The turn of events in Paolo Contis’ career will likely have mystics intoning, “God moves in mysterious ways.”
Imagine, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has kept people from trooping to theatres, comes the actor’s previously released movies finally becoming hits.
This month, his starrers “Through Night and Day” and “Pangarap Kong Holdap,” both released in 2018, landed the charts on Netflix. The former even sat at number one for several days, with many people praising his performance and saying, “That’s really, really good---why did I only watch it now?”
Here is Bulletin Entertainment’s exclusive interview with the man of the hour:
How do you feel about being called the new 'Pinoy Netflix King?
“It sounds nice but I don’t want to let it get into my head. I’m just happy na napanood na yung movies ng maraming tao.”
Both movies did not do well at the box-office when these were first released. Now, everyone can’t stop talking about them. What happened?
“I think the fact na walang open na movie house ngayon and we're still on quarantine kaya it gave us an opportunity (to be discovered). Buti na lang nagustuhan ng tao kaya nag-trend. I hope because of this, people would consider watching more Pinoy films.”
Each of your roles in “Through Night And Day” and “Pangarap Kong Holdap” is so different from the other. Do you have a method or approach that makes you a versatile actor?
“I don’t. I keep it as raw as possible. I want people to relate with everything that I do. So most of my characters, nilalagayan ko ng pesonality na malapit sa akin.”
Do you think having popular movies on Netflix will lead to better opportunities for you on TV?
“I hope so, but I’m already really happy with how GMA treats me.”
What other films of yours would you like to see on the streaming platform?
“‘Family History,’ ‘Banal’ and ‘Litsonero.’”
What movies/series on the platform have you watched?
“’Narcos,’ ‘Ozark,’ ‘Crash Landing On You.’”
Your achievement is a bright side for you especially given the times we’re in. Are you the type of person who opts to stay positive than dwell on negativity?
“Yes. We all should do that. Dwelling on the negative will do nothing good to us. There is always a brighter side. No matter how small it is.”
Updates on future projects?
“We are starting to tape new episodes of ‘Bubble Gang’ now so people should watch out for that. ‘All-Out Sundays’ is live again on TV.” (With report from Regina Mae Parungao)