Filipino American actor Jacob Batalon, best known for his role as Ned Leeds, the best friend of Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in the Spider-Man movie series, was in town to promote Spider-Man: Far From Home. The animated film aired on GMA-7’s Kapuso Movie Festival on Sept. 22.
The 22-year-old actor visited GMA Network’s complex and met with Kapuso stars and did a few rounds of interviews with some of the network’s programs.
During a meet-and-greet hosted by Joyce Pring, GMA stars such as Bianca Umali, Ruru Madrid, Clint Bondad, and Cassy and Mavy Legaspi, and StarStruck winners Shayne Sava and Kim de Leon were there to welcome the Fil-Am actor. They were able to ask a few questions and have a photo op with Jacob, too.
“Hollywood is just really, you know, a buffed up thing that people think is success. What I want to say is, if you are with people who are just as artistic and who believe in the same things as you, that makes you successful already. And really, your work will speak for itself and that’s what will get you there,” the Spider-Man star told the GMA stars when asked for an advice on how to get to Hollywood.
This is the second time that Jacob visited the Philippines. He no longer has any recollection of his first visit because he was still very young but he’s looking forward to visiting the country again to explore it and work with some of the local stars.
“If I have more time, I would love to collaborate with you all. That would be a fun project for us to put out there. I would have to come back here,” he told Manila Standard during the Q and A portion of the event held on Sept. 20.
“Thank you so much for loving and supporting me. I wouldn’t be here without you. Truly, this event makes me feel so much better about myself. I’m so proud to be a Filipino and I love yo all,” he ended.