New York in July offered its own dramatic opening scene for Piolo Pascual and Raymond Red. One day brought flooding, the next brought clear skies. Meanwhile, at the New York Asian Film Festival a week ago, audiences attended the screenings for their film, “Manila’s Finest.” Demand proved strong enough for an additional screening after the first sold out, giving the Philippine period drama another chance to connect with an international audience. For director Raymond Red, one of the country’s most respected filmmakers, the invitation marked a long-awaited appearance at the festival after years of making films at his own measured pace. For Piolo Pascual, whose career has stretched from matinee idol to one of Philippine cinema’s most prolific leading men, it became another reminder that stories rooted in local history can travel remarkably well.
Across more than two decades, audiences first embraced him through romance before watching him embrace increasingly layered characters in films such as “On the Job.” “Manila’s Finest” continues that evolution. He serves as both producer and lead actor, carrying a story set on the eve of Martial Law through the perspective of a policeman whose personal contradictions matter as much as the political forces gathering around him.
“I love period films. When it was offered to me, it was an easy yes,” Pascual said. “Aside from the fact that I was going to be working with Director Raymond, with a stellar cast, and given the right budget for the film, it was a good story to tell. I always choose projects that are different, that are significant, and also that make sense. I’d like to do films that would educate the audience, be informative, entertaining, and offer something you can learn from. It’s always my objective in accepting any film.”
Piolo Pascual. Photo courtesy of Manila's Finest
During our Zoom interview, I teased him about his new mustache and asked if it was for a film.
“Boredom,” he said with a laugh. “Just to look different. I’m so sawa na with my look.”
His willingness to change reaches far beyond facial hair. Pascual spoke with genuine enthusiasm about stepping into characters who carry moral weight along with emotional baggage. His character, Homer Magtibay, appealed to him because the role resists certainty. He loves his family. He loves his work. But he also lives with compromises that expose the distance between public virtue and private choices.
He said he loves roles where “you become the character, you learn from the character,” Pascual said. “I’ve been around for quite some time, and I’ve done a lot of romantic roles, so this is a departure from that. I always want to challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone because that’s the only way you can grow as an artist and as an actor. I’m always going for something that would make me uncomfortable and would make me learn from another person.”
He found Homer through his contradictions rather than searching for heroic qualities. “What really interested me in the character is the fact that he’s very human. Not every good person is really good. Maybe he’s good, but he also has things on the side.”
Piolo Pascual and Rica Peralejo while filming. Photo courtesy of Manila's Finest
Red has spent much of his career exploring Philippine history through an uncompromising lens. His acclaimed films “Bayani” and “Sakay” examined defining chapters of the nation’s past with limited resources. “Manila’s Finest” gave him something unfamiliar: a budget large enough to fully recreate an era.
“I have to admit this is actually my first film with a big budget to be able to pull off the details because it costs money to do a period film,” Red said. “I’ve always been immersing myself in history and nostalgia. This time there was a proper budget. It was fun. It was like a playground for me.”
He delighted in selecting period cars, filling scenes with extras, and restoring visual details from another time. Those pleasures always served a larger purpose.
“The more important thing is what we’re really trying to tell in the story,” he said. “Yes, it’s about the police, but it’s really about ordinary people and how they were affected by this onslaught of power that was going to take over the whole country.”
That emphasis on humanity extended into Pascual’s preparation. He credited acting coach Bombi Plata with helping him navigate Homer’s inner conflicts while Red balanced being both the director and cinematographer.
“Having an acting coach on the set is a big help because you have your interpretation, but from someone who does more research, it really helps you a lot,” Pascual said. “Interacting with your co-actors also helps you become comfortable and be in the scene.”
Piolo Pascual with acting coach Bombi Plata. Photo courtesy of Manila's Finest
Even after decades in the industry, Pascual welcomes that collaboration. “It’s also good to do your own research every time you do a film. You don’t rest on your laurels. You challenge yourself, and you think outside of the box. You focus on being that person. You forget about yourself. Be that character you’re supposed to be, and collaborate with the director, an acting coach, or even your co-actor.”
For Red, filmmaking has always carried civic weight. His films ask difficult questions instead of supplying tidy conclusions, a philosophy that feels increasingly urgent as artists across the world wrestle with political tension and painful histories repeating themselves.
“I never pretend that I know the answers to the problems,” he said. “What the films usually do is open your mind to different perspectives. It challenges you. It provokes you to look for the answers and to look for the solutions. I think that’s what’s important for any artist. You make a stand when you show a film.”
Pascual sees the actor’s responsibility through a similar lens, grounded in empathy rather than certainty.
“And not being preachy about it,” he said. “Cinema is a good tool for people to wake up and realize what they can do in this world. It’s a privilege to portray a character that’s human because people can think and assess what they can do to become better or contribute to society based on the film they’ve seen. As an actor, it’s a responsibility for us to give life to that and make people realize and think for themselves.”
Piolo Pascual. Photo courtesy of Manila's Finest
Perhaps that explains why “Manila’s Finest” resonates beyond Philippine borders. International audiences may enter the theater for a meticulously crafted period drama, yet they leave with questions that belong to every country wrestling with history, power, and individual conscience.