Jake Cuenca is no stranger to controversial roles, but his turn as the politician Miguelito Guerrero in “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” has pushed him into one of his most talked-about performances in his 23-year acting career.
Now four months into playing the duplicitous politico, Jake gave credit to the show’s lead actor (as Tanggol), director and creative director, Coco Martin. “I’m so grateful for direk Coco kasi parang kelangan niya ibigay itong mga sequences, you know what I mean?” he said during an intimate chat with select press, including The STAR.
“That’s also what I understand as an actor. As an actor, you can only do your best but the production, the show, they really have to give you the opportunity. Walang sawa akong nagte-thank you kay Coco, to everyone.”
After two decades in the business, Jake’s approach to roles has evolved. Sharing his process for shaping his latest kontrabida character, Jake said, “The best homework you can do is watch the show so I kept watching it.”
“Then I told Coco, before I entered the show, by the time we reveal who Miguelito really is, I’m gonna make Rigor and David (played by John Estrada and McCoy de Leon, respectively) look like patron saints.”
He further expressed, “It’s such a good time to do this role because back then, when I was younger… I’ve built a brand of being a kontrabida but it’s so much more fun to do it now, because there’s no ego anymore.
“I just want to do a good job. It’s so nice to experience these things now as a mature adult.”
Making impact
Making a mark in a long-running series is no small feat. “I really have to make an impact because it’s been running for two years now. Kinapitan mo na si Rigor, David, Tanggol… All of these names are household names already,” he said. “So the intention really was to go into the show and make an impact… Now, everywhere I go, people call me Miguelito, congressman or mayor.”
To set Miguelito apart from previous antagonist roles, Jake turned to physicality, “manufacturing” in particular his now-viral smile. “That creepy, fake, exaggerated smile… I had to come up with that. If you think about it, this (character) is so close to ‘Viral Scandal,’ so how do I make it different? I had to produce a smile that’s not my smile in real life or in a leading man role or charmer kind of guy. But it’s a weapon that I used and I’m not going to stop using it. It’s a device and tool that I discovered within the role.”
As expected, the role’s visibility came with judging eyes. “I take everything in, like the bashing, I understand even more so kung papaano gumagalaw yung industry… that’s the price you pay for being in the limelight,” he said. “The bashing motivates me. Kaya ganun ka-intense yung mga sequences. The praises I also take them — they inspire me.”
It’s just the nature of showbiz, he asserted. “That’s how showbiz works. I say that I love the nature of the beast. There was a time na walang tsismis and the industry was plateauing. At the same time, when you search-engine my name right now, it’s viral everywhere. Whether it’s the LSS (campaign jingle of Miguelito complete with dance steps), the veneers, the performance… I do appreciate being talked about.”
False content
However, clarifications have to be made. Among the issues he’s had to address because of his character is the speculation about cosmetic procedures and veneers. What may seem like petty remarks or nitpicking had gone too far especially with content being created and monetized around claims that aren’t even true to begin with.
“I can guarantee… my teeth are 100 percent my natural teeth, they really are. I’ve never worn braces in my life,” he said.
His pearly whites, he believes, are the result of giving up bad habits like smoking and drinking for several years now. “I can tell that quitting alcohol and smoking played a role. And whitening them every two years, and if you have a strong one, you will maintain it white. That’s my secret.”
He continued, “Actually, to be quite honest with you, I was thinking about this on the way here, sabi ko, I challenge any media outlet and the people who are making content about it — it’s so unfair because you’re making false content — to bring a licensed dentist and check my teeth. But if I’m right, sigurado I will take legal action at this point.
“For the people who are insisting that my teeth are veneers, I challenge them. Nag-message sa akin yung GAOC (dental sponsor), they even asked, did you have veneers? I said no. I told them it’s the same.”
He maintains that his look today is the same face fans saw from the start of his career. “I didn’t have any plastic surgery done. This is the same face you saw in ‘Click.’”
From his early days in “Click” to the present, it’s not hard to tell that Jake has only grown deeper in his love for the craft. It may not be cosmetic in nature, but he’s willing to go to great lengths for it.
His visible weight loss, for one, is for his prisoner role in the upcoming series, “What Lies Beneath.”
“I’ll never exchange acting for anything in the world. For me, I live and die by this. Whether something good or bad happens in my career, I’m an actor,” Jake stressed.
“I love to go through all the emotions of being an actor. The highs and the lows. I love experiencing being in a high-budgeted set like ‘Batang Quiapo,’ and come this October, I’m in a theater play. This is my life.
“And for me to understand all the nuances that come along with being an actor — the bashing, the praise and all that — I don’t get confused because there’s a purpose for all of it. I always love to prove myself.”