A father tries to connect with his son whom he’s meeting for the first time.

That’s the gist of the story of Northern Lights: A Journey To Love, with Piolo Pascual cast as the father and child actor Raikko Mateo as the son. Directed by Dondon Santos, the movie was mostly shot in New Zealand and partly in Alaska to catch the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights, the one in New Zealand is called Southern Lights or Aurora Australis). It also stars newcomer Yen Santos as the girl with whom Piolo’s character embarks on a journey to love.

Showing nationwide on March 29, Northern Lights is co-produced by Piolo’s Spring Films with Regal Films and Star Cinema. In the following Conversation, Piolo talks about how Northern Lights hits his heart bull’s-eye…and more! (Incidentally, Piolo has just been appointed ambassador of the Optical Media Board [OMB].)

Was watching the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) part of your bucket list?

“It has always been on my bucket list and I tried a couple of times but unfortunately I’ve not seen it. But it’s still there and I’m planning to go whenever I get the chance but definitely it’s a must-see for every individual because of the whole experience you can have.”

Any other memorable experience during the shoot in New Zealand?

“The whole experience is memorable. First, everything is standardized, you have a crew of international standards, the number of shooting hours is limited, the sequences we had to shoot, and the places that we were able to shoot at.

“Nakakatuwa because these are locations na hindi pa natin nagamit dito; these are the locations that were used for Narnia, Lord of the Rings and Wolverine, to name a few. So we went to Queenstown. It was my first time there and the whole experience was just memorable and a delight to be able to see that on a big screen.”

Your leading ladies, this time Yen Santos, are getting younger. How do you deal with it?

“I guess the more important thing there is to be able to relate to a younger audience and be able to identify with a certain character that you are portraying whether you are paired with an older or a younger leading lady.

“But, of course, it’s a responsibility to also look the part and not feel uncomfortable, especially for the audience, so that there’s no disconnection. I just do what I do and it’s always my best foot forward para naman, you know, hindi awkward for the cast, for the team-up and for the film in general.”

How were you and Yen on the set? I bet she learned a lot from you.

“Yen kasi is very young, she’s bubbly. It’s her first time to do a film so iba pa ‘yung discipline nya. But what’s good about the whole experience was that she worked with my director on a TV show, All Of Me, before we did the film. So when direk Dondon said na he had Yen in mind for the role, I didn’t think twice. He knew better because it was his concept, it was his idea and it was a story of his dad.

“So ‘yun, so sabi ko di ako nagdalawang isip because when he decided to cast Yen as the leading lady, I saw her before in All Of Me and in Pure Love, so nakita ko talaga na may potential, ang ganda pa ng mukha nya and di naman nagkamali.”

It’s your first time to be directed by Dondon. How was it?

“What is good about working with direk Dondon is that we were able to meet at a level wherein we could talk as parents because he is also a father. Since this is a father-son story, we were able to relate our own experiences and inject them in the story. We’re also the same age, and I guess we share the same interests in terms of traveling, in terms of being a parent and all.

“I believe in his craft. I’ve seen some of his works, he’s a visionary in his own writings and I could see that there’s so much potential in him for film because ang dami niyang gustong gawin, e, andami n’yang nakikita so ang sarap ng ganun, na you we’re able to work with someone that has that kind of energy and excitement kasi nadadala ka.”

You have worked with A-Lister Lav Diaz and walked the red carpet in Berlin. Has directing a movie ever crossed your mind? If it did, what kind of movie do you want to direct?

“In all honesty, directing has never crossed my mind. I never thought of directing, but yeah, occasionally I do think about it. I think it would be nice to call the shots and, you know, manipulate and maneuver your actors or even your set. But I know that I’m not called to be a director. I can be a producer, I can be an actor, but directing is not in the horizon.”

So far, what would you consider your three best performances? (Is Dekada ’70 for which you won a Best Supporting Actor grand slam one of them?) Any of the three films that you feel could have won an award?

“Dekada would always top the list because I was noticed because of that. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get all the trophies. I know it sounds lame but holding all those trophies and having them in my house parang wow! You know, tinitingnan ko lang ‘yan nung bata ako. Having all those trophies and working for Dekada gave me that certain sense of confidence and belongingness.

“Starting Over Again holds so much meaning in my career, and siguro Lagarista, my first starring role. It gave me the headstart being in this business. I was 21 or 22 back then. It gave me that sense of purpose knowing that I have this craft that I can play around. Those are what I consider milestones in my life and in my career, but all the rest are all memorable for me.”

Any dream role?

“Every role for me as always is a dream role. Every role that I’m tasked to play I make sure to make it different from my previous ones. I don’t have any specific roles in mind that I want to play but it will be really interesting to do something that’s out of the box.

“With Northern Lights, I’m so excited because it’s close to home, being a single father, I was able to also play around the story because I was able to relate to it. I was able to give it a different dimension knowing that I lived that kind of life. If you really ask me, there are no specific roles I wanna play. I just wanna keep on challenging myself in every role that I do.”

At your age, what other goals do you have, personally and professionally?

“Professionally, I want to work with people from the region, maybe other countries, because I wanna champion Filipino filmmaking…put it out there and not just be limited in the Philippine market. It’s been bugging me after my few exposures outside the Philippines and upon seeing other countries that have a showbiz industry or film industry. It gives me that sense of excitement to present our films and probably collaborate or with some other film outfit from other region.

“I don’t have time for anything personal. I signed up with ABS-CBN for another two years and, as I always say whenever I sign a contract, I’m married to my job, I’m married to my contract. Personally, I don’t have anything else that I wanna deal with for the next two years. I just wanna keep on doing what I’m doing as an actor, as a producer, as a singer, as a host or whatever I can put my hands on and my personal life will have to take a back seat for now.”

What else is in your bucket list?

“A lot. I just found out that Antarctica opened up for commercial flights so I’m targeting Antarctica probably after my contract expires. Of course, the Northern Lights. And I’ve not gone to Egypt. I’m a wanderlust. I wanna travel the world; there are so many places I still have yet to see. I wanna be in South America for at least a month or two. I just wanna keep on traveling and, you know, explore places like Tibet, India…andami pa, andami pa!”

What would you tell Piolo Pascual when he was 15 years old?

“Go for it and don’t be scared. Just reach for the stars and the world is your playground, so don’t be scared. Just get out there and be somebody.”

The best and the worst thing about Piolo Pascual?

“The best thing is that I’m able to enjoy my life. I am able to enjoy the things that I’ve always wanted to do, get paid in doing these things, go to places for free. I get to take my family around and live a good life and be used for a good cause or an advocacy and all the things that come with my celebrity status. I’m so blessed and so privileged to be given this platform, so everything is a blessing for me.

“But the worst thing is you lose your privacy. I’m a very private person but I know for a fact that when you become an actor it’s part of the package. But I’ve learned to live with it. Also, I guess sometimes I lack sleep or sometimes I don’t get to enjoy the simple things in life because I have other things to do and my hands are always full.

“It’s not that I’m complaining but you know there are times when you just wanna be able to have more time for the family or for yourself. But if you ask me, I’ve more good things to enjoy. So, why focus on the negative? You can’t have everything in life. I welcome things that make me feel as if I don’t own my life or I’m not my own boss so I just live with it…roll with the punches, I guess.”

(E-mail reactions at entphilstar@yahoo.com. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)