Piolo Pascual said he’s no stranger to the fact that no one’s indispensable in showbiz.
Talking about the possibility of losing his stardom, he said, “To me, the mere fact that I am still in the business for 20 years, I am just really grateful for the chance given me.
“That makes me humble.
“Any moment, one day, you'll just wake up wala na lahat 'yan.
“I’m just really taking advantage of this time and the kind of opportunity the Lord is giving me.”
At 41, he explained that it’s not so much about maintaining his footing with fellow actors but making sure that he has a good run for the rest of his career.
“Ang mantra ko sa buhay kasi, you don’t compete with anyone. You don’t compare yourself with another person para hindi ka masasaktan.
“Pero umabot na ako sa punto na you don’t actually compete with yourself or race against yourself.
“But you race against time. Time is all I have right now.
"I’ll make sure na gagamitin ko nang maayos yung time na binigay sa akin.”
Piolo gave this statement in an interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) and other entertainment reporters at the media launch of Since I Found You, held at the 14th floor of ELJ Building in Quezon City last April 11.
Before headlining his ongoing prime time series Since I Found You, Piolo’s last full-length series was Hawak Kamay in 2014.
Did his lack of visibility on ABS-CBN’s prime time TV for the last four years worry him?
Piolo answered, “Visibility is one thing, pero yung offering something new para mas ma-excite yung audience mo, yun dapat ang focus mo.
“Hindi yung pag nawala ka na sa radar, wala ka na.
“Naniniwala naman ako, lahat naman tayo may purpose kung bakit tayo nandito.
"Yun ang pinanghahawakan ko."
HE ALMOST QUIT SHOWBIZ. Piolo once considered quitting showbiz, saying that he already made plans to settle in the U.S.
But he admittedly changed his mind when his movie Starting Over Again opposite Toni Gonzaga turned out to be a box-office success.
At a presscon dated March 4, 2014, Piolo said, "I was seriously considering quitting this year, pero when the movie became a big hit, I said the joke is on me.
"I guess, hindi pa po time para umalis ako sa showbiz."
It was after that movie that he did the teleserye Hawak Kamay.
Then in the four years that he didn’t have any projects on prime time TV, Piolo continued to be a mainstay in the Kapamilya Sunday musical-variety show ASAP.
He did several movies including The Breakup Playlist (2015), Silong (2015), Love Me Tomorrow (2016), Northern Lights: A Journey To Love (2017), and Last Night (2017).
PIOLO, THE PRODUCER. Last Year, Piolo took an active role in his co-owned film company Spring Films, which produced the surprise blockbuster film Kita Kita starring Alessandra de Rossi and Empoy Marquez.
According to Piolo, producing movies is what’s keeping him inspired these days.
“Hindi naman ito ang gusto ko. Gusto ko maging international star, pero hindi ko naman alam na magiging producer pala ako.
“Salamat na lang din kasi mas natututo ako. Mas natsa-challenge ako. It’s not something na sanay akong gawin.
“So, yung business deals na kasama yung pera na pinaghirapan ko, hindi biro yun. That makes me wanna work harder.”