Did You Know? Jericho Rosales Got His “Quezon” Voice From a Viral Meme
He attributes his voice as Manuel L. Quezon to the “good morning pineapple” sound that went viral in 2024.
by Jam Nitura
Published on Oct 18, 2025
Quezon is finally out in cinemas nationwide. The third movie in the Bayaniverse trilogy, the film chronicles the life of second Philippine president Manuel L. Quezon, played by Jericho Rosales. Known for his magnanimous speeches, Quezon’s way of speaking was a challenge for the actor to imitate, until a 2024 meme came to his aid.
Jericho Rosales Attributes “Quezon” Voice to Viral Meme
In an interview with his co-star Karylle on her podcast, K’s Drama, Jericho recounted the process of acquiring his voice for Quezon. He recalled repeatedly listening to early recordings of the former president while taking his cultural roots into account. “He was born in Baler and he grew up in Manila,” he shared. “I have friends from Baler and I remembered, ‘Okay how did they speak before?’”
Jericho’s biggest challenge, however, turned out to be Quezon’s voice. He told Karylle, “If you look at him, he’s this dapper guy and everybody thinks he talks so smoothly and gwapo. But he actually sounds like a small man...So I was like, ‘How do we make this sound not funny, presidential?’”
The answer? A 2024 viral meme on TikTok, specifically the nasally sound of a man saying in a sing-song voice, “Good morning, pineapple. Looking very good, very nice.” As per Jericho, his girlfriend, Janine Gutierrez, got hooked on the audio and would sing it every so often.
During a rehearsal for the film that required the actor to deliver four pages of speeches, Jericho imitated the sound while vocalizing to replicate the tinny inflection in Manuel L. Quezon’s voice.
Can you hear the influence in the movie’s trailer below?
Jericho’s dedication to the role went further than just his voice and accent. During a press conference for the movie, he admitted being unable to shed his character’s mannerisms after the cameras stopped rolling.
“One time, bumisita si Janine sa bahay and sabi niya, ‘Oh my god, kamukha mo si Quezon,’” shared the actor. He also recalled one of his staff members telling him that he was acting like a "matanda" around the house. “There were times that I would surprise everyone…Inuwi ko siya, but there was no choice. I’m not a method actor, but you have to bring it home.”
Quezon came out in theaters nationwide last October 15, 2025.