Primetime King Coco Martin may be known for his intense acting, top-rating teleseryes, and box-office films, but behind the cameras, the FPJ’s: Batang Quiapo actor admitted he still has one major fear: speaking English.
In a candid conversation with Bianca Gonzalez on her podcast Paano Ba ‘To!?, Coco opened up about how even after years in showbiz, the language remains his biggest struggle.
Bianca asked Coco if there is anything he cannot do, given his many talents. Without second thoughts, Coco honestly answered: “Mag-English”. He laughed, but his honesty revealed years of anxiety where he often catches himself overthinking conversations mid-way.
“Totoo! Alam mo sinabi ko ito, honestly, kay Tita Susan [Roces]. Everytime na may interview o may nag-uusap, ninenerbyos ako pag may nage-English. 'Ano kayang pinag-uusapan nila?'”
He shared that he always hopes someone switches to speaking Tagalog-English (TagLish) just so he can follow the conversation. “Tapos hinuhuli ko, pinakikiramdaman ko, sinasabi ko sa sarili ko ‘Sana may mag TagLish’ para ma-gets ko ‘ah yun pala yun!’” he said.
The actor recalled that English had always been his weak spot, starting from his school days. “Nung nag-aaral ako pag English subject, nangangatog ako. As in, talagang hindi ko alam.” Even his Tita Susan had noticed the fear in him. “Alam mo sabi sakin ni Tita Susan, para kang na-trauma e… pag nakakarinig ka ng English, [lumalayo ka].”
Coco admitted he still feels that fear until now. “Pag nakakarinig ako ng English ninenerbiyos na ko. Pero pag nag-Tagalog sila ‘uy pwede ako mag-Tagalog’ yan lalakas na yung loob ko. Pero pag English-an, hindi ko alam para akong nara-rattle na parang ‘ano ‘to?’ hindi ko na naiintindihan, parang nawawala ako.”
“Yun yung pinakakinatatakutan ko at pinaka-ayoko,” he emphasized.
While many assume his fear came from a scolding teacher, Coco clarified that it's not and that it has always been natural for him. “Alam mo naman ang mga typical na Pilipino ang joke nga natin ‘naku, baluktot mag-English o takot mag-English'. Pero sabi ko nga, mula elementary, high school, hanggang college naman ako, kapag Tagalog yung subject isa ako sa pinakamagaling sa classroom kasi madaldal ako e.”
“Ang problema ko mahaba pa akong magpaliwanag. Daldal lang nang daldal. Pero pag English na, lahat ng English subject ko bagsak,” he recalled.
He even shared that he repeated the subject English 1 in college three or four times. “May summer pa ko nun,” he remembered. There was even a time in college when he and a classmate were assigned to report in English in front of the class, but they chose to walk out instead.
“Paano namin ie-explain eh English di ba? Ipapaliwanag namin ng Tagalog? Umalis kami, hindi na kami nag-report. Sabi namin, bagsak na kung bagsak. Kasi alam namin papahiyain kami, kasi hindi namin kaya i-explain nang English sa classroom,” he shared.
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During the time when he was starting to attend film festivals where international producers were noticing his craft, Coco admitted that he would often say that he was not interested in joining the foreign scene because he cannot memorize scripts in English. In the local scene, he shared that he denies portraying rich roles because he will be doing dialogues in English or TagLish. For him, focusing on emotions would be impossible as he will be definitely worrying about the script written in the foreign language.
Years later in showbiz, his fear still followed him. When he was just starting at ABS-CBN, appearing on ASAP made him more nervous than performing action stunts. He could not keep up with the teleprompter, pushing his manager to enroll him in personality development and English classes. “Gusto ko rin ma-develop yung sarili ko,” Coco said.
“Para matuto ka mag-English, para maging kumportable ka, dapat ginagamit mo siya. Hindi pwedeng kung kailan lang may-eksena. Kahit sa bahay dapat pina-practice mo siya,” he realized.
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Coco admitted he began enjoying the change after enrolling in the class, but feared people would think he was trying too hard. “Ang problema ko nag-eenjoy ako. Ang worry ko is, ang gusto sa'kin ng tao yung pagiging jologs ko, yung pagiging masa ko. Yung nakaka-relate sila kasi nakikita nila yung sarili nila sa'kin.”
“Baka mamaya sabihin ng mga tao, trying hard ako. ‘Totoo naman!’” he joked, saying he wanted to stay the Coco people fell in love with.
And so, he spoke again with his manager saying that he would drop out of his class. He felt guilty at first and even tried to insist to his manager that he will payback the fee they would not be able to refund. Instead, his manager approved his discontinuation of the program and agreed on Coco embracing his true self.
"Minahal naman ako ng mga tao na ganito. Sabi ko, hindi naman ako nagpe-pretend. Dati hindi ko kailangan mag-pretend. Sabi ko, mas gusto ko kung saan ako komportable. Kung ano ako bilang tao, ‘yun ako. Para hindi ako mahirapan," he told his manager then, realizing he’d rather stick with what felt real and familiar to his core.
“After that pinanindigan na namin. Kaya eto, jologs pa rin ako,” he shared laughing.
Instead of letting it hold him back, Coco turned his biggest insecurity into one of his most iconic charms. Fans loved how he showcased his relatability in movies like You’re My Boss (2015), where Toni Gonzaga’s character trained him to speak English for business dealings, turning the struggle into sweet, kilig comedy. The same year in Beauty and the Bestie, he delivered a now-memorable punchline after James Reid’s emotional English confession where he hilariously responded that he did not understand anything.
As the Primetime King continues to headline Filipino stories on screen, fans have embraced his authenticity even more. Coco, who became the country’s most beloved action star through raw emotion, commitment, and heart, proves that language will never define the talent of someone who is proudly Filipino at his core.