He wants to follow in Piolo's footsteps

Josh Ocampo may have just had spread his wings but he is already looking past the clouds, flying towards the stars.

The Filipino-Spanish, 5’10” looker wants to follow in the path of Piolo Pascual or John Lloyd Cruz. And he has got a plan on how to go about it: Dream big, work hard, never slow down.

“I am afraid of not succeeding,” he says. “Failing is not an option.”

And it’s not a pompous, empty assertion. Looking at Josh’s lean physique, it’s hard to imagine that he was once overweight.

But Josh turned it all around through discipline and common sense. He has been working out every day with Piolo’s trainer, and has drastically cut down on his sugar and carbohydrate intake. He also took better care of his skin, got into more sports (basketball, football, swimming, running) and bought more fashionable clothes.

Soon, people started noticing the changes.

“It’s amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it. It’s true that those who succeed are the ones who want it the most,” he muses aloud.

More than his outward appearance, though, is his focus in achieving his goals. He says he’ll put love at bay unless having one distracts him. He swears to stay away from vices and going out on gimmicks too much unless he overexposes himself (for an 18-year-old guy, that’s got to be a sacrifice). He will also find his strengths in dancing, singing, acting, hosting by taking lessons — and even more lessons once he improves in these.

To think that breaking into showbiz wasn’t his first dream.  Josh wanted to become a basketball player until his grandparents told him that he has a better chance of standing out if he becomes an actor given his age, height, looks, drive and natural flair for it (he was second best in acting in his batch while he was in Ateneo de Manila). Good advice there.

So, given the chance, Josh wants to be part of a teleserye. Maybe one that offers a melange of drama, action, comedy. He also wouldn’t mind getting invited to become a regular on a variety show (that’s what the dance and voice lessons are for, after all).

“I love entertaining people. When I hear the applause, it’s like being told, ’Good job, Josh.’ It would be fun to hear people say, ‘Ang galing ng acting mo sa ganito, ganyan.’ I live for those words,” he admits.

Still, Josh remains a kid at heart. During his downtime, Josh plays a lot of computer games — and he is good in many of them, too! The would-be celebrity even ranks high in some of the competitions he’s joined in, winning a $5,000 prize at one point.

Yet for all his self-assuredness, Josh, like many teenagers, gets dismayed when he has…pimples.

“Maputi kasi ako kaya kitang-kita kung may pimple. Malayo pa lang, kita na agad. When I have pimples — though rarely now — ni ayokong lumapit sa salamin because the more I draw near one, the more the pimple seems to look bigger,” he jokes.

Why does he like Piolo and John Lloyd?

“Because Piolo is so good at making people kilig. John Lloyd naman looks good when he cries, very manly facial expression. It takes a lot to do either.”

Maybe in time, if he tries hard enough and if the showbiz gods smile down on him, Josh just might be known for being able to do both.

And surely, his grandparents Wilfredo and Cecilia Ocampo will be proud of him.