Dumaan sa self-sabotaging, galit at gigil sa career...Jericho, nagbago na ang mga plano!

Nag-iba ng direction si Jericho Rosales.

Kung noon ay binalak niyang magka-career sa abroad, hindi na ngayon.

Aniya, dahil lang ‘yun sa ‘galit’ at ‘gigil,’ kasama na ang angst at frustrations sa takbo kanyang career na paulit-ulit ang ginagawa.

Kahapon ay sinagot ng magaling na actor ang mga tanong namin sa media junket para sa finale episodes ng pinag-uusapang drama series na Lavender Fields na pinagbibidahan nila nina Jodi Sta. Maria and Janine Gutierrez.

“I had a lot of like angst and galit and gigil and frustrations with my career. And you know, I couldn’t blame anyone else but myself. You know you offered to travel, and my greatest frustration was not going for my dreams, which are films. But the contracts were always there. ABS contracts, you know, easy, easy money. It’s always easy; pasok ka lang sa teleserye, kabisado ko na yan. It went on for years and years and years,” kumpisal ni Echo sa ilang kaharap na entertainment writer.

“Meanwhile, my dream was like, ‘di na naman niya ginawa (referring to himself), he said he would do it. So I had to do the work. I had to do the work: finding a team, finding people, finding stories, finding the right people to work with, producers, directors, and writers.

“Spent years, including the pandemic. And then now, I said, balik na ako, pagbalik ko may Lavender Fields, then may films. Okay, let’s move muna natin to, let’s give way to working with Jodi and Janine, Edu and everyone else.,” sabi niya in a nutshell sa mga naging desisyon niya noon na tuparin ang kanyang mga gustong gawin sa career .

Sa ngayon, wala na siyang ‘galit’ bilang isang actor.

“Wala na ‘yun, I’m not angry anymore as an actor. I was like, You weren’t giving your dream a chance; that’s why you are frustrated. I was self-sabotaging na on the set, parang mabait akong tao, but sometimes masungit na ko. Minsan wala na ko sa mood. Tama na. Dati, cut off na uwi na ko. May motorbike, umalis na ko.  Because I started to hate everything,”  pagkukuwento pa niya sa pinagdaaanan.

“It was my 67th burnout. Burnout, burnout, burnout, burnout. I was so just... and engulfed in fear. Fear of… and then my friend Kim Jones (ex-wife), my very good friend now, it’s like, why don’t you give your dreams a chance?

“You don’t need this big house. You have everything that you need. You’re in your prime and everything.

“And I was like... Let’s go. That’s what we did; we started learning to produce everything together. I’m the happiest. It’s like my mission in life, ‘yung sinabi ko dun sa team ko. My mission in life is to be the happiest actor I can be. Easy, right? But how? Every time I do film pitching, that’s my goal as a company. How do you do that? By working with my friend, working on my own concept, working on my own time, and working on the things I want to do. And I want to work with the best. So I worked a lot of years trying to find the answer. Where can I find happiness in my job?

“And getting to know myself was the key. And saying yes to my dream was the key. No matter how hard it was,” mahabang paglalahad pa ng actor na naging effective talaga sa Lavender Fields bilang si Tyrone.

Masaya na siya sa kasalukuyan pero andun pa rin aniya ang mga pagsubok. “Challenges was always there. Paano natin gagawin ‘toh. But I have a great team behind me.”

In fact noong New Year, nakasama niya ang pamilya ni Janine. “I was with my family... You know my family is very dysfunctional; hiwa-hiwalay kami. I have to go there; I have to go there.

“But fun also. I was with Janine’s family. They invited me over. So happy, so happy, little family things, nice to have that feeling of family. Different dynamic.”

At naramdaman niya ang pagmamahal ng pamilya ng actress. “They’re very sweet; they’re very loving and kind and tender and closed. Imperfect, just like tayong lahat, but perfect. So ayun, in a way, there’s love and acceptance and a family of artists also, mixed people in the industry. But I love her siblings. And her parents also.”

Pero in-expect niya ba ang happiness na toh, in terms of love?

“You have to make yourself happy. Kailangan.”

At isa raw ang relasyon niya sa actress sa best gifts of 2024. “I don’t force that, you know, love takes on many different forms, and  I wasn’t expecting naman na Janine and I would meet and start dating and would come to a good place, so parang it’s very light. It’s always been light, that I would not expect things to be... so light and easy, just breezy,  parang ganun, so it’s a nice gift; I appreciate it. One of the best gifts last year.”

At maraming happy na very vocal si Echo sa relasyon kay Janine na parang first time sa actress.

“Nakilala ko muna siya as an artist muna. She’s very dedicated and committed to her job. I guess because she came from a line of professional actors—not just professionals, but legends in the industry, she got that discipline, and she started late, ‘di ba but wow her professionalism is so infectious that. It was a good start for me kasi kakabalik ko lang (sa teleserye) and I see how... she’s on fire; she’s, you know... talagang  aararuhin niya lahat ng roles na darating sa kanya so I love that about her.

“I love her personality... her as a person, she’s very loving ate, loves herself, she loves her craft, we share a lot of things about the craft and films and anything that we can digest in terms of not just content but films, TV and shows whatever. So yah, my artist’ loves her , that’s great. As a person, we really get along, things are so light, we’re like a team. She’s fun not just on the set but off screen.”

Janine, sumumpang hindi na uulit sa pagko-kontrabida; nagagaanan sa relasyon nila ni Echo!

Hindi na uulit magkontrabida si Janine Guitierrez lalo na kung kasing intense ng ginampanan niyang role sa Lavender Fields. Ito ay kahit na pulos papuri naman ang natanggap niya habang nakikipagbugbugan din kay Jodi Sta. Maria.

“Ayoko na.. Ang sakit-sakit talaga po sa ulo. Parang umaakyat lahat ng galit sa ulo ko pag umuuwi ako.”

Kaya naman nagpapasalamat siya sa mga pumupuri sa kanyang naging performance.

“Sobrang na-appreciate ko talaga pag may nagsasabing ang ganda niyang kontrabida na sa mga unang araw (ng shooting namin) ay napapagalitan pa ako.”

Nahirapan din daw siya dahil hindi niya nagamit ang ‘galit’ sa mga taong nanakit (ng puso) dahil lungkot pala ang lumalabas sa kanya pag ginagawang motivation ang mga ‘nanakit’ sa kanya.

Meron pa raw siyang eksena na umabot sa three takes.

Pero hindi naman kita sa mukha niyang malala ang pi­nagdaanan ng kanyang character.

Kita ang saya ni Janine na proud boyfriend si Echo na naging mister niya sa Lavender Fields.

“Happy kasi parang ever since takot akong magsalita... (about her relationship). Pero ahh ngayon parang magaan lang lahat, masaya rin na mag-share ng pictures and everything and share ng happiness.”

Masaya rin siya sa pagiging supportive nito na nag-umpisa lang daw na gusto nilang gumanap na convincing sa kanilang character sa LF bilang mag-asawa. “Unexpected naman ang nangyari sa aming dalawa  eh parang nung una gusto lang naman naming maging convincing kami na dating mag-asawa sa palabas na talagang  pinag-uusapan namin ang mga eksena kung paano pagagandahin  so masaya na parang ok siya as a person at katrabaho.”

At ang mga gusto niya sa actor?

“Siguro sobrang mapagmahal siya ng tao sa set, super maalaga siya, palagi niyang iniisip ‘yung crew, ganyan  ‘yung ibang cast, mga katrabaho, si tito Edu (Manano) laging niyang chini-check kung ok sa standby area, sa lahat  nung makasalubong siya, parang ang liwanag lang niya sa lahat, sobrang bait.”