Carlo Aquino recently opened up about how marriage has changed his priorities and outlook in life, and inspired him to work even harder.
Now five months married to fellow Kapamilya star Charlie Dizon, the actor revealed how his wife brought a newfound inspiration and focus into his life, particularly in building their future together.
He told The STAR in an exclusive interview: “Married life.. siguro mas nag-ano ako, nag-concentrate ako sa… Hindi ko naman sinasabing hindi ako nagko-concentrate noon, pero iba lang yung motivation ngayon, di ba? Kasi gusto kong mabigyan ng bahay si April (Matienzo, real name of Charlie), yung mga ganon. Iba lang talaga yung focus. Tsaka mas inspired.”
(“Married life... I guess I’m more focused now. I’m not saying I wasn’t focused before, but the motivation is different now, right? I want to provide a home for April, things like that. The focus is just different, and I’m more inspired.”)
Despite their busy schedules, Carlo and Charlie haven’t had the chance for a proper honeymoon yet.
“Di pa nga kami nakapag-honeymoon, eh. After the wedding, nag-short trip lang kami to Boracay and Taiwan. Eh gusto niya kasi mag-parang Christmas village somewhere sa Europe. Yun yung ini-aim namin for next year kasi nga sobrang busy ngayon. Sabi ko magtatrabaho-trabaho muna tayo, love, and then after, start na ng honeymoon and growing the family.”
(“We haven’t gone on a honeymoon yet. After the wedding, we just took a short trip to Boracay and Taiwan. She really wants to visit a Christmas village somewhere in Europe. That’s our goal for next year because things are so busy now. I told her, let’s work first, love, then after that, we’ll start the honeymoon and grow our family.”)
As a father to four-year-old Mithi from a previous relationship, Carlo is happy that his daughter has had the opportunity to spend time and bond with Charlie.
Addressing the photos that went viral a few months ago, he said, “Syempre naman talaga yung isa sa mga goal na maging okay yung relationship ni Charlie at ni Mithi. Nagawa na namin na okay na sila, na kapag wala si Charlie, sabay hinahanap na siya ni Mithi, yung ganon.
(“One of my goals was to make sure that Charlie and Mithi’s relationship is good. We’ve achieved that, and now when Charlie isn’t around, Mithi looks for her. Things like that.”)
“Ang sarap lang na makita yung ganon na… alam mo yun, may peace sa puso. Ang sarap-sarap lang, hindi ko ma-explain, ang hirap basta happy ako.”
(“It just feels so nice to see... you know, there’s peace in my heart. It’s a wonderful feeling, I can’t explain it, it’s hard, but I’m just happy.”)
Meanwhile, when asked about their plans to grow their family, Carlo replied, “Hopefully, hindi naman kami nagko-control. Kung mabe-bless, di ba, sobrang tatanggapin namin yun ng buong-buo. Pero kung hindi, magtatrabaho kami hanggang mabigyan kami ng biyaya na yan.”
(“Hopefully. We’re not actively planning, but if we’re blessed, we’ll wholeheartedly accept it. But if not, we’ll keep working until we receive that blessing.”)
As for how many kids he’d like to have with Charlie, he’s hoping for two or three children.
Beyond family life, Carlo has a lot to look forward to professionally. He is set to appear in “Hold Me Close,” one of the official entries for the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). He’s also part of the lead cast of the upcoming ABS-CBN series “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.”
Another exciting project is his film with Hilda Koronel, who will be making a comeback in Philippine showbiz. “Uuwi siya, for the longest time, nasa Amerika siya. Baka sobrang iba rin yun, di ba? Milestone naman yun for me,” Carlo said.
(“She’s coming home. She’s been in America for the longest time. That might be something different, right? That’s a milestone for me.”)
Carlo also wants to work again with the Star for All Seasons, Vilma Santos. He was supposed to be reunited with his wedding godmother and onscreen mother (in the classic film "Anak") in the MMFF entry, "Uninvited," but he had to beg off due to scheduling conflicts.
“But I’ve been pitching ideas and visiting her in Batangas. I want to work with her again, but not as mother and son this time. Something like a May-December romance,” he shared.