He may be called a latebloomer in showbiz, because Shido Roxas is in no hurry to be on the spotlight.

Rainbow’s Sunset (Heaven’s Best Entertainment) got the First Best Picture nod at the 2018 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), arguably for being the most daring of them all with a story about old men coming out of the closet.

Talent scouts who saw me in public would offer to manage me, but I was not interested in showbiz then

Showbiz insiders know how much it took for the actor playing the young Eddie Garcia to be in the role. Shido Roxas confessed, pre-MMFF, that he even had second thoughts accepting it as the role required kissing another man.

As far as good looks go, the newbie actor has what it takes to catch the eye — even a horde of fans. It is shocking, then, to be told he is shy, and that he shunned the limelight even when the limelight kept chasing him back when he was in high school.

“Talent scouts who saw me in public would offer to manage me, but I was not interested in showbiz then. My mom wanted me to be a lawyer after I finished Applied Economics at De La Salle, but I didn’t want that. So I looked for a school in Japan where I could enroll and I stayed there for five years to get a second degree in International Management,” he relates.

Being new in the industry, he felt he might not be able to go through with the kissing scene.

When he returned to the Philippines, he was chosen to model for the Cosmo Bachelors issue.

Some television commercials followed, during which time he met his manager, Leo Dominguez.

For his first movie, he played a minor role as the new boyfriend of Erich Gonzales in the film The Significant Other, which was directed by Joel Lamangan.

Lamangan also directed Rainbow’s Sunset.

Shido told the Daily Tribune that being new in the industry, he felt he might not be able to go through with the kissing scene. “I really had second thoughts,” he said.

As far as good looks go, the newbie actor has what it takes to catch the eye — even a horde of fans.

Perhaps sensing his apprehension, his manager sat him down and talked to him for an hour or so.

“He explained to me that it’s a good role because not everyone gets the chance to play Eddie Garcia and he said I should not worry about the kissing scene because the director Joel Lamangan would guide us,” he added. In the scene, he locks lips with Ross Pesigan (the actor playing the young Tony Mabesa). His wife in the story, played by Max Collins as the young Gloria Romero, catches them.

The 27-year-old went through with the scene and emerged a little shell-shocked, but otherwise glad. He says he is fortunate to be part of this film, as it is a story that would resonate among families, not just the gay community.

Rainbow’s Sunset, written by Eric Ramos, is about an elderly family patriarch who comes out to his children and desires to be with his dying best friend. At the MMFF awards night, it raked in 11 prizes, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress for Gloria Romero, Best Supporting Actress for Aiko Melendez and Best Supporting Actor for Tony Mabesa

Shido has a long way to go before he reaches the metier of these senior Filipino actors, but with his willingness to learn and courage to try new things for his career, he may well reach it sooner than anyone expects.