Juancho’s long wait is paying off

MANILA, Philippines – While most of his contemporaries were tapped to play lead roles right after their stint on GMA 7’s youth-oriented show Teen Gen in 2012, Juancho Triviño found contentment in portraying supporting characters during the early part of his acting career. All he wanted then was to hone his acting talent first before getting to enjoy a bigger share of the spotlight. 

“I was not in a hurry to play a lead (role) even if there were some people who kept on telling me, ‘O, sana ganito ka na dapat’ while others were broaching the idea of me transferring to other networks,” says Juancho. “But I knew in my heart then that I was not yet ready for something big. (Before) whenever I saw Elmo (Magalona) or Mikael (Daez), I would ask myself if I could do what they were doing as leading men. So, I did plan on improving myself like I attended acting workshops and, physically, nag-palaki ako ng katawan to look better.”

True enough, his hard work has yielded positive results. After landing an important role as one of the two affectionate brothers of the title character in the recently-concluded primetime soap Little Nanay, Juancho now has his hands full with work. He is a mainstay in Bubble Gang, a segment host in Unang Hirit and the leading man of Louise delos Reyes in the afternoon soap Magkaibang Mundo. “Andaming assignments, konti ang tulog (laughs).”

But Juancho is not complaining. He has learned to adjust to showbiz life in just a short period of time “because this is really what I wanted to do. I know I’m now ready for anything and I hope to do more projects in the future.”

The Kapuso actor said that it was rewarding to see his face on the Magkaibang Mundo billboard along EDSA. He expressed his appreciation through a Facebook post: “Got loads of work ahead of me, to prove to myself, not to other people, that I deserve to be in this billboard. Strive, dream and pray more to get another one. Thank you, Lord for this. Hep, hep HAPPY!”

For those not in the know, Juancho is not a product of a talent or reality show. He was a commercial and ramp model before showbiz knocked on his door. He was 19 when his dad’s friend Maristel Fernandez, who co-manages his career with GMA Artist Center, asked him if he wanted to audition for GMA Artist Center. He did and a few months after, the Kapuso network signed him up as a talent with Teen Gen as his first acting project.

“I didn’t see myself (entering) in showbiz but I didn’t also hesitate to give it a try. Dati kasi, hilig ko lang basketball and I just wanted to finish college and have a job. Perhaps, my being an attention-seeker led me to this path. Whenever I see people admire what I do, it fuels my passion (for the craft). I’m thankful for what I am enjoying now.”

Juancho, however, never denies that he needs more practice when it comes to tackling emotional scenes. “It’s tough for me to cry but other than that, everything is fine with me.”

His mom Patricia is his No. 1 critic. “She’s my fan and at the same time my ‘heckler.’ ‘Pag meron s’yang napanuod na di okey sa akin, mag-se-sermon na yan at ituturo n’ya yung dapat ko daw gawin (laughs).”

Asked how does he see himself five years from now, the 23-year-old actor says he hopes to be still busy with his acting career and finished with his schooling by that time. “Right now, I really cannot balance school and career that’s why I am thinking of taking up kahit pakonti-konting subjects lang until I would complete the requirements.”

Juancho was a Business Management student at La Salle when he decided to take a leave of absence. “Probably, I will continue (my studies) after Magkaibang Mundo. Iba pa rin kasi if you are a degree holder. I still have 30 units left. Maybe I will be able to graduate after a year and a half.”

He also has to temporarily quit as segment host Juancho Gwapito in Unang Hirit “because it’s really impossible for me to be on the location set at 1 a.m. which is mostly in the province kasi adventure yung theme ng segment. And our taping in Magkaibang Mundo normally ends at 5 or 6 a.m. so I have no choice. I will return (to the show) after the soap. Or I will accept whatever GMA is going to give me. We’ll see.”