David Licauco's star is on the rise—and now his talent fee reflects that. According to PEP, the actor's pay has seen an increase since Maria Clara at Ibarra.
Apparently, an appearance from Licauco now ranges from P400,000 to P500,000. PEP also reports that, sometimes, the actor makes two appearances in a day which in total can earn him a cool P1 million. Not bad at all considering the series was Licauco's "one last try" at show business.
Yep, the actor was close to quitting the industry. "He felt that nothing was happening with his career, that [it was] stagnant. He has been raring to do lead roles in a soap opera, but he couldn't land any. Maria Clara at Ibarra was supposed to be his last hurrah," Licauco's manager Arnold Vegafria said in an interview.
He continued, "GMA 7 managed to convince us. And we're like, 'Okay, why not give it a shot? Let's see, we might get lucky this time. I told David, 'Even if it's just a supporting role, try to get noticed. Show them what you can do. Study your role well."
The series—which also stars Barbie Forteza, Julie Anne San Jose, and Dennis Trillo—spent 22 consecutive days on Netflix's top TV shows in the country. Licauco's role has even earned him the title "Pambansang Ginoo" by viewers.
The whole thing is definitely a welcome change, especially since Vegafria confessed he used to beg networks to give Licauco a role. "We used to have a hard time landing roles," Vegafria said. "I had to beg networks to give him a role, or we had to produce a movie for him so he could get noticed. But I still believed in him, and if I believe in an artist, I'm very passionate."
*This story originally appeared on Esquiremag.ph. Minor edits have been made by Cosmo.ph editors.