Kiko Matos and Pia Wurtzbach have several things in common. They are both half-Filipino and they were both once teenage stars trying to forge a career as a television actor on ABS-CBN.
During my interview with Matos on July 6, 2017 at BAMF MMA Center in Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines, he recalled having worked with Wurtzbach. They belonged to different groups so they did not have a lot of opportunities to work together at the time, he recalled.
Wurtzbach was a member of the all-female group Fresh Girls, which was paired with the all-male group Fresh Boys. Matos, on the other hand, was in a group with his fellow “TV Idol” winners AJ Dee, JE Sison, Marc Cortez and Ahron Villena.
The actress often paired with Matos at the time was Shaina Magdayao, according to the former. The latter was a former child star who made her acting debut in the GMA show “Lyra.”
Years later, Wurtzbach appeared in several TV shows and films but her career as an actress did not really take off. She went on to join Bb. Pilipinas three times and in 2015, she became the third Filipino to be crowned Miss Universe.
As for Matos, he worked in real estate for a certain period but eventually quit his job to pursue his career as an actor. In 2013, he was launched as a film actor in Jason Paul Laxamana’s Cinemalaya film “Babagwa.”
In 2014, both Matos and Solenn Heussaff had their first leading role in a film. They starred in “Mumbai Love” by Benito Bautista.
In 2016, Matos and Heussaff reunited in the film “Love is Blind” by Laxamana. Heussaff was in the main cast with Derek Ramsay, Kiray Celis and Kean Cipriano while Matos was in the supporting cast with his brother Gonzalo Matos.
Kiko and Gonzalo’s father is Portuguese while their mother is Filipino. For Kiko, he should be referred to as Filipino-Portuguese and not the other way around.
In like manner, Wurtzbach wants to be referred to as Filipino-German and not the other way around. Her father is German while her mother is Filipino.
Watch my interview with Kiko here:
CONAN Daily 