John Arcilla on Hollywood dreams and joy of not being typecast

Following a big year in 2021, highlighted no less than by his Volpi Cup win, John Arcilla is looking forward to an even more exciting 2022.

In a recent virtual encounter, the veteran actor expressed what he wanted to do next — a Hollywood film.

“I want to play a villain in Hollywood superhero films or if not one of those X-Men’s, whatever. Parang ang saya, sana, sana,” John said in the presscon for his Metro Manila Filmfest entry, the Viva Films-produced action thriller A Hard Day.

This was a reiteration of his earlier pronouncements after joining the circle of Volpi recipients — with the likes of Sean Penn, Willem Dafoe and Liam Neeson as predecessors — for his portrayal of a journalist in Erik Matti’s OTJ: The Missing 8. It’s the highest honor given to an actor at the Venice International Film Festival, the world’s oldest filmfest.

As John previously told The STAR, his dream was to become a global actor. “I really wish so. Sana, sana! Kasi wala ka naman ibang gusto mangyari kung di humakbang paakyat. Kung meron pa akong makikitang paraan para umakyat, sige, sige, sige!” he shared.

“I want to see the possibilities, I want to see doors. Kung wala akong nakikita, hahanapin ko kung may stamina pa ako. And I wish naman na may stamina pa ako, lalo na ‘pag matatapos na itong pandemic na ito. Siguro mas masarap mag-adventure kasi, whether we like it or not, nakalagay na yung pangalan ko sa mga world’s best actors, modesty aside.”

Since John wasn’t able to accept personally the award in September 2021 due to travel restrictions, he is set to be feted by the Italian Embassy in Manila this month.

“It is such a great honor that the Italian Embassy is providing me a space and stage because I wasn’t able to receive the Volpi Cup myself during that special day in Venice. Now, they’re providing me with a space and program to receive it personally. It is really such a big honor. And I’m thankful to the producers (Reality Entertainment) and my director in the film.”

Meantime, the FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano actor who starred in two Metro Manila filmfest 2021 entries — the other one is Jun Lana’s Big Night which won him the Best Supporting Actor at the recently-held Gabi ng Parangal — is set to juggle several projects again this 2022.

“There are a lot of invitations for different genres. I’m so happy I’m not typecast to just doing bad-guy roles. There are some line-ups for two comedy films, a dark character again and a lot of more exciting projects,” he said.

Having done multiple projects at the same time, he made it sound so easy while explaining how he would transition from one role to another.

“I realized, whether I like it or not, every other script has its own requirement that cannot be interchanged with every other character you’re doing. Hindi ka pwede malito. Para sa akin maliit yung possibility na malito kasi iba yung universe ng each character. Each character has its own universe that I have to deliberately tell myself and deliberately remember.

“Parang sandali ano ba yung ginagawa ko, then papasok ko na yung universe niya sa akin… Sandali, ano yung ginagawa ko ngayon, ah si… mayabang artista na mayor na ngayon, OK! Or ito si Sisoy, na isang (radio) commentator na may pagmamahal sa kanyang bayan at uto-uto sa kanyang mentor. So, definitely yung dalawa iba na kaagad yung storya, so ‘di talaga ako malilito. Magche-change backbone mo automatically.”

Nevertheless, he stressed that no work is “easy” for him. “That’s how I treat work — with the easy work, I have to challenge myself. The hard work, I have to make it easy.”

Asked more about the kind of projects he’s looking for, he told The STAR: “It should be a combination of both entertainment and quality. I should find that in a project. It should be understood by all levels of the audience, and at the same time, they should get something relevant from the project. Or if it’s a wacky and really fun movie, at least they will get something or take home something that can help them deal with their everyday life.”

John has been consistent in our interviews that his deciding factor ever since he began his acting career in theater was that the project should be both entertaining and enlightening.

“One of the best films I did which can actually attest to that is ang Heneral Luna. It’s historical but at the same time, it’s entertaining for everyone. In fact, it was appreciated from A-Z, from the tricycle drivers to the elite people, and that’s what I really want, yung talagang maintindihan ng lahat at ma-appreciate ng lahat. Even yung 10-year-old kids, hanggang ngayon ‘pag nakikita nila ako, they call me Heneral Luna. And even the college professors can appreciate the film as exciting, the way 10-year-old students approached me about how they appreciated the film. Sana laging ganun yung magiging appeal ng pelikula natin.”

As an actor, he also has to be aware and sure, from the onset, how and who the film serves. “Kesa yung tipong hindi ko alam kanino naglilingkod yung pelikula. Yung ginagawa kong pelikula ay lalo lang sila naging tanga bilang audience and ginagawa ko pa rin — I’m actually helping them to be tanga. Kung ang ginagawa kong pelikula ay ginagawa ko silang escapist, then ‘di ko sila nili-liberate. Dapat malinaw sa akin yun.”

Meanwhile, during the recent presscon, John looked back on the year that was, reflecting that it was marked by both the ups and downs especially after losing loved ones over the pandemic.

He shared, “There are some ups and downs, especially this pandemic, but I have to move on. Life goes on. I mean, those downs have to pull me up as inspiration, so that I can inspire the people that I love who are still with me.”

John said he clung to his faith to get past the hardest of times. “You have to hold on to your faith, you have to recreate the joy and the happiness that you knew before because whether you like it or not, when loved ones passed away during the pandemic — you know, (they were) actually victims of this virus — it’s not really very easy to accept. But then you cannot question the will of God, the will of Nature. Maybe, there are more reasons why I should understand. Or maybe, if I don’t understand, I just have to accept because maybe those people who left us had parang good reasons why they had to go,” he opened up.

“Whatever happens, you have to find a different meaning that will make you move on, if not you will be constantly broken, your life will be miserable. You have to look for a positive meaning, you have to look back on the good and joyful memories with the people you loved so much who left.

“In my daily life, somehow na-overcome ko na yung hurdles na mas mabibigat. Faith and spirituality really helped me a lot, and the people around me, knowing you’re not alone and that it’s part of life.”