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MANILA -- Piolo Pascual has been in the showbiz industry for 25 years now. He has done mostly romantic-comedies and drama films. He admittedly is a fan of horror and he loves watching horror films.

However, he never got a chance to make any horror films through the years. “Since I got stuck with doing romantic comedies, I never got the chance to try the horror genre,” Pascual told ABS-CBN News.

He recently gave his nod to play a serial killer priest in “Mallari,” inspired by actual events in the life of Father Juan Severino Mallari, a Catholic priest who was also the first documented serial killer in the Philippines.

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At the helm is award-winning director Derick Cabrido, from a script by Enrico Santos, who details the life and work of Mallari presented in three timelines – 1851 (Spanish Colonization), 1950 (Post War) and 2023 (Present Time).

“Seeing Mallari, reading the script and finding out the truthfulness of the person and character that I’m going to portray, I know the film is based on a true story and I Googled Mallari,” Pascual granted.

“This is going to be really hard for me. Physically exhausting, emotionally draining. I’m portraying three roles but I’m up for the challenge and I’m happy to be give this privilege to be acting for this film. It’s quite an interesting story.”

Doing “Mallari” is never to glorify the serial killers, as Pascual pointed out. “The fact that Mallari’s life story will be made into a film, I was honored to be part of the experience,” Pascual said.

Cabrido assigned Pascual a number of hard scenes for “Mallari.” The actor is the first and only choice of producer John Bryan Diamante to play the part, although the rest of the cast have already been chosen to join Pascual.

“I don’t know what to expect,” Pascual said. “Preparing for the role of Mallari is not an easy task. We are doing three different timelines and three different periods, so I’m just excited for the production.”

Mallari was the first Filipino priest to be executed. He was sentenced to death 14 years after being caught and 32 years before the execution of GomBurZa.

Making this film will not be totally expensive, but will be hard for the production, since they cannot rely on actual records available. There are also no transcripts that they can rely on.

Bankrolled by Mentorque Productions, “Mallari” is a fictional story – and not a documentary – inspired by true accounts in the town of Magalang, Pampanga. The project is intended as an entry for the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) this December.

“That’s the fun part of being an actor,” Pascual said. “You pick up another character and ‘Mallari’ is very complex for me.

“I think it’s a very big responsibility for me to get out of that image that people know about me. It’s a good challenge for me. I guess that has been a challenge for me for the last two decades. I always look for something that will ignite my passion for acting.

“This project was it. I always look for something that will test my capacity as an artist and an actor. It’s a privilege for me to portray this role. I will really dig deep into this character and the story.

“With Mallari, we are not trying to celebrate the serial killer. We are trying to celebrate the cinema. At least I can say I have done something different. A horror film, my first one. I hope that I can live up to the expectations of the viewers.”

Pascual claimed he never saw a ghost in his lifetime. “I’m a very religious person myself, but I love watching horror films and the supernatural,” he said. “Based on Mallari’s story, I can’t wait till we start shooting.

“I hope I don’t get possessed. I hope Mallari will not threaten me and there will be no supernatural that will happen while we shoot.”

When he recently did “Ibarra,” his first professional venture into musical theater, Pascual stepped out of his comfort zone. He played the character in all ten, live performances without using his alternates.

“I always appreciate the process of immersing myself in the character, trusting my director, the script, the character and I’m always excited to play a part,” Pascual said. “Playing a character is always a big challenge.

“I don’t overthink. I go through the journey of each character I work with, but for ‘Mallari,’ it’s hard to prepare for the character. It gives me goose bumps. I’ve seen a lot of documentaries and films.

“I don’t want to overthink. I don’t want to over analyze. I have to define the person. I don’t want to overprepare. I just have to break this into the silver screen and see where this will take us. Definitely, I’m on it.

“As an actor, I’m always ready for surprises. I always give more than a hundred percent of what I do. I always want to see something I haven’t done before, step out of my comfort zone and see where the role takes me.”