Nico Locco is on cloud nine right now, having won two international acting awards for his lead role in Manyak, produced by Vivamax.  

The Philippine-based Italian actor trained in America won Best Actor at the Sittannavasal International Film Festival in India and The Paradise Film Festival in Hungary for his role as Adam in "Manyak."

Gossip Girl: How does it feel to win back-to-back Best Actor awards?  

Nico: "It's an incredible feeling, of course. I think every actor dreams of being recognized for their efforts. Nakakataba talaga siya  ng puso.  But to add, when I do films, I don't do it to win awards, but I like to portray the character in its truest form."

Gossip Girl: Could you describe your journey to study and imbibe your character as Adam on 'Manyak' truly?

Nico: "I isolated myself in a resort for one month with my lead actress, Christine Bermas. At the same time, I would train with my acting coach, Neil Tolentino. I want to acknowledge him because I believe part of the award should go to him. Time was also the key. I put more effort into this because I got the script three months before the shoot. We get it for usual projects a month before or less. Nowadays, actors are just focused on memorizing the lines. As a foreign actor whose native language is Filipino,  I must say it's not only memorization but understanding what those lines mean and what the purpose of your character is."  

Gossip Girl: Could you share your experience working with Direk Carlo Alvarez?

Nico: "Sobrang husay ni Direk carlo alvarez because he is open to collaborating. He was instrumental in winning my first Best Actor award in 2019 for his film 'Sabado,' where he also won Best Director. Our partnership works well because he is the master of the material, and I already know the material since I put hours and hours and days and days of preparation into the character. Direk Carlo is open to collaborating when I would like to make out-of-the-box choices, riskier choices on my character that sometimes the director did not see initially, but the actor did. And since he gives me more leeway to explore my character, that’s how you create something beautiful."

Gossip Girl: That award you were saying was the 2019 Best Actor Award you won in the Gawad Sining Film Festival for the movie Sabado.  After winning three Best Actor awards in your career, how do these awards impact your journey as an actor?

Nico: "These awards open up more doors for me as an actor and will allow me to do more meaningful roles. They also serve as a motivational piece to keep going in my craft and believe in myself that I can do this and be somebody in this business."

Gossip Girl: Being one of the 'Kuyas' in Vivamax, what can you share with the younger actors in the business who also want to win acting awards just like you did?

Nico: "I hope these awards can also motivate others to take their craft seriously and read and analyze their scripts. I hope they inspire other actors to put in more time to hone their craft and take this job seriously."