Being part of the drama series "Monarch," is a huge thing for Iñigo Pascual.

Apparently, it's a vindication of sorts, having heard so many disparaging comments from the start of his career.

Among most hurtful?

That he will never be as successful as his dad, Piolo Pascual.

He admitted the comment remained with him all these years.

"Moving into the Philippines, all of a sudden I'm Piolo's son. I have to be this actor that I had no training for whatsoever - I lived a normal childhood in America - I feel like all my life I've always had to be challenged with that. Like, paano ko ba mailulugar yung sarili ko sa posisyon ko," he said.

"A lot of time people don't understand that I have to live with that all my life. Na parang akala nila expected na porket anak ka nila Piolo, expect na kailangan alam mo na dapat yung kailangan mong gawin."

Though it's been tough, Iñigo simply looked at it as a challenge.

Thankfully, Piolo has always been there for him.

In fact, his dad was among people who constantly encouraged him to just go for it.

He remembers how the latter would often tell him: "What's there to lose?"

"He always made me feel like 'Why would you limit yourself? Like, 'Your dream is my dream! Your achievements are my achievements!' And he never made me feel as if I was never good enough to be his son. To me, that's more than enough."

So to be able to do something as big as "Monarch," which also counts big Hollywood stars such as Susan Sarandon and Anna Friel as cast members, is a proud moment for Iñigo.

He actually auditioned late.

According to Iñigo, he was hesitant to try his luck.

He reconsidered realizing how it could help expand his horizon.

In "Monarch," Iñigo plays the role of Ace Grayson, a young man from the Philippines.

"That, in itself, means a lot to me," he said about his character. "I'm proud of representing the Philippines."

"It feels good to be able to represent where you come from. We're living in times wherein because of technology, in a way the pandemic, it's more open globally to represent," he said, relating artists are no longer "limited base on whatever background."

"This project will not only bring success to me but also will open doors for more artists in the Philippines to be able to crossover," he said. "To be able to share what we have in the Philippines, to the world stage. It makes me feel proud to be able to carry the flag for our country."

He described watching the show with his family as "surreal."

He explained, "Dahil siyempre nakita nila kung paano ako nagsimula. You know, from doing school plays and all that."

He added, "It was nice to feel the support from my family; to see that they're from the start. Noong nagsisimula pa lang ako up to now na nasa national TV na ako. It feels good. Lahat parang dream come true, siyempre. And I never thought that I would come to this point, to be able to do a project like this."

Filipinos could watch "Monarch" via ABS-CBN soon.