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It's not every day that you get to spend Valentine's Day with one of your all-time celebrity crushes. Yet, there we were, on February 14, huddled behind the photographer who was taking his photos. Every pic was somehow as playful and spicy as the siling labuyo tattoo on his arm. It was Jericho Rosales, after all. And whether or not you had plans that night, he was the guy you were gonna tell your friends about in the group chat.
We were heart-eyed even until our video call interview the next day. Echo had a lot to say about his storied career, his years-long hiatus, and his upcoming projects, including possibly reuniting with his former leading ladies. He also opened up about what he does in his downtime, gave us the lowdown about his relationships—and even got real about the question on everyone's minds.
Before Netflix and chill, there was TV and run—because the news was done and Pangako Sa'yo was finally on. "It was the first teleserye, I think, when they coined that term. Then, it became a template for other shows," Echo says about his biggest break.
It was somewhat serendipitous how he got the project. He was originally offered a role in the award-winning Dekada '70. "I did a deep immersion—just to end up not doing the film because they said, 'No, you're not doing that anymore.'" He recalls, "I was so heartbroken. I was so pissed off. But they said, 'Instead, you're going to do this show called Pangako Sa’yo.'"
Jericho is wearing a denim jacket from HERON PRESTON at UNIVERS; trousers borrowed from Kim Jones
Everything happened for a reason. "That show was the game-changer in television during that time. I was so proud to be a part of that. It reached so many countries and penetrated different cultures," Echo says. And just like what his name means, the show has had a resounding effect on the entertainment scene.
"I think a lot of people still love it. There was really magic in the story. I think it marks a special time in the industry, in our culture, in Philippine television." That’s also why he's interested in working with Kristine Hermosa again—not for a series, but for Pangako Sa'yo: The Movie.
'I've always said it: I want to work with Kristine because I feel like [it's] some sort of unfinished business when it comes to our run," he says. "It was the 25th anniversary [of Pangako Sa'yo] just recently and I told my manager—because Kristine and I had the same manager before—I was like, 'Hey, how is she? Do you think she's going to be open to working with me?'" he shares.
He wants the movie to take off from the last episode and tell the story of where his Angelo Buenavista and Kristine's Yna Macaspac are, 20-plus years later. But, he adds with a laugh, "I don't want us to be parents—it's just like, rock and roll lang kasi, you know, last na."
Echo knows that's not the only reunion fans are clamoring for, too. He's also flirted with the idea of teaming up with Heart Evangelista. "I've read a bunch of things and I see a lot of things in the news about Heart and I working together. I actually tried to work with her," he reveals. "But you know, things will fall into [their] right place naman."
Echo's not moving on from love teams completely. "As long as they want to work with me, I'm always open to that." But it takes a lot for him to ~*swipe right*~ on a project now, so to speak. "Give me grit, give me darkness, give me real stuff."
He's looking for something serious. He wants to do more character-driven films. "The character doesn't follow the plot or the story, but actually, the story follows the character," he explains. One such project that he's working on is a film called Eliseo. "This is a really, really crazy character. If you see me in this film—I'm not gonna give away too much—but some people have said, 'Is that you?' when they looked at the photos."
His soon-to-stream series, Sellblock, also delves into grittier characters. "I'm going from gray to dark—meaning, human, totoong tao." He elaborates, "I like playing characters like that. Flawed characters. That gives me a lot of things to work on and to play with, like a character who struggles with morality. I can even play a sociopath or a psychopath."
He's already got his roster booked. "I have a slate. I've prepared the slate for myself, which I'm working on from 2024 to 2027." The first of the lineup is set to be released soon. "You'll definitely see me in the cinemas this year," he teases.
It's been a while since we saw this much of Echo. "After publicly—in a presscon—announcing my departure sa TV with Halik, the last TV show that I did, I kind of cornered myself and said, 'This is my last show.'" That was in 2018.
"And after doing that, I was just secretly happy, not working, not doing anything." Echo could hear the doubts and questions in people's minds: "Why did he give up on his career for music? Why did he stop?"
"People didn't know I burnt out so many times," he reveals.
He considered breaking it off with the industry altogether. He could just do business, real estate, or even start his own barbershop. ("Sabi ko mag-b-barbershop chain na lang ako, because I love barbershops," he quips.)
Then, the pandemic happened. And ABS-CBN closed. "I was like, 'Whoa…wow, what the F is actually happening right now?'" Echo recalls thinking.
Jericho is wearing a vest from APPLIED ART FORMS at UNIVERS
Four years later, he and Kim Jones decided to go to New York, where they have property. There, he booked an acting workshop because he was being offered a project that needed some help. It's what got him back in the scene. "That was the beginning. That's how I restarted. I did about three [workshops] in New York while I was there. And then I went on solo trips to Africa and then to other countries."
Now, he's got a more nuanced view of what transpired. "I really turned my back on my career because of burnout. I was just feeling so hopeless. I experienced kind of like…death in my career."
But that break was how he defined the relationship with his career. "Those things were really necessary. I think everything happens for a reason so that I figure out and I see that, 'Hey, it hurts because I love my job. I love being an actor. I love being an artist.'"
As an artist, the central idea of his creative process is just to have fun. "That's my battle cry to my team: It always has to be fun." The Cosmo girls got in on it, too. Echo would make jokes while he was posing for the camera. He talked about his workout routine. (Yoga and calisthenics.) On the sidelines, his team would ask ours about work. For all the gravity of a cover shoot, it couldn't have felt lighter.
"Happy Valentine’s Day!" he happily greeted us in the break room. "You guys have any plans tonight?" he asked us. It was funny—we should've been the ones asking him. (We got you. We're girl's girls here.)
He coyly answered. He had dinner with his team for Valentine's. "Most of us were single. I mean, still are single," he clarifies with a smirk. "We weren't sad or anything. We had some laughs and talked about the shoot. We bonded."
Jericho is wearing a vest from DRKSHDW and denim jeans from EDWARD CUMMINGS both at UNIVERS
And being as real as he is, he knew what we wanted to know even without asking it. "Romantically speaking…hello?" he laughs.
It had been less than a month since the statement came out that he and Kim were already separated for a few years. He shares that they were actually on the phone when it happened to check in on each other. "We were just talking about it, laughing about it," he says.
"We thought that it was the perfect time because the goal was really to show people that we're good. We're really good. We've crossed over, you know, we've transformed the relationship into something really special as friends," he shares.
"But, of course, you can't ignore people being sad. Never mind all of the other crazy comments and things like that. It's normal. It's natural. We're in the limelight." He’s been in showbiz for more than two decades—he knows what it's like. For all those "crazy comments" though, there was an outpouring of support from people who were amazed by how the couple handled everything.
The way he spoke about it was green flags all around. "I think the best part was that it was considered a 'success' when we felt that people understood and people saw that things like this can happen. And it shouldn't always be sad. It shouldn't always be a bad thing. You know what I mean?"
In a world of no labels and situationships, it was refreshing to hear that they are who they want to be with each other. "It's one of the best things that ever happened to us. And we wanted for people to be inspired and show them that, 'Hey, look, it can be done. You can be friends with your ex,'" he says with a smile.
Echo and Kim even hype each other's posts and still collaborate as artists. "Actually, I'm working with her on her new project because she's producing a film for someone. So, I'm also supporting that." The aforementioned Eliseo is also co-written by Kim, as well as Dodo Dayao.
These days, when Echo's not producing a project, he's out riding his motorbike in the city. Or picking up leaves and whatnot along the shores of Palawan or La Union after catching some waves. "I like driving a lot. I like camping. I like being close to nature. I like staying under the sun. I like wasting time." His hypothetical dating app profile would probably run out of space for all his hobbies and interests.
"I found this new energy after the pandemic and it was quiet for a number of years." He shared his secret: "Just follow my artist. And just have fun with everything, work with the right people."
Jericho is wearing pants from HERON PRESTON at UNIVERS
The fire that fizzled during his burnout all those years ago now lights up the lamp posts of emotions that guide his decisions today. "One thing that really helped me is being solid about what I want in my life. And in terms of my career, I want to be the happiest actor that I can be," he declares. "I’m just going to enjoy this life I've set up for myself wherein I can work and have fun at the same time."
Maybe the cliché's true. That sometimes, things have to fall apart so better things can come together. Echo's life now seems to be like the stories he looks for in his work—real, human, and full of heart—just with a lighter energy. "I'm just going to ride this. I'm just going to keep doing this. I'm just going to stay in my flow."
There was a lot to write home about after that Valentine's Day shoot, even though we still had the interview for tomorrow. I was seated in my parked car with the windows down, working on my laptop in the dark. Someone called out my name to say goodbye. "See you tomorrow!" he said excitedly, as he peered in from the passenger-seat window.
It was an echo back to the start. Kilig filled the group chat after that. It's not every day you find out your celebrity crush is just as swoon-worthy IRL—both inside and out. We're in for one hell of a reveal.
PRODUCED BY: Patricia Melliza and Cheska Santiago
ASSISTED BY: Cass Lazaro
PHOTOGRAPHY: JL Javier, assisted by Charissa Soriano and David Ong
ART DIRECTION: Pau Moyano
SITTINGS EDITORS: Ira Nopuente, Andie Estella, and Thea Alberto-Masakayan
STYLING: David Milan
GROOMING: Emmanuel John Caro
WORDS BY: Ida Aldana
VIDEOS: Jez Villapando
SOCIAL MEDIA: Aina Lizarondo, assisted by Keonna Atienza
FURNITURE: Bauhaus Manila
MOTORCYCLE: Camille Lu of MV Agusta Philippines
Shot on location at Nice Print Photography's The Concept Room Studio
Special thanks to Pinky Angodung, Karen De La Fuente, and John Manalo
