Manny Pacquiao has started training heavily once again in General Santos City, his hometown. Afterwards, he leaves for the US to continue his training at a gym located in Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. This is how determined the WBC International Superfeatherweight champion is to successfully defend his title against Oscar Larios on July 2 at the Araneta Coliseum, especially with the whole country rooting for him!
On the other hand, actor Jericho Rosales has trained like Manny Pacquiao and went into a diet to at least exact the fighting form of Pacman. This is for the boxer’s biopic under Star Cinema and FLT Films that is scheduled to open on June 21, a week before Manny Pacquiao’s title defense. Like the champ, there’s also pressure on Jericho to not let the Filipinos down in portraying the latest “Pinoy Hero” of the new millennium.
“This is my most challenging role ever. It’s also my first filmbio to do. I have to lose so much weight. I think I lost more than 10 lbs. already,” he shared during an intimate lunch with the press recently at ABS-CBN.
Compared with his “Panday” days (its second season’s already in the can), he has become leaner for his role in the much-anticipated film of the year.
“I took up boxing after ‘Panday’ because my main focus there was Wu Shu. I didn’t much have time to prepare. I trained with Pacquiao’s trainer, Buboy Hernandez. Pag wala siya yung mga boxers sa L&M Gym ang trainers ko,” he explained.
Part of his training was doing boxing drills, punches as well as sparring which all added to his weight lost. But getting down to a smaller frame of body was just the physical aspect of this biopic. As an actor, it was also required of him to copy as closely as possible the looks of Manny Pacquiao. Given their different size and height, it really posed as a big challenge for Jericho like straightening his hair, adding a mole and even putting Pacman’s tattoos.
“I intended to copy Manny Pacquiao as he really is but he told me we couldn’t do that because I don’t look like him and second, I’m much bigger than him. So we just captured the real essence of his life, what happened to his life,” explained Jericho.
During the movie’s pre-production, one of the main concerns of the film’s director Joel Lamangan was that Jericho was urbanized while Manny Pacquiao was provincial. Such would have an impact on the movie’s believability if Jericho’s debonaire wasn’t toned down to say the least.
“I told him that the main problem from the very beginning was that he was so urbane. So we did our best to make him more provincial and a simple man and he was able to do it,” said Joel Lamangan.
Jericho added, “I know that was his main concern…but I can say that I’m doing a good job from the rushes that I saw…yung pagkaprobinsyano niya ang tinutukan ko. He told me na wag akong matakot kung ano ang experience ko and kung paano ang experience ko and I know Joel Lamangan is a perfectionist,” he related.
They shunned the idea though of speaking with Manny Pacquiao’s provincial accent to avoid being ridiculed in the movie. How he speaks has also defined the character of Manny and so it has to be there so moviegoers would know he has an accent without the need to hear it according to Jericho. Bottomline, it was back to his provincial roots for Jericho in order to play Manny Pacquiao more realistically as ever.
With Manny Pacquiao’s busy schedule, Jericho regrets not having enough time with his “boxing idol” so he could emulate him well on the silver screen.
“Mabibilang ko sa kamay ko kung ilang beses kaming nagkita. The first time was in the press conference. I had an hour and a half with him so I took that time to study him. Our second meeting was in L&M Gym where he started training and then in ABS-CBN for our pictorial for the film,” confessed the actor who sounded a bit frustrated.
The biopic of Manny Pacquiao will focus on how and where he started, how he became a boxer to the present – his present status in society, his being tagged as a womanizer, his alleged other child from another woman and even his alleged gambling habits would all be touched in part in this film.
Jericho even pointed out that his tandem with actress Bea Alonzo would take a backseat because what’s being sold here is Manny Pacquiao’s life and not any “love team.”
“All I can say is whatever I read about him in my script that’s well I of him. Anyway this is a true-to-life story so I cannot add anything because I don’t know much about him,” lamented Jericho.
Becoming a boxing fan only because of Manny Pacquiao, he found out from other local boxers that Pacquiao is well–loved and admired by them. Jericho actually sees boxing as a dangerous sport especially as a means of living for the Filipino boxers.
“Manny Pacquiao is not only a good boxer but he is an inspiration to all of us. And this movie is very inspirational,” he opined.
But does the actor see any similarities between himself and the champ?
“Hindi sa pagbubuhat ng bangko pero mapagkumbaba, matulungin sa tao kaming dalawa. Nasimulan ko na sa pamilya ko, mga kaibigan ko, mga kabanda ko at mga ibang tao. Maunawain, maintindihin, pasensyoso at mapagmahal,” replied Jericho.
After Jericho Rosales’ Manny Pacquiao biopic, he will launch this June his debut album with his band Jeans. Containing most of his compositions, Jean’s album was launched in Malaysia earlier this year and has so
