How Rob Gomez caught the acting bug

Rob Gomez has the makings of a leading man or a versatile actor. His characters Joseph Chan in Mano Po Legacy: The Family Fortune on GMA 7 and Raf in A Girl + A Guy on Netfl ix would give one a glimpse into this young man’s showbiz future.

His entry into the entertainment world is not surprising since Rob belongs to the Ejercito- Estrada showbiz clan. He has proven again that acting runs in the family. Rob is among the new talents to watch out for that the local tinseltown has welcomed into its fold.

“First of all, I’m thankful for the genes and that’s a factor,” said Rob of him heeding the call to entertain people in a one-on-one with The Philippine STAR. “I’ve watched them (my family), all of them, they’ve been an inspiration (for me) to (pursue) this kind of dream right now.”

The 23-year-old bachelor is the son of former George Estregan, and former President Erap Estrada, and nephew of Gary Estrada. Rob is the spitting image of his uncle Gary.

He caught the showbiz bug back in high school but described his interest in it then as “small” and “it wasn’t clicking” for Rob was preoccupied by his love for a number of things.

“I was a football player, that was really my main focus,” recalled he. “I love sports, (goingto the) gym and working out. I love (playing) basketball and tennis, swimming, horse riding, everything under the sun I love.”

Rob had a taste of being in the limelight by appearing in the late-night variety talk show, Walang Tulugan, and acting in an episode for TV5’s Pidol’s Wonderland.

“My mom wasn’t very supportive at fi rst. (She) wasn’t pushing it,” said he, who got words of encouragement from people he would randomly meet like managers of his cousins, aunts and uncles. After testing the showbiz waters, Rob eventually concentrated on his studies. After all, opportunities to launch his career were few and far between. “The pandemic came, I wanted to try something new and I always wanted to improve myself and then, the opportunity came,” shared Rob, who enjoys watching the works of his family on the small and big screen and has given showbiz another try. His re-entry was via the Erik Matti fi lm, A Girl + A Guy, which explores the relationships and intimacy of today’s young people.

“I was really taken care of, everything was explained carefully,” said Rob of working on the movie set. “My mom was scared at fi rst. But I told her that I was gonna be extra careful, ‘You know the director, he’s very respected…’ I gave my yes (because) I wanted to do it. I had fun.”

Finally, the young actor was able to fi nd a stepping stone to jumpstart a showbiz career. He bared to all his talent. After that, Rob was also seen in Regal Studio Presents: Bro B4 Rose, with Jeric Gonzales and Kim Domingo.

“She always tries to criticize me in a good way, so I can improve. She’s very supportive,” answered Rob when asked about pieces of advice that mom Kate and uncle Gary have given him. “He’s really a good guy. I look up to him so much. He’s a great guy. (For instance, with my movie,) his comment was very technical, yung paglakad ko, pagtayo, pagsalita, pagtingin… Dapat mag-mukha kang leading man… kailangan maayos mong makita yung mga mcamera mo. Sobrang bait na tao, sobrang respetado siya ng mga tao, lahat ng nakasama niya. Sana maging ganun po ako one day (I wish to be like him one day).”

Weeknights, viewers get to see Rob’s talent as Joseph, the illegitimate eldest son in Mano Po Legacy: The Family Fortune. He holds his own in light and dramatic scenes with seasoned a tresses like Sunshine Cruz, Boots Anson-Roa and Barbie Forteza.

“For this role, I learned that you really have to talk to the director. Of course, it’s his eye on the screen, something I (also) learned from direk Erik,” said Rob. “Since I’m working with direk Ian (Loreños), it’s his perspective. He is very kind and very approachable.”

With that, the actor is comfortable asking the Mano Po Legacy: The Family Fortune director such questions as “How do I do this? How do you want it? How do you see it? If someone else suggests (something), I’ll try to input it somehow,” said Rob.

During this paper’s interview, Rob shared that they were in the second half of the show’s lock-in taping. This new normal way of putting a narrative together has allowed actors like him to be one with their characters. “Joseph and my character (Raf) in the movie are so diff erent,” refl ected he. “(After,) I want to do something in between, something above, something below naman, maybe an action fi lm, maybe something more interesting, anything actually. If they give me the best opportunities, I will try to give them the best results.” As far as the status of Joseph in the Chan family and business is concerned, Rob shared, “He has an arc. This is the good boy, right?

There are a lot of surprises, I wanna break hearts with my character… sana ma-in love sila with Joseph… hindi siya api. You’re always bad in someone else’s eyes and you’re good in someone else’s eyes.” Has he spilled the beans about an unexpected turn in his character’s personality? Well, it’s something viewers should look forward to in the forthcoming episodes.

For now, Rob will enjoy every bit of acting and is sold to the idea that it is “like the extension of my creativity,” shared he. “I think it is such an art. There’s so much craft in making, producing a serye or a movie… para kaming pelikula na nasa telebisyon.” The free-wheeling conversation with Rob was punctuated by him, giving his two cents’ worth on a career in acting. “It’s all about timing and God’s will,” said he. (Mano Po Legacy: The Family Fortune airs on GMA Telebabad.)