He may be one of the most popular actors in the local entertainment scene, but for sure, there are still a lot of things that we do not know yet about brilliant Kapamilya actor Zaijian Jaranilla.
We also got to know him better during his guest appearance on Kapamilya Chat, where he played a couple of games that revealed more about his personality through his responses.
One of them is the “Truth or Unlock Challenge,” in which he had to choose from numbers 1 to 7, which correspond to a certain question that he had to answer. However, he had to pick a consequence from a bowl once he opted not to respond, or he couldn’t answer a question and had to do it.
For the first question, Zaijian said that it’s none other than his family whom he thinks would still remain for him if ever the time will come that he loses everything, including his fame, wealth, and career.
He elaborated, “Nandyan pa rin talaga sila palagi para sa’yo, ‘di ba? Kahit na anong mangyari, nandiyan talaga sila. Sila lang ‘yong sasalba sa’yo, sila lang ‘yong tatakbuhan mo. Parang bihira lang ‘yong mga kaibigan mo rin na nag-stay kapag nasa pinakababa ka na o kapag petsa de peligro na. Pero ‘pag ‘yong pamilya mo, nandiyan pa rin talaga sila.”
Zaijian may be one of the most talented artists we have in the local entertainment scene, but he admitted to not mustering the courage yet to try theater acting, although he’s been wanting to do so. And that’s due to his—believe it or not—“stage fright.”
“Gusto kong ma-try siya pero natatakot akong gawin kasi mayroon akong stage fright, lalo na kapag nasa gitna ka na ng stage tapos ikaw lang mag-isang magpe-perform [at] nakikita mo lahat ng mga tao,” he shared.
Then he added, “Mayroon akong gano’n na, hindi ko man siya nagagawa talaga pero kapag naiisip ko, ayoko na, gusto ko na agad mag-back out. ‘Yong tipong ayaw ko nang ilagay ang sarili ko sa sitwasyon na ‘yon. Gusto ko siyang subukan pero ‘yon nga nahihirapan ako. Natatakot ako.”
As he added that doing improv is another thing about theater that scares him the most, which is done by actors in order to cover up the blunders during a live performance, the host suggested that he could ask for help from his “High Street” co-star-turned-friend Tommy Alejandrino, who’s also a theater thespian. Zaijian agreed and imparted that he actually asks Tommy regarding it.
While other celebrities his age who also began in showbiz at a very young age may mention not having a normal life or childhood as something that they’ve missed, Zaijian revealed that he didn’t feel like he lost a part of himself when he became famous. It's because he firmly believes that “everything happens for a reason” and does not force himself into the things, situations, or even people that are not really meant for him. That's why he didn’t have any regrets in his life.
Having played the iconic teleserye character Santino in the 2009 inspirational series “May Bukas Pa” has indeed painted him as a perfect person who doesn’t commit mistakes, sin, or joke around. However, Zaijian revealed that he may be kind, yet he’s actually far from being the well-behaved boy we knew onscreen, for he’s playful, mischievous, silly, and friendly in real life.
And lastly, when asked who’s the person making his heart happy right now, he decided not to answer but rather to take a consequence. The first one he picked was to make an ugly face, which he did by simply looking at the camera and uttering, “Ito na ‘yon, o. E-effort pa ba ako?”
The young actor apparently enjoyed the game, so he picked another consequence, which was to impersonate his Pinoy celebrity idol. He took a pause first to recall an iconic line of the actor he admires the most, who was later on revealed to be seasoned actor John Lloyd Cruz. With a tinge of emotion, Zaijian recited his famous words, “You had me at my best; she had me at my worst. But you chose to break my heart,” from the classic 2007 romance-drama flick “One More Chance”.
Does seeing this lighthearted and playful side of Zaijian delight you, Kapamilya?