Jak is hungry for more meaty roles

Entertaining audiences and fulfilling the director’s expectations are actors’ primary goals. Once the performance is delivered, most of them audition for another assignment and ace it. Others bask in the glory of a well-done job. Some, however, continue to aspire to become actors with remarkable and substantial projects.

This is the path Jak Roberto would like his career to tread on as he shared in a virtual media conference, in which girlfriend Barbie Forteza also graced for their guest appearances on GMA 7’s Heartful Café. After having done a myriad of boy-next-door and hunky roles, he is now hungry for the meaty ones.

“Ever since wala naman akong tanggi sa mga roles na binibigay sa akin (I’ve never said no to any roles that have been given to me),” recalled Jak. “Although having my ‘accidental abs’ became a steppingstone (to get work), I would like to be known for acting. I think it’s every actor’s wish to be given a break for an acting piece, na duon siya makikilala (It’s a work that people will associate with him).” For sure, Jak is aware that it requires luck and patience, aside from hard work and commitment to constantly give a sterling performance.

His assignments such as playing viral macho dancer Dante Gulapa, Dance King ng Quarantine DJ Loonyo and a gay fisherman (all for Magpakailanman) and the visual artist Roy (Tadhana) have showcased his acting mettle. With that, Jak seems to be on the right track and has proven that there’s more to him than meets the eye.

“Every time I’m given such kind of roles, I feel flattered because (I know) they (the people behind the show) trust me,” said Jak, who appreciates the fact that he is tapped for certain projects solely based on his acting merits and beyond his physical attributes. But the GMA Artist Center talent would still love to do a photo shoot and grace a magazine cover.

That’s why Jak enjoyed playing Jasper in Heartful Café, topbilled by Julie Anne San Jose and David Licauco as café owners and business partners Heart Fulgencio and Ace Nobleza, respectively. The dramatis persona is not caricature, in a way. He is charming but has a secret.

“I find the story interesting, and the character assigned to me is different from the ones I have played before,” shared he, “may pagka-conyo. He is a nursing student, who has fallen for Julie Anne’s (character, Heart). But there are plot twists along the way and (there’s a reason) why Heart cannot reciprocate his fondness. I’m usually typecast to play good guy roles.”

Airing on GMA Telebabad, Heartful Café will have Klea Pineda, Erin Ocampo and Jeric Gonzales as guest stars in the upcoming episodes.

Jak’s stint in the romantic drama series was his first time to be in a taping bubble for five days. Since he has already experienced the new-normal work set-up, Jak is off to the next one. He shared the good news that he is prepping up for a teleserye lock-in taping. But he kept mum on giving further details about his role and the TV series genre.

During the group interview, Jak also shared that he and Barbie love to watch movies of actors like Denzel Washington, Robert de Niro and Al Pacino. More than wrapping their head around the narratives, the couple also studies every actor’s approach to the role. This also reflects the good habit Jak has gained from attending acting workshops given by the network.

“There’s the Eric Morris system, which is more on being,” said Jak. “Nailalabas mo ‘yung method dun sa acting through the system. There’s a process and preparation before I get into the character. It’s challenging. You have to deliver (the character and his elements) naturally as if you’re not acting. It’s Barbie who encourages me to watch more of these movies. I prefer action movies. Since the roles given to us are diverse, it is important to watch more movies and explore (for me to have some grounding in my next acting projects). Now, everything like the compatibility workshop is done through Zoom. By watching movies, we are able to study the actors and figure out what was their preparation for the role.”

This creative collaboration between Jak and Barbie speaks of their healthy relationship. It brings out the best in them and keeps them on their toes.

“We wouldn’t reach this far if we had problems,” said he of their four years of togetherness and counting. “Honestly, sa buong four years na ‘yon, as in wala akong masabi talaga na may (mabigat na) problema o naging challenge sa amin or ti-nest kami sa isa’t-isa (I can’t think of a problem that has challenged us a couple or put our relationship to the test).”

Theirs is pandemic-proof because they never fail to communicate.

“We know each other’s daily routines like she knows when I play with my dogs and do my workout,” said Jak. “I know when she will watch Friends. We’re comfortable with each other. We feel like we’re friends, who happen to be lovers.”

Although his dad passed away when he was five years old, Jak has had enough father figures like the late star-maker, German “Kuya Germs” Moreno, among others, in his life. “Their advice is always about dapat wala kaming matapakan na tao, wala kaming maagrabyado na tao, na wala kang masagasaan na tao, yung pakiramdam and yung pagiging humble lang (In life, we should not step on someone else’s toes, we should play fair at work and we should remain humble).”

Jak has taken these pieces of advice to heart, which have served him well to improve his trade in acting.