“Pagtapos ng pelikulang ito time off muna kami sa pagkakaibigan,” he jokes.
Seriously, Jake is glad Joem happens to be his partner in the movie. They share the same burning passion for acting. Their friendship goes a long way back.
So Jake doesn’t feel nervous at all doing intimate scenes with Joem.
Jake doubts if he’ll feel just as comfortable emoting with an actor he’s less familiar with.
He’s not that self-assured when it comes to meeting director Joel Lamangan’s exacting standards, though. Asked if he’s expecting an acting nomination for the movie, Jake replies, “I want to pass Direk Joel’s standards first.”
Meeting his director’s expectations is number one on Jake’s priority list. In fact, he accepted the role as far back as 10 years ago, mainly because direk Joel is on top of it.
Total trust
“I trust Direk Joel trust 100 percent,” says Jake. He also wants moviegoers to him in a different light as an actor.
“Gusto ko lang maiba (ang role ko). And the only way to do that is to keep on accepting different roles.”
That role requires Jakes to play a gay man who tries – but fails – to repress his sexuality in the `70s.
“Mas conservative ang mga tao noon,” notes Jake. “Gusto niyang pigilan ang sarili. Pero nangibabaw ang kagustuhan niyang to move freely. Pag kasama mo ang taong mahal mo, lumalabas ng kusa ang feeling.”
Jake’s eagerness to return to work also stems from the fact that his recent two-week vacation in Spain (Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia to be exact) has re-energized him.
He revisited scenes from his childhood, rekindled ties with his cousins. Now, he’s excited to show people a different side to him – the total opposite of what they see in Bench fashion shows, where Jake’s rippling muscles send girls and gays
screaming at the top of their lungs.
In “Lihis,” Jake has decided to plunge head-on to an unknown place. He doesn’t know if people will accept him for it. All he knows is that it’s good for him an actor. And that’s all that matters to him – for now.
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