Elijah wears a BENCH tank, Cedrick wears a COS shirt and trousers, and Kelvin wears a COS shirt. Photographed by Regine David for the August 2024 Issue of Vogue Man Philippines
Photographed by Regine David for the August 2024 Issue of Vogue Man Philippines
In recent years, the landscape of local cinema has changed dramatically with an influx of new and talented actors. Meet the three Filipino leads rewriting the script for a new era.
Cedrick Juan
Some artists earn their stripes in the crucibles of theater. For Cedrick Juan, the transition from being on-stage to the silver screen was almost natural. Initially, he had begun his acting career as a member of theatrical groups, including Dulaang UP at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, and at the FEU-Art Theatre Clinique of the Far Eastern University respectively. “When you start in theater, you’ll always try to look for it again and again,” he says. “You’ll always come back to train again, to be open, to be more vulnerable.”
Despite constant barrage of rehearsals and performances, Cedrick still feels at peace and in his element. The stage, whether in an auditorium or on a film set, is a safe haven where he could truly be in touch with his innermost self. “Acting itself trains you to be vulnerable.” It is in this vulnerability that allows him to truly flesh out the various roles he has to portray, with an acting style that is both dynamic and unscripted. “I just need to go with the flow, trust my co-actors and the energy around me,” the actor explains. “It’s about being mentally open, but emotionally ready for everything that comes my [way].”
He brings these elements toward his breakout role in the film GomBurZa, which he attributes as his crowning achievement throughout his career so far. The historical picture has received the most attention during its run at the most recent Metro Manila Film Festival, garnering multiple awards and nominations in its wake. Here, Cedrick won the Best Actor for his role as Father Jose Burgos, and has since then expanded his reach across all facets of media and entertainment.
“I don’t think about [awards] when I perform. For me, if you think about awards, your demeanor and your process can change.” According to the veteran actor, the stories that can be told through their voices are leagues above any form of recognition or achievement. He echoes the sentiment that as an artist, being an inspiration can be its own badge of honor. “I hope people get inspired by my roles. Like when I play Father Burgos, I want them to see that persona reflected in me,” he exclaims. “Even before GomBurZa, I was always like this. I’m political, I criticize, the only thing that has changed was the size of my audience.”
“It’s about being mentally open, but emotionally ready for everything that comes my [way].”
By the end of his tenure as an actor in both theater and film, Cedrick wants to hold on to the belief that his platform can champion issues and advocacies for those in need. “We can be beacons of light for any situation, and I feel like all artists should be like that,” he explains. “The best weapon we have is our voices and our craft.”
Elijah Canlas
When Elijah Canlas was a child, he dreamed of reaching the stars. “My initial dream was to be an astronaut, and acting was not really in the cards for me,” he explains. However, destiny found another avenue for him to realize this ambition, and at a young age, he was offered a scholarship at the Mount Makiling-based Philippine High School For The Arts. “It was all intensive training, and we had to live there in the mountains just studying theater and the arts everyday,” he shares, adding that his passion for the craft grew. After he left Los Baños, he ended up starring in his first film titled Sundalong Kanin in 2014, which pushed him to pursue acting full-time.
“I want people to know that I take this craft seriously,” he says. Throughout his career, Elijah’s commitment to his craft has been evident with each of the diverse roles he had taken on. For the actor, the characters he often portrays have to resonate with his soul in any way, shape, or form, choosing projects that have personal meaning. “With regards to my filmography, I want people to remember these stories that are really important to me. Whether it personally [aligns] with my beliefs, with my principles and morals, I always choose films that are relevant to me narratively or politically.”
His belief and his ability to humanize the characters he plays are what guides him to roles that call for more emotional depth. “The characters I play are like my best friends. It’s like when you make a painting and it really becomes a part of you, because you end up sharing pieces of yourself with it,” he says. His portfolio shows his ability to mix nuances to more structured styles of acting, and an utter commitment to what the story calls for. See his villainous Pablo Caballero in Batang Quiapo, his young Paciano Rizal in GomBurZa, or his mesmerizing take on the afflicted and bullied protagonist of Jun Lana’s 2019 indie hit, Kalel, 15.
Even with his extensive portfolio, he says that his achievements, his fame, and even his acting are things he does not want to be solely remembered for. “My legacy? I want to be remembered as a kind person,” he says. “Eddie Garcia was someone that I really looked up to, and he imparted three lessons that have helped me stay grounded. Number one was to not be late, study your script, and be kind to everyone.”
Although Elijah Canlas may have initially dreamt of reaching the stars when he was younger, he has now found a way to dwell among them through his craft.
Kelvin Miranda
A “surge” is one word that can best describe Kelvin Miranda’s acting career. Initially being cast as an extra for a number of films and series, he saw a meteoric rise that surprised even himself. “The transition of my career from out of nowhere was unreal,” the actor says. “Before, I was only a background character in films, and I didn’t care what role I had to take, so as long as I was able to earn that day.”
Despite only receiving relatively minor parts throughout his early filmography, he still found acting to be his true calling. For him, being a device to tell worthy stories was worth all the sacrifice. “We are an instrument that bridges these characters into real life,” he says.
As an actor, one of Kelvin’s strengths was the ability to almost fully immerse himself in the lives of the people he has to portray. He takes to isolating himself as a way to emotionally connect with each of his characters, with this practice becoming a key part of his own mental preparation.
“I try to find something related to my character that I can bring with me, just so it can help me create a background.” He mentions that a lot of work goes into each of his depictions regardless of whether or not he is the lead or a member of the supporting cast, with him noting that being able to learn is part and parcel of the craft.
“I interview people with experiences similar to my own character,” he explains. “If I have to play a doctor, I’ll try to reach out to doctors to get their perspective. You need time to do some research, and if you don’t, it gets very obvious on set that you haven’t prepared.”
There is a significant amount of time that goes into educating himself with each of his characters. Alongside, Kelvin also likes to add a touch of his own personality into each persona he embodies. “That’s what adds truth to it. It’s the [anchor] that you hold on to so your portrayals don’t stray too far from the source,” Kelvin describes. This is evidently seen with his breakout role as the introverted and penniless student surrounded by his rich, scheming peers in Mikhail Red’s Dead Kids, the first Netflix original picture produced in the Philippines. Most recently, the actor had received a sudden influx of leading roles, including Missed Connections and Chances Are, You and I, earlier this year.
Even with his rise as a lead in recent years, Kelvin explains that his humble beginnings and his experiences are what keep him grounded amid the pressures of growing recognition. “Everytime I have the chance to meet a new director, work with a new actor, or [anyone] else in the industry, it becomes a new experience or story for me to use that helps me become a good actor,” he says. “I can’t just reflect on myself, I have to reflect on their lives too.”
By GABRIEL YAP. Photographs by REGINE DAVID. Vogue Man Editor: DANYL GENECIRAN. Stylist: Neil de Guzman. Makeup: Bea Mocorro. Hair: JA Feliciano. Actors: Elijah Canlas, Cedrick Juan, Kelvin Miranda. Producer: Anz Hizon. Photographer’s Assistant: Akira Watanabe. Stylist’s Assistant: Marga Bautista. Shot on location at Balara Content Studio.
