MANILA -- Mark Anthony Fernandez cannot be any prouder that his 19-year-old son Grae followed in his footsteps and also embarked on an acting career.

Grae, who is in the cast of the ABS-CBN primetime series, “Ang Sa Iyo ay Akin,” which is airing its finale on Friday night, has undoubtedly made a name for himself as an actor.

“I’m happy with everything that has been happening to my son now,” Fernandez told ABS-CBN News. “Alam ko ‘yung puso niya. Gusto niya talagang maging artista. Natutuwa talaga ako at nagsusumikap siya.”

Now separated from his wife Melissa Garcia, Fernandez took it upon himself to advice his son about showbiz. “Ako na ‘yung nagkusang loob a few times noong may pagkakataon na akong magpayo,” he said.

“Proud ako bilang tatay at may magandang nangyari sa kanya. Nagbibinata siya at nagiging independent. Huwag siyang mawalan ng patience being an actor.

“Trabaho lang ng trabaho. Hanap lang ng magandang kwento o magandang project at maka-jackpot din siya na talagang markado ang role. Pwede niyang mapanalo ‘yung role at magustuhan ng tao.”

Given a chance, Fernandez expressed his desire to work on former senator Gringo Honasan’s biopic, with Grae as his co-star. “Can anybody convince a producer to buy the story rights of Senator Gringo Honasan?” Fernandez asked.

“Maybe Grae can also be in it or I can be in it with Grae, that will be a big project for both us,” he said. “Kung maganda ang project, bakit hindi kami magsasama? We really need a good project to work together. Alam ko mangyayari din ‘yan.”

The son of Rudy Fernandez and Alma Moreno, Fernandez made his mark in his early films like Jose Javier Reyes’ “Pare Ko,” Rory Quintos’ “Mangarap Ka” and Jose Carreon’s “Matimbang Pa sa Dugo,” all shown in 1995. He earned best actor and best supporting actor citations for those films.

Fernandez saw the decline of his career and lived with it. He did films that bombed at the tills. But after experiencing a career slump, he bounced back and revitalized his career, doing one compelling performance after another.

In 2019, Fernandez was cast in the blockbuster Metro Manila Film Festival entry, director Nuel Naval’s “Miracle in Cell No. 7,” top-billed by Aga Muhlach and child star Xia Vigor.

Fernandez has visibly lost weight after constantly working out.

“Bilang artista, ang feeling ko wala akong dating kapag hindi proper ang weight ko,” he said. “So kahit papano, I really tried to lose weight. I even came to a point where kailangan ko pang ipagdasal ang weight ko. Buti na lang answered prayers at salamat kay God.”

Fernandez plays angel Michael, who wants to kill the anti-Christ in the Lenten offering, “Biyernes Santo,” which will be streamed on VivaMax starting March 26. At the helm is director Pedring Lopez, whose earlier credits included “Binhi,” “Nilalang” and “Maria” (which garnered 10 nominations in the forthcoming Star Awards for Movies).

Others in the cast of “Biyernes Santo,” who were personally handpicked by Lopez, are Gardo Versoza, Andrea del Rosario, Ella Cruz and 14-year-old newcomer Via Ortega.