Piolo Pascual admitted he had, at one point, seriously considered entering priesthood.
He was so intent that he talked to a priest and applied to a seminary, but opted to study in UST for college.
Years later, when he became a born-again Christian at age 25, he considered being a pastor. But he was advised against it by a pastor who told him of the importance of being a Christian in the entertainment industry.
Now, showbiz’ overall nice guy sinks his teeth into the role of a murderous priest in “Mallari,” a murder mystery inspired by the life of the first Filipino serial killer – Fr. Severino Mallari.
Piolo did his research before accepting the offer – which presents many firsts in his career.
The project is his first horror project, his first time to play three characters and the first to have three timelines – the Spanish period (1851), post-war (1950), and the present time.
The actor, speaking at a press con on Monday at Novotel, related: “When they asked me to do three roles I was like, it’s gonna be too hard and physically exhausting and it is hard to film, but that same day, when I got the pitch… I Googled the first serial killer – if there was any serial killer in the Philippines – and we found out that it was actually Mallari, so I took it as a sign and that’s why i said yeah, i think we should do this film.”
Piolo is excited to work with director Dennis Cabrido and producer John Bryan Diamante of Mentorque Productions in the murder mystery written by Enrico Santos. “Mallari” was submitted for consideration for local and international film festival.