It may not be method acting in the strictest sense where an actor ‘aspires to complete emotional identification with a part.’ But Kampamilya leading man Jake Cuenca comes close when he decided to become a full-pledged triathlete.
The actor became interested in the sport of triathlon (swimming-cycling-running) when ABS-CBN 2 gave him a role that requires him to be a triathlete.
The moment Jake finished reading the script, he started researching about the sport and what being a triathlete entails.
“I don’t just act my roles; I become my roles,” says Jake who actually studied method acting in New York last year.
The actor joined his first triathlon in Subic in January last year, and found out how challenging it was.
“I sacrificed a lot just to get my body ready,” he recalls. “The first thing I did, which was also the hardest, was to quit smoking.”
Then there was this thing about floating in water.
“Second, I didn’t know how to swim when I accepted this project, so I had to learn how,” he says. “Then, I had to change my lifestyle. No more staying up late at nights to party.”
For the last six months, Jake has been hitting the sack at 9:30 p.m. and waking up at 4 a.m. to train. If time permits, he would ride his bike for 20 kilometers, run for 3 kilometers, then swim for a kilometer.
“Before this, there were certain things I wanted to change in my life,” he bares.
“I’ve been partying for so long, but I can’t do those things anymore because they will affect my body during the race,” Jake says. “And my coach will know that I’m not giving my 100 percent. I’m now living that role.”
The change in his priorities has put things in perspective for the sought-after thespian.
“I now appreciate this lifestyle,” he says. “I think I will not let go of it for the rest of my life. I guess it also helped that I’m single because I needed to invest a lot of time in this.”
Jake was recently seen in the movie Foolish Love. He will soon star in the teleserye Ikaw Lang Ang Iibigin where he portrays the number one triathlete in the story. (Ruel Mendoza)
