CELEBRITY WORLD PH
By Crispina M. Belen
The story of actor-director Johnrey Rivas
Johnrey Q. Rivas, 2022 FAMAS Best Supporting Actor, has gone a long way since his days as a lad in Davao City who dreamed to be a remarkable musical theater actor in Manila.
"I grew up with a very practical family," began Rivas as he expressed his sentiment as to how his experience molded his outlook toward life.
"Kailangan magbanat ng buto para magkaroon ng sariling baon sa eskwela sa araw-araw. Gumigising sa karinderya at nagbabalat ng pansahog sa ulam na ititinda sa aming karinderya araw-araw. Iyon ang mga karanasan ko na humubog sa akin na hanggang ngayon ay dala-dala ko, at naiintindihan ko na ang bawat pagsusumikap ay may kapalit na kaginhawaan sa buhay. Kaya naman lahat ng kung ano ang narating ko ngayon, I make sure na pinagtrabahuan at pinagpawisan para sulit ang lahat ng mga pinagdaanan," said Rivas with enthusiasm.
A product of Tondo High School in Tondo, Manila, Johnrey started as a workshop participant for the Philippine Stagers Foundation (PSF) Theatre Company in 2011 and 2014. He initially worked as an usher for the PSF group to expose himself to the theater industry and officially debuted as a theater actor when he was 16. Later he landed roles like Pancho in "Filipinas 1941," Mark Lory Clemencio in "#Popepular," Jose Rizal in 'Obra ni Juan," Andres Bonifacio in "Supremo Redux,' Nestor in "Sindak 1941," and Jayriz in "HERO Z," among others.
He received as Best Featured Actor and Best Male Crossover Artist accolades in the 2019 and 2020 Aliw Awards, respectively. During the 38th PMPC Star Awards, he was recognized as the Best Movie Supporting Actor of the Year. In the 70th FAMAS Awards, he was hailed as the Best Supporting Actor for his superb portrayal as the beleagured teen Art in "KATIPS: the Movie," a 2021 Filipino period musical drama film written and directed by Atty. Vincent M. Tanada.
In indie films, he acted in "Joe the Movie", "Why Love Why the Series," "Ako Si Ninoy," and "Bangkay" (based on Don Palanca Memorial Awards full-length entry winner written by Vince Tanada which will be shown in international film festivals soon). He directed the short film "Zomnia" and the BL movie "Twinkle Twinkie Little Star the Series' (his direction of My Boo the Series is in the works).
Slowly but surely, he caught the attention of the theater and moviegoers for his excellent performance. But as he goes on a trek, a long arduous journey, he knows how to look back to the three persons that have a great influence on him as a person. "Director Vince M. Tanada, my mom Helen and my grandmother Norma. Parte sila ng paghubog at pagpapalaki sa akin (Rivas started acting auditions at age 12). Kung sino man at ano ako ngayon ay nakatulong at nakaimpluwensiya sila ng malaki sa akin," remarked Johnrey, who was Bestlink College of the Philippines' outstanding alumnus for entertainment (Bachelor of Library and Information Science, 2021).
He is now the duly appointed president of the PSF Theater Company and holds the concurrent position of head of the PSF Digital Department, known as Stagers Channel. He succeeded Atty. Vince M. Tañada, who remains the chairman of the board and artistic director of the PSF and concurrently the CEO of Philstagers Films.
Aside from going to the gym regularly, he still manages to speak to his fans through his jreyrivas TikTok account, where he has gained over 1.2 million followers. He is known to post personalized response videos for his TikTok fans on occasion.
Today, March 30, is his birthday, he turned 27 years old. And he has cited his four personal wishes: "To have a career growth, to sustain a healthy body, to build my dream house, and to hope for poverty to end in this country. " He said this with a sweet, wide smile.
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