It isn’t every day that Coco Martin allows the public to meet Rodel Nacianceno—the quieter, funnier, and far more candid version of himself who laughs at his own insecurities, admits to craving “lugaw,” and openly talks about how English terrifies him. But in a relaxed and revealing sit-down with Bianca Gonzalez on her YouTube channel, the FPJ’s Batang Quiapo lead star and director let the walls down and allowed viewers to see the man behind the legend.
A Superstar With Simple Tastes
For someone who commands Philippine primetime with ease, Coco’s idea of comfort food couldn’t be more modest. Street classics and humble home-cooked meals—isaw, tokneneng, balut, sisig, bulalo, kare-kare, and above all, lugaw—are what he gravitates to after a long shoot. These dishes take him straight back to Novaliches, to simpler afternoons filled with basketball games and shared bowls of rice porridge from the neighborhood stall.
Sometimes that craving hits so hard he asks Julia Montes to make it for him.
“Kasi naaalala ko noon every time nagba-basketball ako ’pag hapon, pagkatapos ng laro, kakain kami ng lugaw doon sa kanto namin,” he recalled.
Even on set, Coco recreates pieces of his old neighborhood. He shared that he often asks their audio man from Pateros to buy penoy and salted eggs so he can cook them at home and relive those familiar flavors.
A Soft Spot for Love Stories
Despite being synonymous with high-octane action, Coco is, at heart, a romance-drama fanboy. He admitted—half-laughing, half-blushing—that he’s watched Ghost, Moulin Rouge, and Titanic more times than he cares to count.
Drama, after all, was his first love. He once dreamt of treading the same path as Aga Muhlach or Piolo Pascual, something that showed in series like Walang Hanggan and Ikaw Lamang before audiences crowned him king of action through the record-breaking success of FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.
The Unlikely Actor
Coco never thought he would make it in showbiz.
“Kasi nga, alam ko na hindi naman ako artistahin. Ang liit ko. Tapos, ‘di ba, bulol pa ako. May lisp problem ako. Tapos that time, wala akong damit,” he said.
When he auditioned for Star Circle Batch 9, he even borrowed a friend’s pants. Before that, he took on whatever work he could find—dishwasher, tricycle driver, waiter, flyer distributor—just to survive. So when acting jobs became steady, something shifted.
“Parang totoo na siya. Ito na ‘yung career ko.”
What began as a “raket” turned into a calling.
“Tinitingnan ko na kung ano ‘yung magiging resulta nu’ng ginagawa akong trabaho,” he said.
Growth, Discipline, and the Fear of Fading
From actor to actor-director to full creative producer, Coco built a reputation for discipline and laser focus. But he remains grounded by the reality of show business.
“Alam ko kasi na isang araw matatapos din ‘to. Alam ko malalaos ako,” he admitted.
This awareness keeps him diligent—and keeps his sets efficient.
“’Pag dumating sa set, diretso trabaho. Hihinga tayo kapag lunch break. Ang pinaka-reward nating lahat, nakakauwi tayo nang maaga sa pamilya natin.”
He now delegates, trusts his team, and makes room for rest. Some days, he does absolutely nothing—just massages, haircuts, and tending to his birds and fishes.
His Softest Spot: Family
Coco revealed that Julia noticed his transformation from the Probinsyano era.
He said, “Sabi nga sa akin ni [Julia]… nagulat siya, nung ‘Ang Probinsyano,’ halos wala akong oras… Ngayon, natuto na ako na parang kapag ’yung trabaho at pamilya mo ang [binalanse] mo, sabi ko, magkakaroon ka ng time.”
The man who once worked himself to exhaustion now prioritizes the people waiting for him at home.
His Kryptonite? English.
Ask Coco what he absolutely cannot do and he’ll laugh before answering:
“Mag-English.”
It’s not false humility. English genuinely makes him panic. When someone starts speaking straight English, he waits for the conversation to return to Taglish just so he can catch up.
Back in school, he failed English repeatedly. During one dreaded reporting assignment, he and a friend chose to walk out and accept a failing grade rather than speak in English in front of the class.
This insecurity explains why he often avoids roles that require long English lines. He knows they distract him from the emotional truth of a scene.
In his early ABS-CBN years, even reading the teleprompter during ASAPappearances was difficult. His struggles eventually led his manager to send him to personality development classes. He learned English, poise, and confidence—but something felt off.
He feared losing himself.
“Minahal naman ako ng mga tao na ganito… Mas gusto ko kung saan ako komportable. Kung ano ako bilang tao, ‘yun ako. Para hindi ako mahirapan,” he told his manager.
The Coco That Endears Us
Viewers often meet the Primetime King, the director, the action hero. But in Bianca Gonzalez’s interview, the world saw someone else—not the flawless figure onscreen, but the “jologs,” nostalgic, lugaw-loving, English-fearing Coco who built himself from the ground up.
That man—the honest, unguarded Rodel—is the version the public rarely sees, yet the one that feels most real.