Jericho Rosales: 'Quezon' renewed my love of country, history

MANILA, Philippines, October 9 ------ Playing the titular character of TBA Studios' "Quezon" has lit a fire in Jericho Rosales to care more deeply about the country. Manuel Quezon is Rosales' first film role in seven years, and the expected last entry in the "Bayaniverse" franchise will explore the character's rise in power from lawyer to president.

At a press conference for "Quezon" last October 7 at the historic Manila Hotel, Rosales was asked about what he discovered about himself in shooting the film, particularly about love of country. Rosales began by acknowledging the weight of the question and admitted to not initially being a fan of history. He used to think it was a "boring" subject where he would end up sleeping during classes. "Because of this film," Rosales said, "Parang nabuhay 'yung pagka-Pilipino ko."

The actor acknowledged that TJ Trinidad was initially attached to portray Quezon until the latter stepped away from acting. Jericho shared that TJ visited the set one time in a show of support.

Looking back at when director Jerrold Tarog asked him to play Quezon, Rosales — who was shooting "Lavender Fields" at the time — agreed without hesitation. Jericho recalled that the director advised him to read the script first before agreeing to play the historic role of one of the country's presidents. "I understand now how important history is, and the reason I fell asleep in class is because I didn't care about the country," Rosales continued.

The actor explained that love and care are what move a person, and stressed the importance of "Quezon," reminding everyone to take responsibility for learning our political history and the people we elected. Understanding what we love the most about the country through the lens of history is what will make Filipinos proud again, Rosales added. He compared the concept of corruption to a pimple — the byproduct of staying up, oil, and everything consumed — and asked that people rewatch the film's trailer numerous times because takeaways can be seen from there alone. "All the words that [Tarog] selected and cut have a meaning," Rosales went on. "Saan ba nanggagaling ito, bakit ba nakakalusot?"

Rosales stressed it is not one person's duty to solve corruption but rather of an entire nation, calling for transparency and a detailed plan because it is the people's taxes at stake. "We serve each other. How do we solve [corruption]? We all have the answers, not one man, not one person," Rosales ended.

Source: phlistar.com