Playing the role of Steven Hermoso on the Dreamscape series "Pamilya Sagrado," Kapamilya actor River Joseph's acting journey was a rollercoaster of events.

During an intimate interview with River at Ralph’s Wines and Spirits in Makati City on August 7, the young actor opened up about being scammed from acting gigs before joining Star Magic.

"I received scams before I joined ABS-CBN dun marami. I'll get messages from people pretending to be this person telling me, 'Hey, we have a commercial for you. Can you send these certain pictures?" Doon pa lang medyo halata na," Rivers shared.

(Before I joined ABS-CBN, I used to receive a lot of scams. I would get messages from people pretending to be someone else, asking me to send certain pictures for a commercial. It was pretty obvious that it was a scam from that point.)

River mentioned that the scams were consistent, contacting him through his emails and social media accounts. He responded to one of the scams pretending to be a shoe company.

"There's this shoe company, that sent a message saying we'll send you shoes tapos they were asking anong size mo, tapos sasabihin nila can we see your feet. Ako naman, ok feet lang naman eh, then nagsend ako, tapos mga two months na yung nakakalipas wala pa akong narereceive na sapatos. So, dun ko narealize ay na-scam ito," the young actor shared.

(A shoe company contacted me, offering to send me shoes. They asked for my shoe size and requested to see photos of my feet. I sent them the photos, but it's been two months and I still haven't received the shoes. I now realize it was a scam.)

(Although it was an unavoidable experience, River admitted that he had never sent anything explicit to strangers online. He was also thankful to his management for helping him avoid getting involved in this kind of situation.)

"It's a blessing that I'm part of a management that takes care of me. They are the ones who screened everything to make sure na totoo itong proposal and it seems to be legit naman. So, I'm very blessed to have them," River said.

(I'm grateful to be part of a management team that looks out for my best interests. They thoroughly screened everything to ensure that this proposal is genuine and it appears to be legitimate. I feel very fortunate to have them on my side.)

Working with Piolo Pascual   

Starting his career as a model and transitioning into a full-time actor, River received a warm welcome on set and valuable tips from one of the main characters, Piolo Pascual.

"He (Piolo) also gave me tips. I think his general tip is to never stop learning, always be honest with your character, and always come prepared,” River said.

The actor mentioned it was surreal to work with Piolo and see how he operates on set.

"I grew up watching Piolo, so it was just nice to see na, wow, I can see this up close. And iba talaga. Just watching him, observing what he is on the set, preparing for the scene, and on the scene is something I’m very blessed to see," he added.

(I grew up watching Piolo, so it was really nice to see him up close. It's really different to watch him, observing how he prepares for the scene on set, and then seeing him act. I feel very blessed to witness all of this.)

Becoming Steven Hermoso on the series was a challenging task for River. During the interview, he mentioned that one of the difficulties in playing Steven was delivering his Tagalog lines.

"Nahirapan sa Tagalog, kasi lumaki ako na english yung first language, and yung mga kaibigan ko speaks in english din. So, ang biggest transition was speaking in Tagalog. But then, I'm still trying to work on it," he said.

(I had a hard time with Tagalog because I grew up with English as my first language, and my friends also speak in English. So, the biggest transition was speaking in Tagalog. But then, I'm still trying to work on it.)

Directed by Lawrence Fajardo, Andoy Ranay, and Rico Navarro, “Pamilya Sagrado” boasts of a powerhouse cast of industry veterans Shaina Magdayao, Mylene Dizon, Rosanna Roces, Aiko Melendez, Tirso Cruz III, John Arcilla, and Joel Torre.

The series is part of the weeknight “Primetime Bida” block of the Kapamilya Channel and is also available on The Filipino Channel. Episodes are also released 48 hours in advance on iWantTFC.