Did You Know? Piolo Pascual Did Not Accept a Talent Fee for His Cameo on "Sunshine"
Now streaming on Netflix, the film featured Piolo as a righteous pastor and the father of Elijah Canlas' character.
by Em Enriquez
Published on Nov 28, 2025
Sunshine is now streaming on Netflix. Helmed by director Antoinette Jadaone, the sports drama features Maris Racal as an aspiring Olympic gymnast whose dreams are impeded by an unexpected pregnancy.
First premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024, the film sheds light on women's reproductive rights in the Philippines and how they are often disregarded in favor of religious ideals. Bringing such a delicate topic to the big screen required a great deal of research and planning from direk Tonet and her team. In order to depict the dialogue on abortion in the country, certain characters had to enter the frame to either support or undermine Sunshine's decisions.
Towards the end of the movie, many were surprised to see OG heartthrob Piolo Pascual pop into the scene as a rather distasteful figure. The actor only appeared for a few minutes, and he reportedly insisted on not being paid for the job.
Piolo Pascual Did Not Get Paid for His "Sunshine" Cameo
Fair warning: Major spoilers ahead.
During the movie's final scenes, Sunshine is settling into her decision to abort her baby with Miggy, a fling of hers played by Elijah Canlas. He wasn't helpful with the process, even going as far as claiming it was the gymnast's fault she got pregnant. After she suffers an unsuccessful and unsafe abortion, she's visited by Miggy and her dad, Jaime, who also happens to be a pastor. He was portrayed by Piolo, which came as a surprise to many audiences.
Pastor Jaime leaves an unpleasant taste when he insists that she keep the baby. "Hindi ako nahihiya. Ayoko maging nanay," she tells him with a straight face. He and Miggy are swiftly escorted out of Sunshine's home, but not without the self-righteous figure making a snide remark.
In a post on X, direk Tonet shares that Piolo immediately agreed to the project upon reading the script, and he even refused a talent fee for the cameo. They tried handing the payment to his handler in secret, but in the end, he still rejected it.
The 48-year-old's casting was a nostalgic tidbit for Maris, who first met him during her Pinoy Big Brother days. "From 'Singing Sunshine ng Davao' to Sunshine the movie,' she captions side-by-side photos of her and Piolo, taken almost 10 years apart. "Always believed in you," he commented on the Instagram post. We love a full circle moment!
Netizens React to "Sunshine" and Piolo Pascual's Cameo
Despite the pastor's moral high horse, Piolo's cameo still had fans in a frenzy. Movie-goers attest that the scene was made even more memorable thanks to the actor's brief performance. Filipinos who saw the film from halfway across the world instantly recognized Papa P!
Only a few days after it dropped on Netflix, Sunshine has already earned first place on the platform's Top 10 Movies list. Online, it's gaining rave reviews from first-time viewers and rewatchers alike, with one netizen claiming that "the Philippines has long needed a film like this."
Another compares its unadulterated depiction of Manila's grit to the works of cinematic legends Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal. At the heart of it all, of course, is Maris, who brings the embattled gymnast to life with a career-defining performance.
Make sure to catch Sunshine on Netflix. Maris details her preparations for the film and how it "gained a different meaning" for her in Preview's November 2025 cover story. Read it in full here.
Em is queer and probably daydreaming somewhere. They're Preview's associate entertainment editor who's often spotted in cowboy boots and lemon-tinted sunnies.