By Maria Katrina Segui
Actor-musician Matt Lozano proves he is more than his weight as he bags his first major television role.
In a recent virtual conference, the multi-talented artist gushed about bagging the role of Robert “Big Bert” Armstrong in the highly-anticipated GMA series, Voltes V: Legacy.
“I was hesitant at first when I heard about the audition for Big Bert. Pero na-realize ko baka ito na pagkatataon na magamit ko katabaan ko kaya sinubukan ko. Thankfully, I got cast, ” he said.
The actor felt grateful for portraying Big Bert’s strong and serious character rather than a comical one — which is what most plus-sized actors are commonly limited to do.
Matt is currently absorbed in preparing for his stunts under the training of an arnis grandmaster to fully equip himself for the role once lock-in shoots begin for the upcoming action-packed series.
As an actor, he also wishes to improve his acting chops by taking on other challenging roles, specifically “very dark characters.”
However, before bagging his first TV role, Matt admitted that he veered away from the spotlight for four years after struggling with body image.
“I took a break from showbiz because I got depressed. No one would cast me because of my weight gain,” he said.
Matt got his spirits back when he focused on making music again and performing on gigs during his hiatus.
“I feel happy every time I perform because people don’t care about how I look, it’s my music that matters to them.”
After rekindling his love for music, Matt landed another career milestone as he released his self-penned single, “Kwarto,” under GMA Music.
Matt is also one of the faces for Bench’s latest campaign for “extended sizes” which celebrates every body of any size, alongside singer Jed Madela.
The GMA talent first gained recognition after winning Eat Bulaga’s singing competition “Spogify ft. Singing Baes” in 2016.