Ben Madilynn
Sa mahigit dalawang dekada niya sa showbiz, hindi nakaranas si Jake Cuenca ng sekswal na pang-aabuso.
Malaking usapin ito sa showbiz ngayon dahil sa mga napabalitang insidente kunsaan naabuso ang talent o artista ng isang katrabaho.
Ang mga ibang kaso ay umabot hindi lang sa legal battle, kundi naging national issue rin nang magkaroon ng mga pagdinig sa Senado.
Nakapanayam si Jake sa mediacon nitong Oktubre 26, 2024, Sabado, sa Supersam restaurant, Sct. Rallos St., Quezon City.
“For me, happily my journey in this path, never. Never,” malumanay na saad ni Jake.
“Kaya nga I see issues, parang sa Senate, medyo nagugulat ako.
“Kasi nga, for me, sabi ko, I’ve been in showbiz [for] 23 going 24 years, I’ve never even came close to anything like that.
“Never akong nalagay sa isang incriminating position. Alam ko naman, showbiz ito, you know what I mean.
“Andaming mga nangyayari, it’s still showbiz just like any industry, di ba, parang there are things that go on.”
Nakalibot na rin si Jake sa tatlong major TV stations sa bansa, at wala raw siyang personal na karanasan na naabuso ng katrabaho.
Lahad pa ni Jake: “Pero ako, in 24 years, never. Never. In GMA, in ABS-CBN, in Channel 5. In Regal, in Star Cinema, in anything I’ve done, parang I’ve never had…
“Not with the director.
“Kasi di ba, parang you’re hearing these things with creative people, ganyan. Never. Not with me.
“Maybe also because my line is so bold, e. Klaro ako, you know.
“I don’t know, I can’t speak for a lot of different people. But I can say for me, in 24 years I don’t have an experience [na sexual abuse].”
Sabay sabi pa ni Jake, “Don’t get me wrong. There’s indecent proposal, there are things like that.
“Pero yung na-violate ako in a work space? Never.”
JAKE CUENCA ON HANDLING DARING SCENES
Kahit daw sa indie movie kunsaan gumanap si Jake ng mga mapangahas na role ay wala raw siyang bad experience.
Siyempre pa, memorable iyong eksena nila ni Joem Bascon sa batis sa pelikulang Lihis (2013) na idinirek ni Joel Lamangan.
“Suwerte ko sa mga direktor na nakasama ko,” pagngiti ni Jake.
“Direk Joel Lamangan, kahit ganun ka-provocative ang eksena, safe ka pa rin, e.
“Kay Direk Joel kasi, parang bago niyo gawin yung ganung klaseng eksena, dahil malaki ang hinihingi niya sa yo, di ba?
“Saka pag nakikita ko yung placement, pag nakikita yung eksena, my god! This is gonna be a very graphic sequence.
“Pero parang kasi the way Direk Joel does it, matsa-challenge ka as an actor.”
Collaborative rin daw si Direk Joel.
“Yung last movie namin, I had an option to remove it,” ani Jake.
“Yung parang sabi ni Direk, ‘Jake, anong tingin mo? Kung gusto mong mag-R16, kailangan nating tanggalin.’
“Pero ako naman, kailangan ng pelikula ito. Hindi natin maikukuwento nang buo ito kung wala yun.”
Ang tinutukoy ni Jake na tatanggalin ay iyong mga maseselang eksena sa Metro Manila Film Festival 2022 entry na My Father, Myself.
R18 ang MTRCB rating niyon dahil ni-retain ang mga mapangahas na eksena.
Pagpapatuloy ni Jake, “So kay Direk Joel—at siguro you know when it comes to scenes like that—you really have to trust the director.
“And bago mo tanggapin yung project, nakikita mo yung vision ng direktor, at siguro kailangan talaga yung level of respect mo, mataas.
“Kasi kunyari, kung si Direk Brillante Mendoza ang hihingi sa akin ng ganun klaseng eksena, I trust him, di ba? I believe in his work.
“Kumbaga, parang alam ko naman yung requirement before I get to the set, di ba?
“Pero yun na nga, things like these have to be discussed before you go to the set.
“Hindi siya puwede yung minadali ang eksena, ‘Ok, magla-lunch break na, gawin natin itong eksenang ito!’ Hindi puwedeng ganun.”
Nang tanungin kung bukas siya na magkaroon ng nude scene sa isang proyekto na ang direktor ay si Brillante Mendoza, nilinaw ni Jake na depende raw talaga sa materyal.
Pagmamatwid ni Jake, “It depends on the project. Depends on the script and the project, of course, di ba?
“Depende lahat yun, if it also meets my expectations, standard.
“Pero kunyari I accepted the movie and that’s Direk Brillante, Direk Lav Diaz, or Direk Joel Lamangan, I would definitely, you know, consider it.
“Kasi these are the brilliant directors of our time. I have to try to at least consider that, di ba?
“And for me, like, of course, anytime na bigyan ako ng movie ni Direk Joel, parang for me at this point, that’s a blessing.
“And if I get to work with, like, these great directors of our generation, that’s why I’ll do this for, kasi nga parang masasabi ko when I look back in the past, I’ve worked with Direk Brillante.
“For me that’s a dream come true. Kung maganda ang project, there’s no limitation for me.”
ROLE IN WHAT LIES BENEATH
Preso ang papel ni Jake Cuenca sa Amazon Prime na What Lies Beneath.
Sa istorya niyon, matalakay kaya ang isyung male rape sa kulungan?
“Alam mo, with RCD Narratives, sa unit nila, I wouldn’t be surprised,” tukoy ni Jake sa drama unit sa ABS-CBN sa ilalim ni Roda Dela Cerna (RCD).
“Kasi, yung RCD Narratives, hindi sila sa takot sa ganun na eksena. Yung parang sa Viral Scandal namin, tungkol sa rape yung buong tema ng show.
“Hindi sila takot hawakan yung ganun. At kaya rin naman ako excited na bumalik sa unit nila, kasi nga, sila yung medyo mas ganun.
“Yung kaya nilang i-mainstream yung indie material, if that makes sense. Yung kaya nilang gumawa ng very touchy topic at gawing teleserye at gawin siyang mainstream.
“So I’m always excited to work with them. Kasi nga, medyo bold sila in their choices.”
Dinadalirot sa Kapuso primetime series na Pulang Araw ang comfort women, mga Pilipinang ginawang sex slaves ng mga Hapon noong World War II.
“Yun nga, nakita ko nga, e!”
Kaya raw hindi malayo na posibleng may ganoon ding anggulo sa What Lies Beneath.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised. Saka sa akin naman, kung paano cinonstruct yung karakter, kung saan ako nanggagaling with it,” lahad ni Jake.
“Kasi kung 14 years kang kinulong dun, the worst things have happened to you. So kung paano ko siya binabasa, or kung paano ko siya pinaghuhugutan, just imagine the worst.
“Saka actually, parang a nugget na puwede kong i-drop, pag nakita niyo yung karakter ko sa What Lies Beneath, you’ve never seen me like this before.
“Kasi na-try ko na, e. Na-try ko na yung prosthetics. Na-try ko na yung lahat ng physical things.
“So, pag tinitingnan ko yung sarili ko sa salamin dito, I’m just excited to show it. Hindi niyo mahuhulaan. Yung itsura ko pa lang dito, it will shock people na talaga.”
ON PAULO AVELINO
Aminado si Jake na may mga project ang kaibigan niyang si Paulo Avelino na kinainggitan niya, at inasam na napunta sana sa kanya.
Huli silang nagkatrabaho sa Pinoy adaptation ng K-drama series na What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?
“Wow! Yes, a lot, I would say yes,” pag-amin ni Jake.
“Parang kay Paulo, like I remember when he showed me the trailer of Fan Girl.
“And then I was, like, my god, sabi ko, ‘Sobrang ganda naman ng pelikulang ito! My god!’ sabi ko.
“This is what we dream about, we talk about all the time. Parang this is the kind of movie we watch. But kasi, again you know, envious but at the same time proud, you know, my best friend.
“Kasi he also won best actor for that, and rightfully so, he deserved it.
“But ang galing! Kasi when he showed me that trailer, it also showed me what I wanted.”
Naniniwala naman si Jake namay kanya-kanyang pagkakataon para sa mga artista.
“Then later on in life, you know, my similar project would probably be Cattleya Killer, medyo dark. Yung parang very eerie type project.
“Di ba, greatness begets greatness? Parang great people recognize great things, di ba?
“And for me when it comes to Paulo, more than envy or jealousy, it’s really more like I’m proud.
“Kaya even like yung Linlang niya, di ba, with his weight loss and all that, I’ll always be loud about it kung gaano ako ka-proud sa kaibigan ko, and kung gaano ko siya chini-cheer on sa industriyang ito.”
Sa MMFF 2020 entry na Fan Girl ay nag-prosthetic penis si Paulo sa eksenang sinilipan ito ni Charlie Dizon habang umiihi.
Kung siya ang gumanap doon, gagamit ba siya o hindi ng prosthetic na private part?
Natawa si Jake, “My gosh! Malalaman ko na lang iyun pag nandun na ako sa sitwasyon na iyun.
“But certainly parang, again kunyari for me, if it makes sense, di ba? If it’s art, di ba?
“Like, of course, I don’t wanna name names na you know, this is not exploitation, this is not like that.
“And if it’s with a director I trust, I believe in… like again, if it makes sense in the world, I have no limitation.
“Kahit sa teatro, e. Di ba? If it makes sense in theater, then, di ba?
“But I wouldn’t be pressured to do it just for the sake of doing it—if that makes any sense.”
