Donny wears a FENDI top, blazers, and trousers, EO eyeglasses. Photographed by Borgy Angeles for the December 2024/January 2025 Issue of Vogue Man Philippines
What drives Donny Pangilinan behind the scenes? For this on-screen It Boy, nothing matters more than the irreplaceable value of your health and your time.
No two days are the same for Donny Pangilinan.
One day, he’s caught up in the fast-paced rhythm of filming a TV series; the next, he’s slowing down completely, enjoying quiet moments alone or with his family. Today, during our midweek online chat, the 26-year-old actor sits comfortably at home for the latter, occasionally chasing his giant poodle, Crinkles, off-screen. “Life changes every day, depending on what work I have to do. If I’m on set, it’s very like, you wake up, you go to the set, you read your lines, you do the scene…straight for like 10 to 14 hours, and then you repeat the next day,” he shares. “Since I wasn’t really in a shoot today, I had time to pick up my sister from school. That’s super important to me too.”
But whether or not he finds himself with a rare day off, Pangilinan says he is hellbent on staying physically active. “[Your] health…it’s your vessel, you know. It’s the one that drives you to do everything that you’re doing. And I think that’s super important too, to get rest, to take a breather from everything, recharge. So after a long day, I try my very best to really wind down, and to put my mind in a space that’s super calm.”
“I start each day, hopefully, with a nice workout,” he continues. “I might go see my family, play some golf, or read my emails. It really depends on what season I’m in.” Lately, his routine has taken on a more fitness-focused approach as he prepares for an upcoming project to be shot on the beaches of La Union. “I’m a bit more active now. Like, for example, after this meeting, I’m gonna go for a run and then hit the gym.”
Perhaps this discipline comes from a childhood full of sports. He points out a tattoo on the underside of his bicep, where his own version of a cheetah is etched in ink. “Growing up, running was my main sport, so I’d really compete, especially in school. I really connected with the cheetah because I felt like I was [one].” A cheetah is simultaneously fast and strategic, traits he also learned from training to be a triathlete at a young age. “[Our family] formed a team called Team Pangilinan, of all triathletes. We’d swim, bike, run. That was my childhood for eight or maybe six years. That’s what we started doing, and it taught us a lot of discipline. It taught us about patience, working hard to get what you want if you want to win, if you want to succeed, and also the value of teamwork and making sure that in whatever area you choose to go and pursue, there has to be a team with you.”
Looking back, Pangilinan credits his upbringing for this relentless drive to dream big and explore opportunities. “My parents taught us that there are so many opportunities in life, and we really have to try everything to get to know what we like doing.”
This sense of balance extends to his outlook on the show business as well. “The moment you make [it] just your life…it kind of gets crazy because you’re so focused on an industry that you gotta filter,” he reflects. For Pangilinan, pursuing passions outside of acting, like his business ventures, provides a sense of purpose and stability. Over the past few years, he has been exploring new avenues. In fact, he shares that if he wasn’t an actor, he’d be pursuing a degree in business. “I opened my first gas station last year. This year, I’m looking to open another business, and I’m venturing out into real estate, too,” he reveals.
“At a very young age, I really wanted to create my own small venture. I remember selling load to people in our village, then we also sold ice candy. I would even iron my money so the bills were straight and crisp,” he continues, laughing at the memory.
When asked how he defines success, Pangilinan’s answer is thoughtful. “Success would be happiness and freedom. But at the same time, it has to entail the ones around you also being lifted up. It can’t just be you,” he says. “So my version of success would include creating an environment in which other people would also be lifted up and grow in that process of you growing.”
Though he feels he has achieved some level of this, he is intentional about being far from complacent. “The moment you think you’ve reached [success], there’s less to look forward to…I’m still a work in progress. There are so many people I still want to help, and so much more I want to do.”
This is what propels him forward, both on-screen and off. While many look at him and see glamour, Pangilinan’s journey is fueled by a desire to grow, to give back, and to stay grounded in the things that truly matter. He countinues, “There’s still so much I need to learn, and I don’t think that’s ever going to change.”
