Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition Big Winner and actor Brent Manalo talked about getting his second wind in showbiz and why he won’t waste the chance to make a bigger name for himself as an actor this year.
Barely a month after being declared as one of the Big Winners along with Mika Salamanca in Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition, Brent has been enjoying his much-deserved second wind in his showbiz career after almost a decade of doing content creation, modeling, and acting. In his recent exclusive interview with PUSH BETS, Brent revealed that he considered joining PBB as his last chance in showbiz.
“Ngayon, until now, hindi pa rin talaga masyado nag-si-sink in. Siguro, yung pagkapanalo talaga namin, hindi siya expected para sa aming dalawa. Kaya ngayon, parang nananaginip pa rin. ‘Yun ‘yung pakiramdam. Sabi ko, if ito (sa PBB), hindi pa talaga nag-work, I’ll take it as a sign na maybe it’s not really for me. Na may mga ganoon talagang bagay na kahit you want it so bad or kahit gaano mo ipilit, it doesn’t work out. ‘Yun, I’ll take it as a sign na hindi siya para sa akin,” he told PUSH BETS.
Having started being on camera over a decade ago when he started his self-titled YouTube channel, Brent officially began his showbiz career in 2018 when he was invited to join and do workshops at Star Magic. But the path to stardom proved to be full of challenges for the now 27-year-old actor.
“Kasi naka-ilang subok na rin talaga ako. Kasi, I’m doing well with, like, my content—’yung other aspect ko sa career ko. Pero, when it comes to showbiz, I was really struggling, kasi I have faced so many rejections. And parang, tingin ko rin, hindi siya para sa akin kasi nga it doesn’t work out. Like, bigla, magkakaroon ng boost, tapos bigla, baba na naman. Ganun ganun. Yes. So, it’s like a yo-yo—parang, kumbaga, hindi consistent, kumbaga. Hindi consistent ‘yung trajectory, kumbaga.
"So, sabi ko, siguro ‘tong PBB—usually kasi ‘yung mga lumalabas sa PBB talaga, most of the time, they really come out very successful Ang dami ring nangyayari sa mga careers nila,” he admitted.
It was especially hard for Brent during the time of the pandemic, when projects were few and far in between. During that time, he prayed for a calling to another career path.
“It was always during my breaking point. It always happens for me during that time na, 'Okay na ‘to, wala na. Okay na ‘ko.' Even with this one, sa showbiz, like, a few—I think, 2023, na parang I would always pray every night na, 'Lord, please help me make a name for myself.' Like parang, tulungan niyo ako sa ginagawa ko ngayon. Pero, it never came—like always na nabibigay talaga sa ‘kin nung pumasok ako, parang puro rejections.
"So, parang it came to a point na sobrang pagod na ako, aayoko na. Parang the first time ever after praying every single day na 'Lord, please help me with my career.' ‘Yung day na ‘yun, I was crying the whole day. Sabi ko, 'Lord, wag na. ‘Wag na ‘yun. ‘Yung prayer ko na lang—bukas, sana pag gising ko, hindi na ito ‘yung pangarap ko. Sana ibahin niyo na lang, na iba na ‘yung gustuhin kong marating sa buhay.'
"Pero, ito, ito tayo, ito ako ngayon na, kausap niyo, even sharing this testimony of mine na, as long as you don’t give up on your dreams, nothing’s impossible,” he explained.
After PBB, Brent said he is so thankful to be blessed with a new project in such a short period of time since leaving the Big Brother house. “Malapit na malapit na ang movie na pinaghirapan namin, buong cast, directed by Direk Benedict Mique—The Four Bad Boys and Me. This July 31 na po sa ABS-CBN Entertainment Channel. Tapos, malapit na rin po ang The ColLOVE Concert sa Araneta Coliseum this August 10. Malapit na maubos ‘yung tickets niyan, kaya habol-habol na po sa pagbili. Thank you!” he said.
Watch Brent Manalo’s full interview with PUSH BETS here:
New episodes drop every Friday at 7:30 PM on ABS-CBN.com, the PUSH YouTube channel, and every Sunday at 10:10 PM on Kapamilya Online Live! Catch this inspiring PUSH Bets interview hosted by Gary Ann Lastrilla. New episodes drop every Friday at 7:30 PM on ABS-CBN.com, the PUSH YouTube channel, and every Sunday at 10:10 PM on Kapamilya Online Live!