THE last time actor Jao Mapa took on a lead role was almost 25 years ago, when he shared stellar billing with then hotshot and no-holds-barred actress Rosanna Roces in the Romy Suzara film Matrikula.
Between 1997 and the present, there were many “lost years” in Mapa’s life, and his career as an actor would shift from floating to fading to frozen. We would just hear and read about him joining group painting exhibits or appearing in some forgettable role in a movie or TV project.
But the good thing about life is that it often gives us many opportunities to bounce back, to have a second wind, to make a comeback. And so it happened to Mapa when he got a call from veteran showbiz scribe Aster Amoyo asking him if he’d consider to be co-managed by Amoyo and the bigwigs of Viva Artists Agency.
“I did not waste a minute and immediately said yes to Tita Aster. And she did not waste any day also and scheduled a meeting with the bosses of Viva right away, and before I could even collect my thoughts, I found myself signing a co-management contract with Viva,” Mapa volunteered, sounding excited with this new turnaround in his life.
He recalled consulting his wife before he went to the Viva offices. “My wife is very supportive. She has always been all these years that we have been together, through ups and downs, and I so love her for that, and I always try to make her feel that she’s very special to me.” Mapa and his wife Cecille have three children: Benjamin, Caleb and Stacey.
And because Viva Entertainment is on a producing spree with the successful launch of its one-stop entertainment hub, called VivaMax, which gives access to the biggest library of Philippine-produced movies and TV programs, Mapa found himself being offered a lead role in the movie Paraluman, a contemporary love story that has some deep but relevant sexual content.
“I asked the basic questions actors ask, like, who is directing and who will be my coactors, and after reading the script, I agreed without hesitation,” he said. “I feel that as an actor during this time of pandemic, I should be more aggressive and open to explore new content and new ways of making movies.”
And Mapa certainly has no regrets. “I feel very good that we were able to finish the film without any hitches. And I admire my co-actor Rhen Escaño for being such a gracious leading lady and inspiring me to give the best in portraying my character.” We learned that the sex scenes of Mapa and Escaño were smoothly executed in just one take.
Mapa, whom we knew since the late ‘90s when he was still under the care of the late ace manager-star discoverer Douglas Quijano, is vocal that he feels blessed with this huge door that has been opened for him. “Who would have thought that I will be able to get my biggest comeback break during a time like this when most people are scouting for jobs just to make ends meet? In all the years that I have been absent as an actor, I tried to just hang in there and keep my faith even if there were many periods when there seemed to be no answers to my prayers. I guess everything happens in God’s perfect time.”
Now 45, Jao Mapa is thankful for life’s little surprises, and he remains grateful for the many chances he has received. “It’s like some sort of a rebirth as an actor!” he told us.