More than his funny ways, one quality that makes Empoy Marquez a true ‘pogi’ is his bigheartedness for the family. He started to support them by working in fast-food chains and convenience stores before trying his luck in showbiz.
Empoy’s ticket to the entertainment scene was winning the Mr. Suave Look-alike Contest on Magandang Tanghali Bayan in 2003. Luck hit him big time once again when he won a million pesos in the Kapamilya game show Pinoy Bingo Nights in 2009, turning his dream home into a reality.
Comedy chose Empoy, not the other way around. His jokes are always an easy sell to classmates and friends way back in grade school until high school. “Sa mukha ko at saka sa pananalita ko. Kasi noong high school at elementary, makulit ako. Pero ‘yung kakulitan ko nakakatawa, hindi ‘yung palaaway,” he said of what made him the class clown.
Albeit a natural, he never saw himself being a comedian someday. His life slowly changed when his friends saw the announcement about the Mr. Suave contest. They escorted him to the auditions until he won in the grand finals.
It took so long for the win to sink in. Empoy thought he was just dreaming then. And although his showbiz journey wasn’t as smooth, he made do with playing small roles in movies and television.
One morning in 2017, from being just a small player, he skyrocketed to leading man status when he topbilled the phenomenal rom-com “Kita Kita” alongside Alessandra de Rossi.
The film’s overwhelming success caught him by surprise just as how he felt when he won in Mr. Suave. He never imagined the film turning into the rom-com masterpiece that it has become, saying he was amazed by Director Sigrid Bernardo’s unconventional style of playing with the order of scenes. Besides, he and Alessandra were just having fun on the set.
Through his success, Empoy learned that perseverance pays off. He told aspiring entertainers to never give up and keep their focus on their dreams despite the noise around them.
The new epitome of ‘pogi’ revealed that he had three serious relationships but he is single at the moment.