THEATER, which gave birth to one Cedrick Juan, is a “different monster.”
It is an arena, he said, where actors dissect for a month or two the motivations of a character with inputs from their fellows, writers and directors. Emotions become more raw and lines are delivered more passionately as the performance is executed over and over again.
Films and television shows, however, undergo preparations in the blink of an eye, he stressed. Scripts are given to actors on the day of the shooting, hindering them from researching extensively about the character.
Such a brief amount of time will not normally work for Juan, who wants to meet the character like a friend and know the circumstances behind his actions.
“Ako, as an actor, hindi ako talaga ‘yong nagme-memorize agad,” he told the Varsitarian in an interview. “Mas gusto kong basahin muna siya nang maraming beses para mas maintindihan ko ‘yong context and mga subtext ng mga lines.”
Lucky for him, in helming last year’s Christmas offering “Gomburza,” Juan was given one-and-a-half months to scrutinize the intricate background of Fr. Jose Burgos, a Thomasian cleric who espoused nationalist views only to be garroted alongside Fr. Jacinto Zamora and Fr. Mariano Gomez after being accused of hatching the 1872 Cavite Mutiny. He received language training from three coaches and read books about martyred priests to better understand the Philippines under Spanish rule.
Entertainment critics widely received his performance. Butch Francisco, for instance, wrote in his online column in December 2023 that “Juan’s delivery of the Castilian lines makes him sound like he truly is Spanish-speaking” because of the intense behind-the-scenes preparations.
“He is the one actor there who prepared the hardest,” the veteran critic wrote. “His reward? The much coveted best actor prize in the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). It will definitely change the course of his career.”
Juan’s years-long experience at the theater provided him the training ground to sharpen his acting chops.
“Mas gusto ko talaga theater kasi […] food for the soul,” he said. “You’ll get to ground yourself from time to time and ‘yong community niya kasi mas inclusive, mas collaborative na sana, sana mangyari din sa film and TV.”
Juan, a product of Far Eastern University, was dragged into the university’s theater group Art Theater Clinic in the early 2010s by Joey Ting, his professor in theater theories.
After graduating with a degree in mass communication, Juan enrolled in summer theater workshops at Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (Dulaang UP), where he immersed himself in every aspect of theater production, from creating props to taking on lead roles.
“Pumasok ako doon na back to scratch,” he said. “Open-minded talaga na matutunan lahat, so I’ll get to experience sa props department, refreshment, even costume, set, ganyan.”
“Hindi ko talaga inisip na profit […] kasi parang first sweldo ko pa ata sa Dulaang UP was 400 pesos per show. Tapos wala kaming rehearsal fee so wala ka talagang kikitain; tapos two months pa ‘yong rehearsal so wala ka talagang kikitain. Pero mas ang inisip ko kasi talaga doon ‘yong lahat ng matututunan ko, ‘yong mga taong makakasama ko, ‘yong camaraderie, ‘yong community; ‘yon talaga ‘yong pinakagusto ko.”
Though his name was stuck in the middle of a long list of cast members, Juan got to act in innovative plays adapted from classic stories, including “Bilanggo ng Pag-ibig,” a modern take on French novelist Jean Genet’s “Un Captif Amoureux (Prisoner of Love),” and “Hakbang sa Hakbang,” the Filipino version of William Shakespeare’s comedy “Measure for Measure.”
“Bilanggo ng Pag-ibig” was indelible for Juan because he learned a tenet of acting when he felt nervous doing an onstage kiss with fellow theater actor JC Santos.
“Ang sabi ko [sa kaniya], ‘Pa’no natin gagawin ‘yan?’ kasi hindi ko pa naman siya nagagawa,” he said. “Sabi niya, ‘Wala lang, gagawin mo lang.’ So ginawa na namin and then sabi ko, ‘Okay.’”
“Doon ko mas naintindihan na dahil naging experimental na siya, walang gender. Part din ito ng pagiging artist: ‘yong pagiging fluid mo, ‘yong pagiging vulnerable mo.”
Theater, CEDRICK JUAN said, trained him to be diligent and persistent for every role, no matter the size.
Juan left UP Dulaan in 2016 to rejoin Ting’s newly formed group Art Theatre Manila, which aims to depict Asian tales for Filipino theatergoers.
The young actor headlined the group’s inaugural production, “Sakuntala: Ang Singsing ng Kapalaran,” in which he played King Dusyanta, who fell in love with a daughter of an unknown deity amid a post-apocalyptic world where no one except them was alive.
King Dusyanta gave Juan his first Aliw Award – the Tonys of the Philippines – for best actor for a non-musical and a real taste of how the theater world operates.
“Mahirap mag-arc sa theater kasi kailangan […] from the first to last siyang aralin even though you’re not part of every scene,” he said, adding, “Kasi ‘yong emotional character arc and ‘yong arc ng mismong dula, kailangan naintindihan mo.”
After “Sakuntala,” Juan took a break from theater for five years, focusing on his filmography before returning to the live stage in 2022 for the musical “Mula sa Buwan.”
Only as good as the last
Juan’s five-year break turned out to be a wise move because the pandemic has halted theater productions for about two years.
During his theater hiatus, the young actor appeared in independent and adult films, including “Gitarista,” a political dystopia that follows a guitarist on a quest for rebellion, and “Two and One,” a feature film on the streaming service Vivamax about a gay couple’s search for a third man to complete their love, only to be rocked by jealousy and deception.
Then came “Gomburza,” which he saw as an opportunity to reinvigorate the historical genre by immortalizing a figure bound by, in his words, 90 percent of factual considerations.
“[D]ahil lumaki ako sa theater, iniisip mo [na] mabigyan mo ng justice ‘yong movie,” Juan stressed. “Ang iniisip ko, kahit hindi ako maging magaling dito basta magawa ko siya ng tama kasi nga historical film siya eh. Ayokong gumawa ng mga bagay-bagay na hindi namin na-fact-check.”
Theater, he said, trained him to be diligent and persistent for every role, no matter the size.
“‘Pag talagang theater actor ka, you’re not really thinking about fame and the awards na makukuha mo sa mga gagawin mo kasi meron kami talagang rule of thumb […] na ‘you’re only as good as your last performance,’” Juan said. “And there’s no small roles, only small actors.”
“Kahit ano pagawa mo sa amin, bibigay namin 101 percent ng kaya namin […] Basta ibigay namin ‘yong truth na nakikita namin sa character, sa script. Alam namin na gagawin namin siya not just because of money but because of telling stories and your presentation and truth.”
In his post-MMFF career, in which he earned nominations at the Filipino Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) and Gawad Urian Awards and signed an exclusive contract with business tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan’s newest talent agency, Juan has applied a “you’re only as good as your last performance”-mantra he developed during his theater days.
“‘Yong award kasi, somehow, may negative connotation siya na parang pag naging award-winning actor ka, lahat ng gagawin mo, kailangan magaling ka na,” he said. “Doon ang may pressure. Pero ayoko siyang ilagay sa isip ko kasi nga, as an artist, normal sa atin mag-fail eh. So, ang makukuha mo doon ‘yong mga learning from all the failures and gagamitin mo siya to be fully equipped pa sa mga next na gagawin.” With reports from Ralent M. Penilla
