A chinito cutie

Chinito cuties are all the rage these days, and up-and-coming actor-model PJ Go is aiming to join the ranks of Filipino-Chinese leading men on TV and in movies.

One of the actors who fits that mold is Richard Yap, whom PJ really admires. He believes that if he works as hard as the Be Careful with My Heart star, his career will eventually reach the same dizzying heights. “Si Sir Chief, hindi niya iniisip kung ano na yung age niya. Nag-work lang talaga siya and ginawa niya lang yung gusto niya and na-achieve niya yung mga pangarap niya,” he says.

Before he dreamed of being an actor, PJ was a model. He took a break from his Marketing studies at the University of the East (UE) to try and book jobs. He found success as a commercial model fairly quickly, landing TVCs for Century Tuna Hotdog, Fita, Kremil-S and McDonald’s. PJ has also graced the pages of fashion magazines and walked for major designers during Philippine Fashion Week.
PJ enjoyed modeling, but after two years, he began looking for a different, more personal way to express himself. He found it when he signed up for an acting workshop. Acting requires someone to be in touch with his personal pain and to use it as fuel to drive his performance; modeling does not. In fact, when you’re modeling, it’s the clothes that must shine — not the person wearing them.
“Modeling is more of a mannequin type of job,” PJ explains. “In acting naman, you need to be sensitive and emotionally attached to yourself. I enjoyed modeling for two years but when I started taking acting workshops, naramdaman ko na lang na gusto kong umarte.”

Soon after, PJ decided to pursue acting full-time. He landed a supporting role in the afternoon teleserye Moon of Desire, topbilled by Kapamilya actors JC de Vera, Ellen Adarna and Meg Imperial. PJ was cast as the boyfriend of one of the recurring characters — a relatively minor role — but he remains grateful for the opportunity. “First acting job ko yun so memorable sa akin yun kahit na I started taping at five in the morning and sometime before lunch na ako natapos. Pero okey lang kasi sobrang sulit nung work,” he enthuses.

He had so much fun on the Moon of Desire set that he’s eager for a chance to reprise his role — preferably in a different capacity. “Small role lang naman yun pero sana mabigyan ako ng regular role.”

But in the meantime, he’s still studying acting, staying fit and performing at PAGCOR with his fellow Backroom artists. At the moment, PJ has his sights set firmly on becoming a star but he also wants to branch out into business eventually because of his marketing background. “I want to have a regular job as an actor siyempre pero I also want to find a way kung saan magagamit ko rin yung pagiging marketing major ko.”

Simply put, he wants to do it all. “I want to excel in everything. My motto is, ‘Always strive and be hungry for more,’” he declares.