You may have seen the award-winning actor Roderick Paulate successfully portray gay roles in movies and television over the years. However, he revealed that he did not accept all the gay roles that were offered to him.

'Marami yun. Marami akong tinanggihan na gay roles. Kung tutuusin kailangan ko rin naman ng pera. Sana nag-oo na lang ako lahat dun. (That's a lot. I've turned down a lot of gay roles. After all, I need money too. I wish I had said yes to all of them)," said Roderick when asked if he had turned down gay roles, during a recent press conference for his upcoming movie 'Mudrasta' under CreaZion Studio held in Quezon City recently.

Roderick shared that for a time, he regretted saying no to them. He believes that while money has its place, true fulfillment comes from the meaningful choices we make in life.

"Sayang talaga yung talent fee. Makakatulong din yun sa marami. Pero kasi hindi kailangan na tatanggapin mo yun tapos sisirain mo lang yung pinaghirapan mong journey sa showbiz. Kung kaya mo pa naman magtiis, magtiis na lang muna. (I felt disappointed in not accepting the talent fee. It can also help many people. But you don't have to take it and then ruin your hard-earned journey in showbiz. If you can still endure it, endure it for now.)

"Hindi naman tayo pababayaan ng Diyos eh. Pero dahil lang sa project na yun, pipilitin mong gawin ang isang role kahit labag sa'yo," the actor said. "Puwede rin namang pikit mata na lang ang lahat dahil sa pera at tanggapin yung role. Kaso hindi dapat ganun. (God will never abandon us. But just because of that project, you will be forced to do a role even if it is against your will," the actor said. "You could just turn a blind eye to everything because of the money and accept the role. But that shouldn't be the case.)"

On dream roles and projects, Roderick said: "Naisip ko rin yan pero wala talaga akong naiisip na dream role. Tulad ng 'Mudrasta,' never ko naisip na maging 'Mudrasta' sa pelikula. Binato lang ito sa akin. Sa akin kung ano yung dumating at naramdaman mo, pwede mo ng ma-enhance yun. (I thought about that too, but I didn't have a dream role in mind. Like 'Mudrasta,' I never thought of being 'Mudrasta' in a movie. It was just thrown at me. To me, whatever comes and what you feel, you can enhance it.)"

On why he turned them down, Roderick answered, "Feeling ko wala akong mai-ko-contribute sa pelikula na yun kaya hindi ko na rin tinanggap. (I felt like I had nothing to contribute to that film, so I didn't accept it.)"

Roderick also said that when accepting comedy projects, he encouraged writers to come up with a good storyline before injecting humor into it.

"Sinasabi ko sa kanila, gawa muna kayo ng storya. Huwag yung mag-iisip muna kayo ng katatawanan pero wala naman palang storya. Para yung tao, pagkatapos nilang manood ng pelikula, hindi sila maiinis sa amin at sasabihin na wala namang katuturan ang pelikula namin. Natawa sila pero ano ang nangyari? Kaya kung sino man ang makaka-collab ko dapat magkakasundo kami sa script. (I tell them, first make a story. You think of a joke but you don't have a story. So that people, after they watch the movie, won't be annoyed with us and say that our movie doesn't make sense. They laughed but what happened? So whoever I collaborate with, we should agree on the script)," the actor explained.

Roderick, 65, said he couldn't think of any stars who could be the next big comedy star because everyone has their talent.

"Iba-iba kasi kami ng atake sa pelikula. So hindi ko masabi kung sino ang susunod sa yapak ko eh. Magkakaiba kami at hindi talaga pwedeng ikumpara ang bawa't isa. (We have different approaches to filmmaking. So I can't say who will follow in my footsteps. We are all different and we can't compare one another)," he added.

He also praised the comedy stars in local cinema, adding that it would be an honor to collaborate with any of them.

Carmi Martin, one of the stars of "Mudrasta" and a close friend of Roderick, admitted that she and the actor never had any romantic relationship.

"Ang friendship namin is more than sa pagiging mag-asawa. Sobrang respeto namin sa isa't isa. Madalas si Roderick ang namimimi ng isasama niya sa movies at salamat at isinama rin niya ako rito. (Our friendship is more than just being a couple. We have a lot of respect for each other. Roderick often chooses who he takes to the movies with, and thankfully, he also included me)," Carmi said.

Roderick made a strong impression with the reintroduction of his classic ‘patawa’ to the Mudrasta trailer launch at the media con. He was warmly embraced by the guests who graced the event.

Mudrasta, the upcoming CreaZion Studio release, brought together members of the press ahead of its nationwide release. The event was attended by the cast, led by Roderick Paulate, along with Tonton Gutierrez, Carmi Martin, Sunshine Teodoro, and Debbie Garcia.

During the media con, the chemistry of the cast was undeniable—especially between Roderick and Tonton, who had everyone laughing with their effortless back-and-forth. When asked how they approached building that dynamic for the film, both shared that it didn’t take much work at all.

“It just felt natural,” they said, crediting the script and their shared experience in comedy for making the rhythm between their characters easy to find. The rest of the cast echoed the same sentiment, making it clear that Mudrasta is as fun behind the scenes as it is on screen.

The press event also offered new insight into what might be Roderick's most entertaining role yet. “I'm very particular with the story at kung paano gagawin,” said Roderick when asked why he chose Mudrasta as his big-screen comeback.

“Maganda ang Mudrasta. I've never been a ‘Mudrasta,’ first ‘Mudrasta’ role ko ito at challenging na agad. I asked myself, ‘Paano ako magiging ‘Mudrasta?’” Tapos sabi ko pagkatapos n’on, kaya kong gawin, kaya gusto ko makita ‘yong script. Do'n na kami nagsimula ng proseso. Involved ako sa bawat sequence, at na-excite ako. Maraming factors, at sigurado ako hindi ako nagkamali na ito ‘yong napili ko para mag-comedy ulit. (How can I be a 'Mudrasta?'" Then I said, 'After that, I can do it, so I wanted to see the script. That's where we started the process. I was involved in every sequence, and I was excited. There were many factors, and I'm sure I didn't make a mistake in choosing to do comedy again.)"

Mudrasta follows the story of Victor “Beki” Labrador (Roderick), a flamboyant ex-lover who finds himself back in his former flame’s life after inheriting half of his estate and being forced to live with the family he left behind.

The trailer, now a viral hit, has racked up over 6.35M views across platforms and is currently #11 on the Top 30 Trailers in the Philippines on YouTube.

Directed by Julius Ruslin Alfonso (Deadma Walking) and produced by the same team behind Patay Na Si Jesus, Mudrasta promises a rollercoaster of hilarity and heart.

Mudrasta will be shown in cinemas nationwide starting Aug. 20.