In the decades that he’s been in the local entertainment scene, we have arguably seen his noteworthy performances on television, big screen, and even theater. And at present, John Arcilla is currently astounding us with his compelling portrayal of the wicked antagonist Carlos Fiero in the highly talked about Kapamilya primetime series Dirty Linen.

While he may be abhorred by some because of how effective he is in playing his kontrabida roles, but he’s actually a warm, gracious, and fun person off-the-set, as what we’ve seen in his appearance in the latest episode of Tatak Star Magic Celebrity Conversations uploaded on the official YouTube channel of Star Magic.

He was interviewed by Pinoy Big Brother Connect alumna and up-and-rising artist Gail Banawis, who expressed how nervous and privileged she was to be sitting in front of him and talking to him since she’s been his fan.

Their insightful conversation commenced with how John shifted from theater to showbiz. According to him, despite the fact that he loved theater so much, he eventually realized through two unforgettable woeful experiences that he had witnessed that the happiness and fulfillment brought by doing something he’s passionate about is not enough for him to satisfy his needs.

“Sabi ko, gusto ko ng sining, pero gusto ko ring mabuhay nang maayos. Before, para sa akin, okay na ‘yong masaya ako sa ginagawa ko. Para sa akin kasi, ang sining ng teatro, nililinang din niya ‘yong kulturang Pilipino, at the same time, natututo ka bilang isang tao kasi nadidiskubre mo ‘yong iba’t ibang bagay sa buhay, sa pamamagitan ng mga ginagawa ng mga actors. Nag-aaral ka ng tungkol sa iba’t ibang lugar, tungkol sa iba’t ibang era, so nae-enrich ‘yong pagkatao mo,” he stated, adding that it had also healed and humbled him.

He managed to do VTRs for various TV advertisements and hit the jackpot when he was hired to star in a number of commercials, including a bacon ad that immensely blew up due to his resonating line “coffee na lang, dear.”

This became his ticket to the entertainment industry as he started to receive invitations from various TV programs and movie projects. He had his mainstream big screen debut via the 1995 flick “Sa ‘Yo Lamang,” wherein he played the elder brother of Richard Gomez and which bestowed him his first-ever acting nomination from the Manila Film Festival for the Best Supporting Actor category. Seeing that his acting style and physical appearance work on film, he took advantage of it without setting aside the discipline he gained.

When asked which among the projects he did through the years he’s proudest of, John told Gail that there is actually none as he opts to look at each one fairly in order for him to maintain his interest in creating his characters and in getting involved to the process of developing a certain project.

He went on to impart his most significant and memorable gigs in theater, such the “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo” musicals, in which he portrayed Crisostomo Ibarra and Simon Ibarra, and got to work with Maestro Ryan Cayabyab, Regine Velasquez, Monique Wilson, Celeste Legaspi. He then took pride in playing his favorite national hero Jose Rizal in the “Rizal: Ilustrado” musical.

Aside from Rizal, he recalled also depicting Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Francisco Balagtas, Lapu-Lapu, Marcelo del Pilar, and modern-day hero Dr. Remberto Daniel “Bobby” Dela Paz in the other projects that he did. Little he did know that those were just preparing him for his biggest break – the 2015 historical flick “Heneral Luna,” which he topbilled as the titular character, General Antonio Luna.

It didn’t only create a huge and momentous impact to the film industry, but also to his career as an actor. He received 22 recognitions from various organizations and award-giving bodies for his enthralling performance, with the Best Actor Award from the 34th Film Academy of the Philippines as the most special for him.

John then heeded to Gail’s request for a sample by doing not only, but two of the top favorite scenes from the movie. He proceeded on enumerating the other remarkable big screen projects he did, such as “Kuwaresma” (2019), “Miracle In Cell No. 7” (2019), and “On The Job: The Missing 8” (2021), which bestowed him the Volpi Cup for Best Actor from the 78th Venice International Film Festival in 2021.

With regard to his transition from theater to film, it just happened naturally according to him and the people who witnessed it. Despite the differences, he’s still able to somehow bring with him some of the things he gained from doing theater for quite sometime and taking up mass communication in college. Aside from paving the way for him in the showbiz, ABS-CBN also provided him with a scholarship for scriptwriting under esteemed writer Ricky Lee, through which he learned a lot about acting for TV and big screen, too.

When asked for his ultimate career goal, he uttered, “I was born an actor, I would die an actor. You don’t stop learning from life. Habang tumatanda ka, nagbabago ‘yong karanasan mo at lahat ng karanasan mo sa bawat yugto ng iyong buhay, mayroon kang bagong nakukuha na lesson para mai-share mo sa audience. And then magco-connect ang mga lessons mo doon sa buhay ng tao sa mundo. So, habang nag-a-age ka, bago din ‘yong mga experiences, which means may mga bago kang resources as an actor na makaka-relate pa rin ‘yong audiences mo. Kaya sabi ko, it’s a nonstop thing. Hindi siya matatapos at hindi siya mauubos.”

He also expressed his eagerness to prove other nations that Philippines is not left behind when it comes to the art and talent. The progress of our country may not be rapid, but we have a rich culture and history for the world to not notice us and just let us stay in one corner. He wants the Fiilpinos to be recognized alongside other countries because he believes that despite not being technologically advanced yet, we can still share and contribute something to the world, with film being one of the most effective ways to do it.

Furthermore, he added that being an actor for him is not simply self-fulfillment, but a responsibility. It’s his leverage for him to be able to express himself as a human being.

For his advice to aspiring actors who carries the same vision and purpose as him, he stated, “Gawin mo lahat ng gusto mo. Explore and palawakin mo ‘yong pakpak mo. Huwag kang mag-explore lang sa isa. At mararanasan mo naman na may magsasabi sa sarili mo na hindi ako para rito.”

He continued, “Para kasi sa’kin calling din ‘yan e. Iba-iba ang ating purpose kung bakit tayo nag-aartista. Kung talagang gusto mo talagang maging artista, maging isang aktor, hindi ka naman talaga titigil e. Kasi kung hindi para sa’yo, hindi para sa’yo. Kung para sa’yo ‘yan, mabilis ‘yang darating. Kung hindi ‘yan para sa’yo, kahit dumating sa’yo mabilis ding mawawala.”

The Dirty Linen actor confessed that he actually stopped in 1996 after clinching a Best Actor award. Because of that victory, he figured in a number of issues, including being arrogant and asking for higher talent fee, which got some people disappointed. That robbed him of the genuine happiness and passion that he used to feel towards acting and made him ask God for a sign if this is really for him.

Just when he was about to give up, Director Laurenti Dyogi, who’s currently the Head of ABS-CBN TV Production and Star Magic, hired him for “Calvento Files,” an ABS-CBN crime and investigative documentary drama series that ran from 1995 to 1998. Direk Lauren commended him for his performance and told him that he actually didn’t believe the rumors about him and wanted to know it by himself.

Since then, he has considered the filmmaker-turned-executive as his “buhay na hero” because he was the only one who took the risk amid that controversy. That stint opened a lot of doors for him, to which he will be always grateful for.

And now that he’s part of Star Magic, John couldn’t help himself from getting emotional as he conveyed what it means for him to be “tatak Star Magic.” He conveyed, “Hindi ka lang artista kapag Star Magic ka, bahagi ka ng kasaysayan ng ating bansa.”

Even prior to becoming an artista, he already saw the genuine intention of ABS-CBN to encourage every Filipino to take part in nation-building. He also admires its battlecry “In the service of every Filipino People” because it’s highly important for him, as well as how down-to-earth the members of the ever-growing Star Magic family are.

The insightful and hearty interview concluded with Gail sharing her takeaways from their conversation, saying, “What I’m getting from this is that, ‘yong mga talents ng Star Magic o [ABS-CBN] are people that really care about the Filipino people. Not just about the craft, but ‘yong craft nagiging parang avenue in order to help the Filipinos themselves.”

She continued, “Thank you kasi bilang bagong parte ng Star Magic family, I really learned so much from you. And it also makes me want to do more acting. What I enjoy about acting is that we get to become other people and understand the world more and in turn understand ourselves even more.”