For Jake Cuenca, a dream project is what you make of it
For many in showbiz, the dream is to land a lead role in a landmark production that earns both critical praise and mass appeal. But if there’s one thing Jake Cuenca has learned after more than 20 years in the game, it’s that the old adage—“There are no small roles, only small actors”—absolutely rings true.
Prominence and impact aren’t always the same thing, and that ever-elusive dream project may well be that seemingly menial offer right in front of you—it’s up to you to turn it into one.
“Rather than wishing for something bigger, I look at what I have and try my best to make it mine. Rather than wishing for dream projects, turn your current projects into your dream projects. You have to act on them,” he tells Lifestyle Inquirer.
A different satisfaction
While he was positioned as a traditional lead and matinee idol earlier in his career, Cuenca never shied away from smaller projects, nor did he turn his nose up at roles that others may consider beneath them.
Take the 2014 indie film “Mulat (Awaken)” for example. Planned for just a four-day shoot, the “multiverse-style” psychological thriller probably would have been overlooked by most. But Cuenca took the chance—and went on to win awards both locally and internationally.
“Even if you believe you deserve something more, focus on taking on as many projects as you can,” stresses the 38-year-old actor, whose performance in the film earned him the Best Actor award at the 2014 International Film Festival Manhattan in New York. This achievement, in turn, led to an Ani ng Dangal recognition from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
“The last thing on my mind while doing that film was winning an award in New York. Those types of projects won’t have as big a recall, but they’re artistically rewarding,” he says. “It’s a different kind of satisfaction.”
Igniting conversations
In a cutthroat industry, where you can get left behind if you so much as blink, it all boils down to consistent movement and building momentum. And sometimes, he says, what on the surface may look like two steps backward ultimately moves you forward.
True enough, “Awaken” became one of the catalysts for the eventual shift in his career trajectory. It helped establish a habit of taking on smaller, alternative projects that turned him into a go-to choice for intense, morally complex characters. From a heartthrob, Cuenca has now built a reputation as a character actor who disappears in every role he takes on.
And while many of these characters are villains or antiheroes—like his memorable turn as Eros in “The Iron Heart”—his performances lend them equal importance. Today, Cuenca appears on two ongoing primetime television series: “Batang Quiapo,” where he plays the quirky and flamboyant Mayor Miguelito Guerrero, and “What Lies Beneath,” where he shifts into the vengeful, predatory ex-convict, Edong Santiago.
The actor attacks both roles with equal rigor—turning what are technically supporting parts into performances that nonetheless ignite conversations around the shows.
Taping for both series overlapped at times, but you would never guess he was shuttling between two drastically different characters, altering his acting style and physical appearance. He increases his calorie intake and cranks up weight training for Miguelito, then seesaws to the other extreme—fasting and running 10 kilometers in a sauna suit—for Edong’s more sullen look.
Craft over image
Clearly, he’s now also at a point in his career where craft trumps image, and where “being polarizing is more important” than being agreeable. So let them think what they want about his drastic weight loss. And if you’re going to make fun of his teeth, know that it only fuels him to show them off even more.
“There’s no singular project that will give you everything you want or allow you to do everything you want to do. But if I can’t have it in one, then I will spread myself into different projects at the same time,” he says. “It’s fulfilling to see two versions of myself in one night. It’s tiring, but so much fun.”
This total submission—and almost workmanlike approach—is inspired by one of his idols, the late screen legend Eddie Garcia, whose no-nonsense professionalism is encapsulated by his mantra: “Your last job is your calling card for the next.”
“Your network can shower you with projects, but if you don’t give what’s expected of you, then you lose those,” Cuenca says. “By doing this, I hope I can inspire young actors to make the most of what they have, because that’s what my career has been all about.”
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