August 13, 2024 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Reliable actor Joem Bascon feels very happy and honored to be included in the hit GMA Prime series, “Asawa Ng Asawa Ko,” he remarked in a recent group interview. It’s his debut acting project with the Kapuso network.
Joem’s character Leon has changed, as a manner of speaking, by leaps and bounds, from being the leader of Kalasag, an armed group that kidnapped Cristy (played by Jasmine Curtis-Smith) to becoming the latter’s lover. Such a transformation also sees Leon, Cristy and Jordan (Rayver Cruz), the husband of Cristy before the abduction happened, in a love triangle. Jordan is now with Shaira (Liezel Lopez), while the former partner of Leon, Hannah (Kylie Padilla), has entered the “Asawa Ng Asawa Ko” storyline.
“I’m happy that they’ve given me the chance to act for GMA. This is my very first project with the Kapuso network,” said Joem. “So, I’m very glad to be part of a group that is caring. We studied the scenes and the script well. Direk Laurice Guillen looks after us on set… We never thought that the show would run this long.”
“Asawa Ng Asawa Ko” premiered in January of this year and is doing well at the ratings game. It started out as an afternoon show then moved to a primetime slot. With that, other characters have been given their own narrative arcs, and the new character Hannah has been introduced.
“What direk Laurice and I initially talked about was that my character would be a straight kontrabida (villain),” shared Joem. “I’m not sure where it began, but when we were reading the script, suddenly my character had an angle with Cristy (Jasmine) and also had an angle with Jordan (Rayver).”
The actor added that Leon should be treading the common path of a villain, who would consistently be around and make the life of every character miserable.
Given the development in Leon’s character, Joem does what he can and his portrayal sits well with the creatives and viewers.
Joem and Meryl Soriano with their kids.
Asked how the experience has been working with Kylie and what changes the actress’ character Hannah brings to the story, Joem answered that the relationship dynamics between characters have changed. The actors have had to make some adjustments in approaching their roles.
“Kinabahan kami at first, siyempre, mahusay na aktres yung papasok (At first, we were nervous because a really good actress was coming in). We’re honored that she’s joining us,” added the actor, who further noted that working with Kylie has been “light and easy.”
Like any family man, Joem looks forward to seeing his family and spending time with them after a day of work.
“Sabi ko kanina gusto ko ng umuwi, gusto ko ng mag-alaga (I said earlier that I wanted to go home and take care of the kids). My baby boy has just started his schooling, pre-school. He goes to school for two hours every day. In my free time and free days, we, Meme (Meryll Soriano) and I, take him to school. Sabi ko naiingit ako at sana ako din ay makasama,” shared he. Joem and Meryll have their son Gido, while Meryll has another son Eli.
Since he is not getting any younger, Joem also chooses what projects to take on — the ones that will also allow him to spend time with his family. If he becomes “super rich,” he will venture into running a business.
Joem and Meryll’s work setup is that when one of them is working, the other parent stays at home and looks after the kids. After work, Joem goes home, does errands, bonds with the children, and attends to household needs. This is his daily routine. He enjoys essaying one role after another.
Joem shared that he is saving for the future and trying to stay healthy. So, like parents out there, he will be able to provide for the family, and see the kids finish school and succeed in life.
(‘Asawa Ng Asawa Ko’ airs Mondays to Thursdays at 9:35 p.m. on GMA Prime.)
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