From members of BINI and BGYO on the musical theatre stage to HORI7ON’s Marcus starring in a movie, these Pinoy idols aren’t just musicians—they’re also actors.
Related: Justin De Dios’ Acting Debut On ‘Senior High’ Leaves Us Wanting More
Singers and performers bringing their talents to the stage or the screen as actors is definitely not unheard of. Moreover, idols crossing over into acting while or after they were in K-pop groups is definitely quite common, and as more and more global and P-pop groups and idols are debuting, more of them are getting the chance to show off their skills on the big and small screen.
Whether it’s a cameo, starring role, or a limited role, whether they got to show off their pipes or simply act, these idols can say that they’ve dipped their toes into the acting pool (or have done more than that). They’re leading a new generation of multi-talented artists and showing everybody that they’re not just idols who sing and dance, they can also hold their own on a theatre stage or on the silver screen.
MARCUS (HORI7ON)
HORI7ON’s youngest member Marcus started out as a child actor, with his breakout role being Tristan, Monique’s child with Manu, a gay man, in 2018 comedy-drama My 2 Mommies. The then-9-year-old Marcus acted alongside Paolo Ballesteros and Solenn Heusaff, and got to show off not just his acting skills, but also his language prowess as he spoke English and French in the movie. Marcus got to reunite with Paolo after his debut in HORI7ON, and even recited his old lines.
JHOANNA (BINI)
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BINI’s leader Jhoanna Robles took up the mantle of Epifania “Eds/Panyang” delos Santos in the musical theater revival of 90s teen drama Tabing Ilog, Tabing Ilog: The Musical in late 2023. She alternated with Sheena Belarmino and Vivoree Esclito for the role originally played by Kaye Abad in the series. Jhoanna was also an extra in teleserye Kadenang Ginto, taking on the role of a mean-girl student.
MIKHA (BINI)
@bl4ck199xx So proud of Actress Mikha🤧 #binimikha #bini_mikha #mikhalim #BINI #HIH #hesintoher #fyp #trending #viral ♬ Na Na Na – BINI
BINI’s Mikha Lim also acted in a series. She took over the role of Elle Luna (originally played by Melizza Jimenez), a student from the second season of the hit DonBelle-starrer He’s Into Her. “Super thankful,” she says of the experience in a talk show. “Kasi ang dami kong natutunan sa acting, sa mga tao doon. And it actually helped me rin sa performance ko.”
JL AND AKIRA (BGYO)
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BGYO, BINI’s “brother group,” also got to be musical theater kids as members JL Toreliza and Akira Morishita shared the role of Rolando Victor “Rovic” Mercado along with Benedix Ramos. Rovic was originally played by John Lloyd Cruz in the series. They also got to perform live on ASAP Natin ‘To with their fellow castmates. BGYO members Gelo, Nate and Mikki also supported them during their run in the production.
Speaking of Akira, he also dabbled in acting before he joined BGYO. Some of his previous movie projects include the 2014 Cinemalaya movie Sundalong Kanin and 2019’s acclaimed Kalel, 15. In 2015, he made his TV debut in the ABS-CBN series All of Me while his recent TV role to date was in 2022’s Bola Bola.
JUSTIN (SB19)
EVERYONE, MEET JARED! 😭
— ✧ (@jahdiary) January 10, 2024
ActorJustin PrimetimeDebut#JustinDeDios#JustinInSeniorHighEp98 pic.twitter.com/nQQ7Kr6UyX
SB19’s youngest member and vocalist Justin De Dios made a special cameo in the teen drama series Senior High. Justin played Jared, a P-pop idol and Sanya (Gela Atayde)’s date to the Northford High prom.
TANEO (ALAMAT)
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Taneo and R-Ji of ALAMAT starred in minor roles as students in Expensive Candy (2022), a film about a poor teacher (Carlo Aquino) who falls in love with a sex worker, Candy (Julia Barretto). Taneo also recently played Joey in Marita (2023), a horror film about a theater that’s haunted by the ghost of an actress who took her own life.
R-JI (ALAMAT)
Alongside Taneo’s Leung, R-Ji of ALAMAT also stepped into a role in Expensive Candy, as a fellow troublemaker classmate Tulabot in Sir Toto (Carlo Aquino)’s class.
CHANTY (LAPILLUS)
@yfslave1215 Compilation of Maria CHANTAL 'Chanty' VIDELA Acting Era videos when she was under StarMagic of ABS-CBN and before she became K-pop idol. @Lapillus @Chantal Videla #lapillus #lapilluschanty #chantalvidela #chantyvidela #actress #kpop #starmagic #abscbn ♬ original sound – YourForeverSlave
Filipino-Argentine idol Chanty of LAPILLUS started out as an actress before she became a global idol, having had roles in series Spirits: Reawaken (2018), Hiwaga ng Kambat (2019), Starla (2019), and I Got You (2020). She also played Cameron in 2019 comedy film Familia Blondina.
BONUS: ELISIA PARMISANO (PRE-DEBUT)
Fourteen-year-old Elisia Parmisano, the Filipina top trainee of ongoing K-pop survival show Universe Ticket and pre-debut idol, had a small role as Rachel in 2019 soap opera Nang Ngumiti Ang Langit.
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