John Manalo at the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. (Photo by WALDEN SADIRI)

"I want you to work hard and go through the hardships I went through to be an actor.”

The above statement came from actor Jericho Rosales to his nephew 14-year-old actor John Manalo. And according to the latter, these were words of inspiration from his uncle that he has placed in his heart.

John has always idolized his uncle Jericho and he respected his uncle if he doesn’t want him to get into showbiz in a breeze. For him, it is also better that he learns the ropes of the entertainment world, to understand it better and let his experiences be part of his growth as an actor.

“I really want to be an actor when I was still a child,” shared John in Filipino. “I want to be like my uncle Jericho Rosales. He is my inspiration and I also believe in working hard. That’s why I don’t brag that he is my uncle.”

John Manalo’s kiddie charms and good looks when he was still a child earned him his way to showbiz. Since he was four years old, he has already done more than 30 commercials. And his exposures from these commercials led the way for him to be discovered and be a regular at a number of ABS-CBN TV shows.

To name a few, these were: “Wansapanataym,” “Mga Anghel na Walang Langit,” “Nginiig,” “Maalaala Mo Kaya,” “Your Song,” “Kung-Fu Kids,” “Margarita,” “Pieta,” and “Going Bulilit” which was his biggest break on television.

“I graduated from ‘Going Bulilit’ two years ago. I miss the show but I learned a lot especially about comedy. I really enjoyed it,” he recalled.

In the movies, he first appeared in “Got To Believe” in 2002 and since then has been an in-demand child actor. In his movie credits were “Feng Shui,” “Lastikman,” “Volta,” “Dubai,” “Say That You Love Me,” “D’ Lucky Ones,” “Love Me Again,” “A Journey Home” and “Caregiver” wherein he played the son of Sharon Cuneta.

In his young career, John’s acting was already recognized by critics as he was bestowed nominations and awards for his craft. He first won the Best Child Actor in 2004 during the 21st PMPC Star Awards for Movies for his performance in “Feng Shui.” He won again in FAMAS for the same movie. In 2005, he won the Most Popular Child Actor and Best Child Performer from the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Award for “Mga Angel Na Walang Langit.”

Capping his showbiz career this 2009 is Regal Films’ official entry to the 2009 Metro Manila Film Festival entitled “Mano Po 6: My Mother’s Love” wherein he is reunited with the Megastar as her son.

“This is my first ‘Mano Po’ project and I’m very excited. I’m also grateful that I was cast and that I was given another opportunity to work with Ms. Sharon Cuneta. She is a great actress and I enjoy working with her,” expressed John.

He added that he feels blessed every time he was in a Sharon Cuneta movie as he was able to travel to London for “Caregiver” and now to Beijing, China for “Mano Po 6.”

“The weather in Beijing was colder than London when we shot there. And my Beijing trip was very memorable as we all saw different popular sites like the Bird Nest, the Great Wall of China, The Forbidden City and more. It was really cold during our pictorials and shoot but it was all worth it. We all had fun,” he said. “I’m thankful to Mother Lily for bringing us to Beijing.”

Knowing that he was going to work with Sharon Cuneta and be directed by Joel Lamangan, John explained that he really prepared for his role. Even if it was just a support role, he put his heart and mind to it. According to him he always takes his roles, however big or small, seriously because it would reflect on himself as an actor.

He also feels that “Mano Po 6” is the perfect movie for the family to watch this Christmas because it talks about family relationships and how a family overcomes trials and remain intact as a family.

So what kind of an actor would he like to be someday?

“For me I like to try everything like drama and comedy because I want to become a versatile actor. Trying different roles will also help me develop as an actor. And I know I will learn more if I try different roles,” he replied.

A first year high school student at Marist School in Marikina City, John stressed that his first love may be acting but he is continuing his studies. He aims to balance his work and education because he also plans of earning a degree in Architecture in college. One of his childhood dreams was to design and build his own house someday.

That said, John Manalo is leading man. And like his uncle Jericho Rosale, he is one actor ON THE RISE!