Jason: The other ‘Tito Boy’

MANILA, Philippines - There’s no doubt Jason Gainza can imitate Boy Abunda to the last detail — from the physical appearance down to his vocal tones. But Jason admits “moving, laughing and talking” like Boy on-cam as he portrays “Tito Bhoy” on ABS-CBN’s Banana Nite segment Ihaw Na!, is not an easy thing to do. Ihaw Na! is a spoof on the TV show host’s Ikaw Na! portion in Bandila.

“Mahirap talagang gayahin,” says Jason. “I need to be fluent in English because we all know how fluent Tito Boy is. Me? I always try to be fluent but sometimes my grammar fails. It’s good that this is a comedy show so it comes out funny all the time.”

Boy, Jason reveals, is not at all offended at his impersonation of him. Truth is, the TV host is impressed at how Jason is able to “copy” his every move. Jason even guested in Ikaw Na! as Tito Bhoy which turned out to be a hit on YouTube. “Naka-17,000 views agad unang araw pa lang,” Jason relates.

And what did the real Boy Abunda tell him when they saw each other face-to-face?

“Nothing to be afraid of; he’s visibly amused. He even asked to pose for a picture with me,” quips Jason. “But seriously, I’m thankful to Tito Boy because he allows me to do this (impersonation) and I always make sure there’s nothing offensive in what I’m doing. Ginagawa ko naman yung pagpapatawa ko ng nakakatuwa, nirerespeto ko si Tito Boy, di ko naman s’ya binabalahura.”

Will he also invite Boy to guest in Ihaw Na?

“That you should find out. And what’s the first question I will ask? Well, if ever, I would like to ask Tito Boy if he believes in same-sex marriage or, how about in same-face marriage (laughs).”

Kidding aside, Jason admits that until now he can’t help but feel jittery every time he slips into his character Tito Bhoy. “You know when the cameras start rolling, I can’t avoid feeling nervous,  especially when Kris Aquino guested in Ihaw Na! seven times yata ang kaba ko nun. But that ‘one-on-one’ with Kris turned out okay kasi sinakyan n’ya lahat ng patawa namin.”

So far, Jason can’t remember an instance where his guests had been offended by his questions and, eventually, walked out on the set. “Wala pa naman ganun kasi alam ko kung ano yung mga bagay na nakaka-offend.”

He, too, is aware that being an actor is a serious business. That’s why, he never ceases to improve his craft by attending acting workshops. Jason is also good at drama acting. He was recently seen acting alongside veterans Ronaldo Valdez, Pilar Pilapil, Eddie Gutierrez and Cherry Pie Picache in Ina Kapatid Anak.

“I have to make my acting as convincing as possible. That’s why I always attend acting workshops to improve myself then I study the script and try to imbibe my character because I feel it would be unfair for other members of the cast if I take my role na pa-easy-easy lang. Dapat naka-focus din ako para sa ikakaganda ng show.”

Asked about other personalities he plans to impersonate in the future, Jason finds Kapamilya ace reporter Gus Abelgas interesting to do. “But of course, I need to observe and study his moves or mannerisms first.”

(Banana Nite airs weeknights after Bandila while Banana Split is every Saturday night after Toda Max.)