After starring in major productions last year like The Bodyguard and Liwanag Sa Dilim, actor and singer Vien King returns to the stage this year with the highly anticipated jukebox musical On Your Feet!, which features the story of Latin pop couple Emilio and Gloria Estefan. In this project, Vien plays the role of Gloria’s father, Jose Fajardo.
“Honestly, I was thrilled but also immediately nervous when I was first offered the role. José Fajardo is a real person. Gloria Estefan’s actual father. So the responsibility of that felt heavy in the best way. You want to honor someone’s story, especially when it’s rooted in so much sacrifice and love. But that nervousness is always a good sign for me. It means the role matters. I think they’ll see something quieter from me here.
"In The Bodyguard, where I played the role of the Stalker, I only had six or seven lines, but it was still big with expressions when it comes to body language. In a lot of my previous roles, I have had more room to be big and expressive. In this musical, my role asks for the opposite. He’s restrained, dignified, tender. The emotion is all underneath. So if people are used to seeing me go big, this might surprise them. In a good way, I hope,” Vien told PUSH ABS-CBN in an exclusive interview.
While preparing for his role, Vien admitted that even though his parents separated when he was just seven years old, he was still able to draw inspiration from his father as he shaped the role of Jose Fajardo. The 32-year-old artist also shared his favorite moments with his father when he was young.
“It’s not one big dramatic moment. it’s the small ones. Playing video games together, eating Jollibee, just being kids with him. He made those ordinary moments feel special because of how present he was. He was the kind of person who made everyone around him feel cared for, not just his own kids. I remember noticing that even as a child, how he treated other people with the same warmth he gave us. That stuck with me. And honestly, playing José Fajardo, a father who loves so deeply and sacrifices so much has made me think about my own dad a lot during this process. It’s been unexpectedly moving,” Vien shared.
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With the 9 Works Theatrical production highlighting the colorful career of Latin pop queen Gloria Estefan, Vien revealed why he was already familiar with most of the songs in the repertoire. “I knew the big songs. 'Conga,' 'Get On Your Feet,' and '1,2,3' and also, I’ve always been an old soul 'as a tito' (laughs). Growing up, my mom would always have the radio on and I’d just absorb whatever was playing and a lot of it were classics from before my time. So artists like Gloria Estefan weren’t foreign to me at all. I grew up appreciating that era of music. But diving into the deeper catalogue for this show was a whole other experience. I didn’t realize how much heart and history was behind every song. It wasn’t just pop music. It was their life,” he said.
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Vien also talked about what was the easiest and most challenging part of his new role in the musical.
“The love. José loves so completely and so quietly. He doesn’t make a big show of it. He just shows up for his family in every way he can, even when the world is falling apart around him. Playing that kind of love is a privilege. And that song, 'When Someone Comes Into Your Life,' where he essentially gives his daughter permission to move on and be happy? I don’t think I’ll ever get through it without feeling something. What I found most challenging was the stillness. José is a man of few words and even fewer scenes, so every single moment has to count completely. There’s no room to warm up or ease into it. You come on, you land, and you leave an impression. That kind of economy is genuinely hard to pull off. You have to be fully present from the first second,” he explained to PUSH ABS-CBN in the exclusive interview.
Part of being part of On Your Feet! also involved learning how to speak like a Latin American, according to Vien. “It’s been a process! The Latin movement is something we’ve been working on in rehearsals and it’s very specific. It’s not just about the steps, it’s about where the rhythm lives in your body. The accent work has been interesting too because José speaks both Spanish and English, and you want it to feel natural rather than performed. I’m still refining both, honestly. You never really stop working on it,” he added.
Vien also shared why he was also a fan of Gloria Estefan’s music. “It’s honest. You can feel that every song comes from a real place, real joy, real pain, real survival. Gloria didn’t just make music to be catchy. She made music to get through things. And I think people feel that. Especially now, in a world that’s constantly throwing challenges at you, music that says 'Get Up and Make It happen' never gets old,” he added.
Watch On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan musical starting July 10, 2026 at the Proscenium Theater at Rockwell. Musical Direction by Daniel Bartolome and directed by Robbie Guevara. Tickets are now available through Ticketworld.