Jake Cuenca takes bisexual role: Last scene a test of his acting mettle

He didn't really have a hard time with his scenes in the gay-themed Joel Lamangan movie My Father, Myself — except the very last one, Jake Cuenca told Daily Tribune at a recent media conference.

Explaining further without giving away too much, Cuenca — who looked like an Italian lothario in his mustache — said he had to psyche himself up for that penultimate sequence, which he considered a test of his mettle as an actor.

His role, in fact, can be the toughest of challenges for a dramatic performing artist. In My Father, Myself, Cuenca plays Robert, a family man married to Amanda (Dimples Romana) with a daughter, Mica (Tiffany Grey). Conflict develops when Robert adopts Matthew (Sean de Guzman), whose biological father, Domeng (Allan Paule), is Robert's deceased lover.

The plot takes a twisted turn when Mica and Matthew get romantically involved, at the same time that Robert gives in to Matthew's sexual innuendoes. Mica getting pregnant by Matthew while he and Robert begin an affair makes for an explosive situation.

It's not fiction, though, but a true-to-life story based on the experience of a friend of Lamangan. Screenwriter Quinn Carrillo expanded the story — interviewing people and consulting a friend who was closeted.

It's also not the first time for Cuenca to play a gay character. In 2013's Lihis, likewise directed by Lamangan, he and Joem Bascon were cast as NPA rebels who fall for each other.

Fielding questions from the media, Cuenca said he has intimate knowledge of the experiences of a gay friend — that's why he himself is no longer shocked that such things happen in real life.

The bottom line in My Father, Myself is how the actors will flesh out the humanity of their respective characters, at a time when inclusivity and acceptance have become a norm in Philippine society.

My Father, Myself, produced by Mentorque Entertainment and 3:16 MediaNetwork, is an official entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival, which opens on 25 December.