Apart from being an actor, Paulo Avelino is fascinated with other aspects of the business as he discovers that his passion for acting is actually his passion for storytelling and creating something “for other actors and creatives to study or refer to.”
“I actually do see myself working behind the camera as a director, maybe someday. It’s not an easy ballpark to play because it requires so much effort and time. But hopefully…someday,” the 34-year-old star told Manila Standard Entertainment in an exclusive interview.
Paulo toys with the idea that one day he would work behind the camera, but in the meantime, like a beautifully curated Instagram feed, he constantly works hard to embellish his filmography with unforgettable projects and colorful roles.
His ultimate goal? Disregarding earning a living, it’s the idea of giving something to give to the next generation.
“It’s been my dream for the Philippines to be on the world map, and be renowned across the globe for our work. I’m also optimistic when it comes to arts, I really hope for our people to be recognized,” he affirmed.
Though it seems that it’s the legacy that he wanted to leave behind, he bashfully dismisses the idea that his body of work is significant enough to make such an impact. At least not yet.
“I always like to leave something for the next generation because if this generation puts so much effort into making things work, then the next generation should do even better. I’d like to leave something for them to study or refer to, not just for people who want to be an actor but also for people who work in the industry,” he elucidated.
Paulo believes that every actor should treat every role as memorable, or give each assignment with equal commitment. And that’s how exactly he treats his new character in the local adaptation of Flower of Evil, which also stars Piolo Pascual and Lovi Poe.
Paulo’s casting announcement created a social media buzz, as netizens called the actor “the perfect choice” to portray the “real Jacob Del Rosario” – a mysterious individual that is currently in a coma inside a secret room in the home of his wealthy parents.
Paulo shared that he is grateful for the positive feedback, but admits that it was very challenging for him to give life to his complex character.
“I feel honored to do this project because it’s the first remake. I’m happy that they’re excited to see me do Jacob Del Rosario. But personally, I can’t say that I’m the perfect choice because I really had to study my role to make it work,” he said and added that he’s thrilled to portray a new character that is completely different from all of the other roles that he has portrayed throughout his career.
During our interview, Paulo admitted that there was a conscious effort not to watch the original version and he’s happy that he was given the chance not to base the portrayal of the character by-the-book all throughout. With that, he’s able to give the character a fresh new take.
“I loosely based it on the script and had a character workshop with Nonie Buencamino to finetune our characters. We were able to interpret our characters as Filipinos. I’m happy that they were not so strict, we were not required to mimic what the Korean actors did,” he shared.
Alluding to his dark character, Paulo trusts that despite being a baddy, people can still learn something from him.
“Jacob is really dark, he would not be accepted in society, and he would already be in prison had he been a real person. But you’d appreciate his love for his family, his constant longing. There’s always something lacking in our lives, we are always in the search for something in our life whatever it is,” he said.
“Huwag niyo siyang tutularan. But you could also put it in the perspective of mental awareness because if you see these tendencies early on it’s okay to act on them in a medical manner,” he went on.
Paulo had nothing but good words for the series and the people who work behind the scenes. He maintains that Filipino talents can compete globally if given the chance and the proper budget
“We would always want to come up with something we can call our own. Nowadays it’s also nice to work on different materials that are working and award-winning not just for jobs but also to give a creative tickle to our fellow creatives and writers. We are doing a great job,” he said of the team working in Flower of Evil.
“They’re amazing, they’re easy t get along with. They’re hardworking I wouldn’t say that it’s the most stressful show I’ve done but when you see the people working behind Flower of Evil, it also resonates not just with the actors because we have to work hard even more,” he concluded.
