“YOU know what, I’m out. I don’t want it anymore.”
Ito ang nasabi ng Asia’s Best Actor na si Arjo Atayde noong panahong gusto na niyang mag-quit sa mundo ng showbiz.
Humarap ang aktor sa entertainment media matapos masungkit ang una niyang international award, ang Best Actor in a Leading Role sa 2020 Asian Academy Creative Awards.
Ito’y para sa kanyang napakagaling na performance sa iWant digital series na “Bagman” kung saan tinalo niya ang iba pang magagaling na aktor sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng Asya.
Ayon kay Arjo, “unexpected blessing” ang natanggap niyang award dahil nga plano na raw talaga niyang iwan ang showbiz dahil sa ginawang pagpapasara ng Kongreso sa ABS-CBN.
“Siguro given everything that’s happened, it affected me so much that I was just like, ‘You know what, I’m out. I don’t want it anymore.’ I don’t want to do showbiz because of this damage that they’ve done because it was this massive damage not only to me but to a lot of people.
“Ayoko nang pahabain basta I was just so affected that I wanted to quit and then I actually told several people already.
“It was already maybe one last year in my head. I was thinking, ‘This is just crazy. I can’t accept it. It’s either were complete or I don’t want na,’ parang ganu’n,” pahayag ng anak ni Sylvia Sanchez.
“And then I didn’t even ask for a sign. This is it. I was just hopeless. And I always tell people, despite the negativity I had, I just keep staying positive.
“It was so hard to stay positive. But you have to, you have no choice. So that’s the story behind that and I’m just thankful for my support system, for my cousins, my sisters, my family, and everyone who believes in me. They were like, ‘Don’t do it. Think about it. Don’t do it.’ And then it worked,” lahad pa ng binata.
Sey pa ng aktor, balak niyang mag-business na lang sakaling tumigil na siya sa pag-aartista, “I didn’t even ask for a sign. This is the biggest sign. This just came up. It was amazing. I can’t even explain of how it began nine or eight years ago, it’s crazy ”
“I wasn’t fighting it. It wasn’t a decision na talaga. I was slowly accepting it in a way until this happened.
“But I don’t think I’m going to stop any time soon. So I’m going to continue learning because it’s what keeps me alive anyway, this acting. So I’ll stick to it,” paniniguro pa niya.
Umaasa rin si Arjo na mas marami pa siyang magampanang karakter na mas matsa-challenge ang pagiging aktor niya, “I would do whatever genre they want me to do. I will never get stuck doing just that.
“Hopefully I get to explore more, I get to learn more, and I get to widen my range from there. Whatever way it is, you’d grow but it’s slower than you should.
“I think learning always has to do with just unlearning what you learned and start from scratch and just do another character. And that’s the most interesting thing I have to say about my eight years, all those characters,” pahayag pa ng boyfriend ni Maine Mendoza.