Carlo Aquino on almost quitting showbiz: "Mag-America na lang kaya ako"

Last Monday, March 9, Filipino actor Carlo Aquino appeared on a television show, hosted by television host and 'King of Talk' Boy Abunda.

Aquino confessed that there was a time when he almost gave up, quit show business and packed his bags to go to another land.

“You wanted to quit? Kailan ito at bakit?” Abunda inquired. The actor explained, “Mga mid-2000s. May ginagawa ako pero mga indie films. Eh ito iyong bumuhay sa akin. Ito iyong nakapagpagawa ng house namin nung bata-bata pa ako. 

"Tapos there came a time na parang wala akong ginagawa pero sinasabi nila ang talented ko, ang galing-galing ko. So parang ‘mag-America na lang kaya ako. 

"Magpa-adopt ako sa uncle ko na nasa America. Kaya ko naman mag-manual labor. Kaya ko mag-fast food. Umabot ako sa point na nag-tarpaulin printing habang nag-i-indie film. 

"Naglalagay ako ng mga tarpaulin ng mga salon sa mga building. Kasama ko iyong cousin ko. Tapos maglalagay kami ng mga signages and everything para lang makapag-provide,” he added.

Abunda asked, “Ano ang nagbabalik sa'yo? Why do you keep on coming back?”

“Trabaho and iyong pagmamahal doon sa craft. Kasi in a way, nandito ka para makapagbigay ng inspirasyon. Iyong makapagparamdam sa mga tao,” Aquino replied.

Aquino, 40, started as a child actor in the early 1990s through the youth-oriented show Ang TV. He became critically acclaimed for his performance in the 1998 film Bata, Bata Pa'no Ka Ginawa?, which earned him a FAMAS Award.

Over the years, he has built a diverse body of work, starring in projects like Bar Boys, I Love Lizzy, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, and a movie with Bela Padilla, Meet Me in St. Gallen.

Aquino reunites with Padilla, 34, in the romantic drama  A Special Memory. The movie, produced by Viva Films, is a remake of the Japanese series Pure Soul. The film opens today.