought,” Jaclyn says of Instrella. “I did not even think of moving to a different manager. We have a smooth-sailing relationship. I trust his judgment and never questioned it. He knows what roles I want. He’s always right. He has greatly helped me in sustaining my career.”

Her talent did not go unnoticed even in film festivals abroad. The 1994 Amiens Film Festival in France paid tribute to her thespic abilities. She won the Audience Award Best Actress for Sarung Banggi at the Phuket International Film Festival in Thailand.

Last year, she was also cited for Best Actress (with Gina Pareño) at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival and Asian Film Festival for Brilliante Mendoza’s Serbis, which tells the story of a family forced to run a prostitution business inside a theater which screens second-run sex flicks.

For someone who was simply forced by her mother to join showbiz, Jaclyn has reached unimaginable heights and enviable distance in her acting career. “My mother pushed me to audition for Chikas and I was launched in that film with Lovely Rivero, Rachel Anne Wolfe and Tanya Gomez,” Jaclyn recalls. “I was never enticed to acting even if my older sister (Veronica Jones), was already in showbiz. But when I got to know Lino (Brocka), that started my passion for the craft.”

Up to now, Jaclyn knows she still has that passion. She may not be a superstar actress, but she definitely ranks tops among the list of brilliant actresses in local entertainment. “I want to act for the rest of my life,” Jaclyn enthuses. “Even if I get all these dramatic roles, I’d like to think of myself as a subtle actress.”

She counts, as her influences, veteran actresses Mary Walter, Lolita Rodriguez and Mona Lisa — who have “strong screen presence,” according to Jaclyn. She also mentions roles that she desires, like Jodie Foster’s The Brave One, Marion Cotillard’s Oscar-winning turn in La Vie en Rose and Cate Blanchett in every character.

Jaclyn breathes life to another memorable role in yet another independent film, Cesar Buendia’s Padre de Pamilya, a moving, yet disturbing drama about how a family got enmeshed in the corrupt government system. She shares stellar billing with Ariel Rivera and Tessie Tomas. Also in the cast is newcomer Cedric Jose, who made his big screen debut last year in Buendia’s first directorial salvo, Idol: Pag-asa ng Bayan.

Jaclyn plays wife to Ariel Rivera. Ariel is Joselito Mirasol, an ordinary government employee who is forced to engage in dishonest practice in an apparent effort to give his family a better life. Because of the pressure of poverty, Joselito was compelled to accept the bribe from a crooked businessman, not knowing it was the vicious ploy of an investigative TV reporter cracking down on corrupt practices in the office of the mayor.

Produced with Jesuit Communications and the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Padre de Pamilya mirrors the decay of society which unravels through the eyes of a teenage boy (Cedric).

Jaclyn worked with Ariel on a GMA telesine, Parola, several years back. They also had a few scenes together in Marilou Diaz Abaya’s May Nagmamahal sa ‘Yo, with Lorna Tolentino.

While acting gives her fulfillment, a major part of Jaclyn’s happiness comes from her two children. Andie, 17, is a freshman taking up fashion design at De La Salle College of St. Benilde; Gwen, seven, is a first grader at Ateneo de Manila.

“I’m a hands-on parent,” Jaclyn beams. “I always make time for my kids. I cook for them whenever I can. I help them with their homework. We go to church together. We eat out. My kids are my source of joy and strength.”