The Secret Life of JAKE CUENCA | Bernadette Sembrano

I watched as Jake Cuenca made his way to the side street after our interview, and I knew I’d never see him the same way again.

He moves like a panther—so smooth, like Nicolas Cage in Face/Off. I’ve only caught glimpses of him in the plugs for his shows on ABS-CBN, since I’ve never fully watched any of them.

Those glimpses of his kontrabida roles, along with the news about his encounter with the police years ago, cemented the “bad boy” image I had of him.

That was the Jake I thought I knew.

I enjoy discovering the Side B of those who are typecast, and I even surprise myself in the process. I was surprised to learn that Jake wakes up at 5 a.m. and studies his roles first thing in the morning. He even keeps a diary—or rather, a journal. (May diary ang Jake Cuenca??) Yes, really.

It’s all part of his process of internalizing and getting into character. He’s not afraid to portray roles from the dark side because, as he puts it, those characters are human too, with their own stories of how they ended up there. “Who’s gonna tell their story?”

Jake has no qualms about embracing the dark side. In fact, he even draws on his own trauma to bring life to the roles he portrays. “Gagamitin ko ’to,” he says.

But who is he in real life?

Get a glimpse into the secret life of Jake Cuenca!

#BernadetteSembrano #JakeCuenca

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction
1:34 Jake Cuenca's typical morning
2:19 Surprise bag raid! + how Jake fits into his character's shoes
4:10 Jake's acting career + how he portrays his 'bad guy' roles
6:26 POV on the car chase incident + how he pivots real life experiences
8:24 Jake's hideout: Jojit Lorenzo's Gener Cafe
11:08 His relationship with family + his mindset
14:30 Thoughts on starting a family of his own
16:29 Perspective of the industry + celebrating private relationships

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