Actor Joko Diaz had audiences laughing as he revisited his most chaotic memories as a child actor during a candid sit-down on Julius Babao UNPLUGGED, including the no-holds-barred methods used to make him cry on the set of an FPJ classic.
Diaz was barely four years old when he appeared in Sigaw ng Katarungan, a role that would later earn him Best Child Actor honors. Behind the award-winning performance, however, were moments that, by today’s standards, sound almost unbelievable. “Yung kay FPJ, wala akong ginawa doon kundi umiyak,” he said, recalling how emotional scenes were achieved in the most literal way possible.
One memory stood out: being physically tossed by the late actor Rene Hawkins to provoke tears. “Binalibag ako ni Rene Hawkins doon sa maliit na bartolina,” Joko shared, adding that he immediately ran to his father, action star Paquito Diaz, to complain. “Sabi ko, ‘Dy, nagasgasan yung kamay ko… binato ako,’” he recalled.
Paquito’s reaction, however, was far from alarmed. Quoting his father’s exchange with Hawkins, Joko laughed: “‘Ayun naman pala, boy. Kailangan mo palang umiyak eh. Ayaw mong umiyak, edi binato ka.’”
Host Julius Babao reacted with amused disbelief, pointing out the irony that such extreme measures resulted in an award-winning performance.