Filming in Prague leaves Cedrick Juan thinking about what life could be like back home
Go travel abroad, they say. It will open your eyes, they say. You will realize we deserve more, they say. And then you see what they mean. When you take a train in Japan, and it arrives when it says it will, or dine out in Vietnam and pay less for better meals, you go home wondering if you have been shortchanged all along.
With more Filipinos traveling abroad than before, this sentiment—a mix of amazement and frustration—has become all too common on social media. Even celebrities like Cedrick Juan can’t help but ask similar questions.
Where their taxes go
When he flew to the Czech Republic to shoot for TV5’s new primetime television series, “A Secret in Prague,” one of the first things that struck him was the city’s open spaces and its safe, well-developed sidewalk infrastructure—as if encouraging people to get around on foot as much as possible. And it’s often then that the city reveals its true wonder.
One of the most memorable places was Letná Park, a hilltop park with sprawling green spaces and tree-lined paths, where the production team shot some scenes. “It was beautiful during the daytime. People were just visiting and walking around. There are more parks than malls. I wish this were the situation back home,” he tells Lifestyle Inquirer.
If you must travel longer distances, the city’s public transport—with its comprehensive network of trains, trams, and buses—is among the most robust in Europe. “Our production team remarked on how super efficient the system is. It connects you to places you need to be,” says Juan, who believes that the absence of any social stigma around using public transportation is a sign of a progressive nation.
“Hindi nahihiya ang mga tao kahit ano ang estado nila sa buhay. Hindi pinaparamdam sa ‘yo na nakakababa ng pagkatao,” he adds. “Kahit ‘yong may mga pera may options sila—and they will choose—to use public transportation.”
And when talking to Filipinos in Prague, he realizes that systems that support daily life don’t stop at transportation. For instance, he learned that parents of newborns can take parental leave for up to three years—all while enjoying job protection and financial support through the state’s parental allowance system.
“You can see the care and thought that went into it,” he says. Simply put, “you see where their taxes go.”
Undercover agent
But for all of the city’s beauty and convenience, it wasn’t without its challenges. “A Secret in Prague” was shot in January in the dead of winter. It was Juan’s first time experiencing snow, and the novelty wore off as soon as the cameras started rolling. True to form, he came on set with his lines already down pat—but the -10°C weather had other ideas.
“I had four heat patches on me!” says Juan, who plays Agent Sianong, an undercover operative of a government agency for global operations tasked with taking down a notorious syndicate. To carry out the mission, his team recruits Mikoy (Enrique Gil), a Filipino migrant in Prague, to spy on Chiara (Andrea Brillantes), the daughter of the target mafia boss.
“Hindi ako makapag-lines kasi nanginginig ako. Even if you know what you have to do, it’s hard when you’re under such conditions,” adds Juan, the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival Best Actor winner for “GomBurZa.”
It’s in moments like this, however, that his theater discipline comes in handy. Performing onstage has helped him become more in tune with his body—what it can do, what it can’t, and how far he can push it. That’s why, despite the cold, he was able to eventually deliver his lines and power through the required action scenes.
“You have to know your body and train it to avoid injuries and build longevity,” says the 35-year-old actor, whose theater credits include plays such as “Mula sa Buwan” and “Bilanggo ng Pag-ibig.” “At the end of the day, for actors like me, the body is our medium.”
His number one role
While the series—produced by MQuest Ventures and Slingshot Studios—promises to be an entertaining mix of comedy, action, and family drama, it also touches on pertinent issues that beset the government today, such as illegal drugs and corruption. As an actor, Juan says social relevance definitely figures into his choice of projects.
“‘Yan talaga ang number one role namin—to depict stories that can inspire and hopefully spark change. We’re storytellers of realities we have to face,” he says.
After surviving five filming days—and 10 days in total—in Prague, Juan returned home to the Philippines and did just that. While traveling has shown him what our country is missing, it hasn’t made him so cynical as to resign to the idea that what we have now is all we can ever have.
Inspired by the series’ message of love for the country, Juan remains optimistic, but not without the reminder that we also have to do our part—by “voting for the right people and espousing change in the smallest of everyday actions.”
“Loving our country may seem hard sometimes,” he says, “but no one else is going to love it but us.”
