CEBU CITY, Philippines— Many years ago, in a quiet home in Sibonga, a young boy sat intently in front of a mirror.
Instead of playing with toys or running around with other children, Dan Lopez practiced how to shed tears — crying until his mother returned from the city — and quickly switch to a smile. While other kids played outside, Dan absorbed the drama of movies he had been watching from morning until night.
His mother, traumatized by his older brother’s loss of hearing as an infant after a severe bout of dengue, had kept Dan under strict watch, rarely letting him go out.
In the silence of the house, a resonant dream was born in his heart: the dream of becoming like the person “inside the TV.”
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Hand-me-down dream, different sign
Dan’s dream was born of his experience of restriction.
His mother, anxious to ensure that he would not suffer his brother’s fate, gave him an all-white room designed to make mosquitoes easy to spot and exterminate.
But staying indoors and watching shows as he grew up, he took in what he saw of those who acted and told himself, “I want to be like them.”
In the beginning, Dan’s path seemed predestined by his mother’s unfulfilled aspirations. She had always dreamed of being a doctor, so she passed that dream on to him.
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From the age of three, Dan told everyone he would be a doctor. He remembered having said this during his daycare graduation.
When the time came for college, however, he realized that his heart pulled him toward mass communication. Yet after weeks since he applied at a school, he received no response. So, he asked for a sign.
“Lord, padamgoha ko Lord, bi (Lord, speak to me in a dream),” he said in prayer.
He eventually dreamt of a hospital filled with foreigners and nurses on duty. He took as a divine nudge to enroll in nursing at Southwestern University.
Looking back, Dan realized the genius of that detour, noting that God gave him two purposes: to be a nurse and to be an actor.
Climbing the stage
A fighting spirt has defined Dan’s acting career.
He started out at ABS-CBN Cebu when he was 20. He worked even without any talent fee just to see himself on screen. The industry also brought heartbreak. In 2018, he shaved his head for a role after being promised that it would lead to a “Best Actor” win.
When he only received a nomination, the 25-year-old Dan was crushed, even questioning whether his career had any future.
Yet, every time he felt like giving up, a new role would find him, like that of a farmer in Bahandi.
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To play the part, the crew buried him neck-deep in soil and rocks for over an hour. The physically painful role, at the end of nine years, gained for him his first acting award.
Actor’s world
Over a prolific 17-year career, Dan has transformed from a dreamer in Sibonga into a multi-awarded powerhouse in Cebuano cinema and theater.
His dedication has earned him “Best Actor” awards at the Sinegugma Cebuano Film Festival for Bahandi, Gawad Sining Short Film Festival for Mama Mayumi, and Filmysea International Film Festival for Ang Katapusang Tindak.
He has even brought his talent onto the global stage. He earned the Best Actor trophy at the Star Hollywood Awards in New Jersey for Isolasyon, while his digital presence exploded with 4.5 million views for his lead role in KMJS Gabi ng Lagim.
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Dan’s extensive resume, spanning over 20 short films and 50 drama anthologies, testifies to his versatility and enduring impact on the industry.
Feet on the ground
Despite his success, Dan remains the sentimental and genuine person that he was in Sibonga.
He now manages his late father’s rental business and works at the Cebu Provincial Capitol, often surprising friends who don’t even realize he is a professional actor.
His resilience was most tested when his father, a seaman, passed away from a heart attack in Australia. In a tragic twist, his father’s body arrived on Dan’s birthday.
“The writing on my cake at that time read, ‘happy birthday, Dan and welcome home, Dad,'” he recalled.
Today, Dan carries that grief into his craft. Whenever a scene requires him to cry, he imagines his father and wells up with genuine emotion, as if on cue.
For Dan, success is found in the daily grind: “Fulfilling a task in your daily life is success. Waking up in the morning is success, showing up even if you don’t want to work, that’s success.”
The next peak
Asked if he has had his “I made it” moment, Dan was quick to say no. He said he is still looking for more, aiming to explore the mainstream in Manila.
“The peak of my career would be to be a mainstream actor, in which someone like Judy Ann Santos would be the one to slap me,” he said.
Message for dreamers
Getting emotional as he reflected on his journey, Dan offered a final piece of advice:
“Never give up on your dreams, because you will never know where it will take you. Hold on to that dream until the right time comes, until it comes true.”
If he could speak to that eight-year-old boy in the mirror, he would tell him to stay the course. “I hope that you will achieve what you have dream in life, and hold on to that dream,” he says through tears. “Be brave, fight for your dreams in life despite the people who try to bring you down”.
Dan Lopez isn’t just a face on a screen or a nurse in a hallway. He is proof that dreams, when fought for, have the power to create a life worth living.
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