Cover Elijah Canlas on film, fame and finding his path
Elijah Canlas on film, fame and finding his path
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In this interview, Elijah Canlas shares his process for curating a meaningful body of work, rejecting the pressures of the spotlight and embracing kindness as his guiding principle
He speaks about acting the way some talk about faith—with clarity and conviction. From his beginnings in theatre to his celebrated turns in independent film, Elijah Canlas has always pursued the work with discipline and self-awareness. “Acting is finding the sense of truth in something,” he says. That belief grounds him, whether he’s in a two-hander like About Us But Not About Us, which he calls “really challenging... over 100 pages of dialogue” or currently filming a biopic on activist Edgar Jopson, a role that demands empathy and rigour in equal measure.
Now in a phase where he’s curating his filmography with care, Canlas admits, “To curate it the way I want, I have to reject more than accept. That’s a struggle; it’s also my livelihood.” Still, he’s anchored by his love for the craft, calling it “therapeutic” and comparing it to muscle memory: “You should exercise it as much as you can and try it out in different mediums.”
With plans to write, direct and explore genres like comedy, Canlas is shaping not just a career but a creative life. “Just be kind,” he says to aspiring actors, “and everything will follow.”
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Above Exploring humanity through acting is what keeps Elijah Canlas inspired—and helps him stay grounded
Exploring humanity through acting is what keeps Elijah Canlas inspired—and helps him stay grounded
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What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome in your career?
In my career, I guess literally the awkward stage, maybe the auditions, you know, rejections, which is like the basic thing an actor would struggle with. But maybe the struggle for me, nowadays, is curating my filmography, if that makes sense. Like, I have a struggle of curating it, because to curate it the way that I want to curate it—the way that I want my filmography to look and to present itself—I have to reject more than accept more. That’s a problem for me because it’s also my livelihood. It’s also my bread and butter. But I want to stick to my integrity for now. So, I guess that’s a struggle for now.
Do you think that’s a privilege—being able to choose a project?
Oh, yes. Back then I was really begging people to give me a project here and there. But nowadays, I guess I’d like to think that I earned it. But I am also extremely grateful for everybody who trusts me with their stories and my capabilities.
You’ve mentioned idols. Who or what has been your greatest influence in shaping you as an actor, both personally and professionally?
Theatre, definitely. Growing up, I studied acting for the theatre—even directing and stage management, the production side of it all. So, my education is really rooted in theatre. That influenced my artistic beliefs and values, and my taste, I guess, as a storyteller. And also cinema in general. When I say curating filmographies, I’m not even talking about actors per se. I’m talking about, like, directors—when they curate their filmographies, how they want it to look. Even in the Philippines, someone like Eddie Garcia, who acted in over hundreds of projects and also directed hundreds of projects—that’s the kind of trajectory I want to get into.
Above Curating his filmography has become Elijah Canlas’s current challenge, as he balances integrity with livelihood
Curating his filmography has become Elijah Canlas’s current challenge, as he balances integrity with livelihood
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Apart from Kalel, 15, which role has pushed you the most creatively or emotionally, and why?
That’s hard. About Us But Not About Us, also directed by Direk Jun [Lana], was like a film—a two-actor film—where we had to portray two characters speaking, and we were just sitting down. Translating that theatre kind of language to film was really challenging. It took us five days to shoot that, and we were just in for the whole thing. And I think over 100 pages of dialogue. It was fun, but it really changed me for the better. And to also step up, because I was acting alongside Romnick Sarmenta, who was really amazing in that film as well. It was also Direk Jun’s most personal film.
Also nowadays, it’s the biopic about Edgar Jopson, the Martial Law activist. I’m portraying Jopson—not just the activist, but the man himself—in the film. There’s not a lot of resources about who he was as a person, not just his achievements or what he did for our country—who he really was. So, the challenge and the pressure of portraying an activist icon—it’s kind of deeply challenging me.
How do you prepare for a role? Can you walk us through your process—from script to stage or screen?
Since I came from the theatre, I really rely heavily on paperwork, text-based work, making your character sketch, filling out their personalities—as if they were in a slam book, like their zodiac signs and their likes and dislikes—even if it wasn’t really needed, just to make them more human, more believable and true to me. Because acting is finding the sense of truth in something. But nowadays, since About Us But Not About Us, I’ve been trying to be more in the moment, not be too rigid with my preparation, because sometimes it shows. Sometimes it shows on screen that I’m too prepared, like I’m going from one emotion to the next, one unit to the next. So we don’t want that. I don’t want that to show. So I’m trying out different stuff right now. Being in the moment is something that is super different for me, because I’m one very anxious guy. I really rely on my preparation. But being in the moment lets me feel more free, I guess.
Above Elijah Canlas finds comfort in watching films and returning to the stage, calling it his way to unwind
Elijah Canlas finds comfort in watching films and returning to the stage, calling it his way to unwind
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With growing competition in the local scene, how do you stay grounded and focused on your craft?
I don’t know. I’m so honest—I just really love it. I love what I do. I find it therapeutic. I find it fun. It’s where I’m almost at my happiest and at my best. And sometimes, like when I do TV—when I work on teleseryes—it’s very different from how I act on film and even in the theatre. So I go back to my roots. Right now, I’m doing a play. Last year I was only doing television—I didn’t do anything else but TV. So this year, I’m starting with a theatre play. I’m just trying things out, strengthening my skills. Because at the end of the day, it’s craft. I’m like a second athlete who would always shoot his free throws every day just so he could practise his craft. I think acting should be the same—you should exercise it as much as you can, and try it out in different mediums as much as you can. And since I’m just really so in love with it. Sometimes I admit I’m not confident with myself, so portraying other people, portraying other characters is fun to me. Exploring humans, exploring humanity in general—that’s always fun to me. I guess I haven’t had the struggle of burnout, and I hope it never happens because I think I was really born into this.
What has surprised you most about fame or the public side of being in showbiz? How did you handle the attention?
I’m generally a people pleaser, so it’s hard. When people recognise me, when people give me compliments here and there, I just genuinely feel great. That’s how I view it—that’s my mindset towards it. There are times, of course, when you’re having a private moment and something bothers you, and it’s not the best time. But, you know, that’s my sickness—I’m always too nice. Even if it’s not a good time, I’m always like, “Okay, sure, let’s take a picture.” Like, it’s okay, because I feel like I worked for it, and I think it’s part of it. The online presence part is kind of hard because I equally value the moment. So I don’t really have a lot of followers. I don’t post a lot—it takes months for me to post something—but I’m clicking on it because I know that’s part of the job. So I’m going to learn it all the way.
Above After years of relying on preparation, Elijah Canlas is now exploring spontaneity in his craft
After years of relying on preparation, Elijah Canlas is now exploring spontaneity in his craft
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Are there any dream projects, genres or collaborations you’re hoping to explore in the near future?
Everything. I’m open to everything at this point. I used to say that my dream role was to portray a role that’s physically and mentally challenging, like portraying someone on the spectrum—which I’ve already done. So nowadays I’m trying to look—what do I want to do? And then I answer myself: I just want to do everything. Nowadays, when people ask me what my dream role is, I say being called a construction worker—like, you know, those ordinary jobs—exploring those lives. Or even like comedy—I’ve never done comedy at all.
So how do you unwind? How does Elijah Canlas rest?
I watch movies. Like, yesterday, I had a full day of rehearsals, and then I had podcasting after. As soon as I finished at like 9pm, I was like, “When’s the next screening?” So I guess that’s my rest—you know, the cinema, the theatre—that’s my rest. That’s where I’m really at my happiest. Also, like right now, I’m about to play basketball. That’s another one.
What message would you like to share with aspiring actors who look up to your journey and want to break into the industry themselves?
Just be kind—to yourself, to everybody else—and I think everything will follow. Somebody told me this recently: it’s when you know a lot, that’s when you feel like you don’t know a lot—and you’re humbled, and you’re grounded and you’re open. But when you don’t know a lot, you feel like you know everything. So I feel like we should always aspire to find that groundedness within where we are. And being kind to each other—we owe it to each other, especially to ourselves. And as an actor especially, that will open up gates you have no idea.
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Credits
Creative Direction: MJ Benitez
Photography: Andrea Ang
Photography Assistant: Alexis Wang
Styling: MJ Benitez
Stylist's Assistant: Teresita Gabat
Make-Up: Luisa Jardinero
Hair: Miggy Carbonilla
Production: Bradly Hao, Alexis Wang
Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is the assistant digital editor of Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
