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Friday, April 19, 2019

Interview with Pancho Magno | Benchmark Magazine Summer 2019



Pancho Magno became a registered nurse in 2008, but the recession made it difficult for him to land a steady job. When an oppor­tunity to try acting presented itself, he figured he would test it out for a few days and see if it would stick.




Its been quite some time since, and Pancho is only just getting started. “Why not?" he says of his career shift. He had, after all, been exposed to the production side because his mother, Redgie Acuna-Magno, had a lot of experience in the industry. “At first sobrang hirap because it was so different from watching [the production process],” he recalls. “Iba pa rin [when it’s] you acting, you actually doing it."



This time, the lights, the cameras, and the eyes were all on him. “You have to focus, you have to not only say your lines but also listen. It was nerve-wracking in the beginning, but after taking workshops and hearing some words of encour­agement from more experienced co-stars and crew members, he relaxed and kept going.



Pancho is fresh off the action-fantasy drama Victor Magtanggol, playing the Norse mythologi­cal figure Modi. Working on a number of fantasy projects, he says, is great, “because I’m a fan of sci­ence fiction.’ Over time, though, he’s been enjoy­ing finding the more relatable and human sides of his characters and uncovering truths about people just as much as telling stories.

Getting to work with Modi as a character has been a career highlight for him. “Marvel geek kasi ako, eh,” he gushes. “Ginusto ko siyang i-portray na [hindi] typical at may bago.” Citing James McAvoy as an influence, especially his per­formances in Split and its recent sequel Glass, he adds that he’s always aiming to show a different side of both the character and himself. His genu­ine enthusiasm fuels his motivation to do better and be better, to keep learning about and from his work.


He’s also self-described as naturally athletic and quite pas­sionate about fitness (his favorite sports are basketball and swimming) and hosts the show Healthy Ever After with his wife, actress Max Collins. On the family-oriented show. Max and Pancho discuss family planning, when to settle down and how many kids to have, and even proper oral care and vac­cines for kids. “Sobrang excited ako kasi naa-apply ‘yung nurs­ing skills ko now,” he says.

In the years to come, Pancho wants to keep telling stories especially ones about the country’s political and socio-cultural climate—through movies or even documentaries. “I don’t want to say [we're] ignorant, he begins, “pero siguro minsan [we're not] aware. Ayaw nating pansinin na may nangyayari.” He hopes to do his part in exposing some difficult truths: “I want to inform people and impart knowledge.” -F.E.