EMPATHY-DRIVEN SERVICE
Choosing between prioritizing
show business or public service
was an easy decision for the
altruistic Arjo Atayde
BY HELEN HERNANE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROMEO PERALTA JR
In December 2020, Juan Carlos “Arjo” Campo Atayde won the Best Actor Award at the 2020 Asian Academy Creative Awards, beating actors from China, Taiwan, and other Southeast Asian countries. He also earned the distinction of being the first Filipino actor to win such an award and as an additional stroke of luck, he nabbed the award just as he was about to celebrate a decade in the entertainment industry.
UNDERSTANDING HUMANITY
Atayde won the award for his portrayal of Benjo Malaya in the movie Bagman, a barber who, due to circumstances, becomes a ‘bagman’ or henchman for the governor of the fictional province of Magdiwang. Released in streaming sites, the two-season series depicts the family man getting caught up in “a dangerous web of crime, corruption, and political turmoil.” His character’s many tasks include being a getaway driver for an assassination, a vote buyer, and an intimidator. While the series paints a convoluted
world, it still, as one Esquire review puts it, “hits close to home.”
Playing the anti-hero who eventually became the governor of Magdiwang, Atayde admits, has been one of the most difficult challenges in his career. In one interview with Philippine Star, the actor explains that the film “depicts the despicable nature of......
