The call to become an actor and portray a character that may either be close to who you truly are or far from it is not for everyone. It demands a skill to be able to fully convince an audience about the realism of your portrayal as well as a determined spirit to endure the harshness that comes with the entertainment industry.
With his latest acting stint as Steven Hermoso in the TV series Pamilya Sagrado showcasing his promising skills in the craft, one would think that River Joseph regarded acting as a dream that has long been brewing ever since he was a child. However, acting was something he never thought he would be doing.
During a lunch meeting with several members of the press, the actor shared how he ended up pursuing this career.
“I never expected to also be part of showbiz. My inclination before, when I was a kid, was always business,” said River.
He added that acting was never a part of his life until he started doing commercials. As he got to be a part of numerous productions, he began to enjoy what he was doing.
“It’s so fun to be part of the whole production. Seeing the whole project come to life, just being around the people, the set, the crew, and the cameraman. It’s nice when it’s a different project every time,” said River.
The actor shared that he was first discovered by his manager through his TikTok videos during the pandemic. While he was posting various videos on the platform, he received a message asking if he would like to audition for a RIZE artist video. He then went through with the entire audition process without any shortcuts.
When he first shared to his family and friends about his desire to act, they were initially surprised. While his father, who had wanted to be an actor when he was younger but was not allowed to do so, was supportive of it, his mother was skeptical about it at first before eventually becoming his number one supporter.
“She always wants to go to the set, wants to visit me but I feel like she just wants to see Piolo [Pascual],” River joked.
As he slowly took on more projects with his appearances on several TV shows such as He’s Into Her, The Iron Heart, Teen Clash, and Unbreak My Heart, he began to enjoy how acting allowed him to release emotions that he kept to himself.
“Acting is not therapy but it allows me to release certain emotions that I tend to hold [in]. Personally, I mean, off-screen I’m very shy. I’m not the type to talk a lot. But through acting, I can release those emotions. I feel like it’s a nice outlet to be doing,” said River.
Being a newbie in the industry, he is adamant about trying his best as he constantly looks for a way to improve his acting. He would often accept criticisms from his family as well as ask the director if what he did was good after one take since he was the type of person who would always need feedback from others.
River also shared how he was taking on a lot of workshops and trying out various techniques to help him portray his characters better. Having to work with big names in the industry such as Piolo Pascual, who plays the role of corrupt politician Governor Rafael Sagrado in the series, was also helpful in improving his acting skills since he would receive advice from them.
“Hearing words from him, just gives you more motivation and more hunger and more inspiration to be better,” said River.
With River gracing the TV screens every weeknight for Pamilya Sagrado, he shared that he is still looking forward to working with other actors in the industry such as Jericho Rosales, Sam Milby, Jodi Sta Maria, and Anne Curtis as well as playing roles in something relating to romcom in the future.
