Jericho Rosales Shares That He Almost Quit Acting—And What He's Doing Differently Now

We all know Jericho Rosales has always had the charm, the kilig factor, the lover boy status. But behind the killer smiles and decades-long fame, the actor actually considered walking away from acting for good.

He was in New York at the time, during the 2020 pandemic. "I wanted to quit again," he admitted in his Preview February 2026 cover story written by Pola del Monte, and photographed by Yel dela Paz. His last big projects before this pause had been the 2018 TV drama series Halik and the Metro Manila Film Festival entry The Girl in the Orange Dress.

But instead of calling it quits, Jericho turned the break into a full-on career reset. He confronted the frustration, fear, and self-judgment that had quietly piled up over the years. "I realized there were parts of me that had to be dealt with. There was frustration, insecurity, fear… a lot of blocks," he shared.

When he returned to the Philippines in 2024, Jericho came back like someone who finally found the cheat sheet for life. He built a new team, led by manager Pinky Angodung, who introduced structure and corporate-level systems to sharpen his decisions.

"I came back, and it pushed me to sit down, have a plan, and have a goal," he said. Projects were no longer just about commercial appeal—they had to align with a bigger, long-term vision.

The romantic heartthrob of the early 2000s—the boy-next-door type whose earnest smiles could make anyone's cheeks turn red AF—has evolved into something much more layered. Since returning to the spotlight, his projects, from the morally complex Lavender Fields (2024) to the historically intense biopic Quezon (2025), show Jericho exploring characters who are flawed, conflicted, and very human.

Talking about his latest role in The Loved One, where he stars alongside Anne Curtis, Jericho explains that playing Eric, an overbearing lover, isn't drawn from a single personal experience. "I've been in a lot of relationships. And this is not just [reminiscent of only] one person," he explains. For Jericho, vulnerability is non-negotiable. "You have to open up so that you can portray the character properly," he adds, proving that real emotion beats technique every time.

Jericho's willingness to open up to the full spectrum of emotion proves that the modern leading man isn't just someone who can make hearts flutter. He's someone who can carry complexity, responsibility, and depth on screen.

If you're curious to see Jericho bringing all the layers of emotion and heart to the screen, The Loved One is now playing in cinemas nationwide.