Enrique Gil and Liza...

the thing that I always love doing in a completely new way.”

But before Josh became a Blue’s Clues host, he had to hurdle 3,000 others who were also eyeing the role. That he got the job speaks a lot of his artistry and the trust the showrunners had in his capability to deliver (the original host, Steve Burns, was reported to have helped in the audition process for the new host.) But it’s not hard to imagine as well the amount of pressure he must have felt when chosen to lead the show.

How he’s been able to cope with that, he said, “You know, it’s interesting. I do have a lot of anxiety. I have anxiety, I’ve ADD, so a lot of stuff is like bubbling always. But there’s only so much that you can control and the what-ifs you can’t really control. So, you can only focus on what can you do.

“Focus on what are the holistic things that I can do – whether it be to get enough sleep, whether it be to prepare the night before, prepare everything that I need for the next day, make sure to exercise and then once I’m on set, just take it one step at a time.

“I think that’s the only way for me, at least, to deal with the pressure — to just have fun. And I can’t have fun if I don’t make sure that I’ve done all the work.

“I wake up at 4:30 a.m. to finish up some notes from the night before, to prepare and to get it in my brain. Then I work out and then I walk to work and then I go to work and then once I get home from work, I take a shower, I have some dinner and then I work on storyboards and everything for the next day. Ideally, I’m done working by 9 p.m. and then I’m in bed by 10.

“You know, sleeping at the right time, it’s something that I’m working on. (But) being prepared is one of the best ways for me to help with the pressure and the anxiety. And if I’m prepared, I’ll have fun.”

Here’s a bit of Blue’s Clues & You trivia: His character is named Josh also because of him.

He revealed: “They gave me the option whether to keep my name as Josh. I think some of the names that were floated around were Ben or Nick. But I decided to go with Josh. And I put so much of myself into this character. Everything I do, it’s only a piece of who I am. It’s a piece of the whole and only so many people in my life know who Josh is completely.

“But I put all of my hard work into this role every single day. And we’re very similar in how silly we are and how physical we are. But yeah, there’s a lot of method acting because I’m typically a very dark and brooding person. So, I’m glad that finally somebody asked me (about it).”

With Josh on board, audiences from the US and around the world have been enjoying a taste of Filipino culture through the show.

Having the chance to share a part of his heritage through this platform is so important to Josh. “I’m so honored to be here. I’m so honored to have had this opportunity, that I was prepared, that all the right people were in the room when they made the decision. And that I have the support system that got me here. I’m so honored and I’m so blessed because it is important to know that we’re not just villains,” he said.

“We’re not just people that know martial arts, even though martial arts is amazing. We’re not just Asian, we’re Filipino to be specific. I think the more specific we are, the more people can realize like oh, so much like me, you know? The fact that we get to say, loud and proud, ‘Lola,’ is incredible, because no one knew what Lola was. What’s a Lola? ‘That Lola?’ No different (laughs). Different, it’s my grandma.

“And now people are saying, oh your Lola is on there. And it makes me think about my lolas and I’m just so thankful for them. I wouldn’t be here without them. They’re no longer with us. But I’m just filled with so much joy and so much gratitude that I get to do this. I work hard every single day to make sure that I do the very best I can so that we can keep doing this and so that I can keep representing Filipinos and the potential that we have. This isn’t the end, you know. This is just the beginning.” n on a new path but I support her nonetheless. And who knows? You might be seeing her coming back in the near future.”

Despite their longdistance relationship, Gil shared that they make it a point to check in on each other no matter what.

“It’s hard [being in a longdistance relationship], we don’t talk like we used to due to different time zones. But we still keep in touch and she’s good there. She has a team with her there which is really good,” he said.

After he showed up during his contract signing with ABS-CBN executives with his year-old Bichon Frisé in tow, he said that the pup would be his companion for the moment while Soberano is in the U.S. “I need dogs, and Hope is in the U.S., so Millie keeps me company. This is my new baby,” he said, while cradling his furbaby during the report.

During the contract signing, Gil said he is going to be focusing on his career as a solo artist for now.

“It is about me coming back to doing my own path as a solo artist. What we’re going for is a multi-level genre, so pwedeng may pagka-romance, action, and a lot of comedy in it as well,” he said.

The “Forevermore” star will reportedly star in an upcoming film and series with the network, although details are yet to be disclosed, as of this writing.

The celebrity couple — also known as LizQuen — have been in a relationship since 2014, although they went public with their romance only in 2019. Aside from “Dolce Amore,” the sweethearts have worked together in several films and teleseryes including “Alone Together,” “Forevermore,” “Bagani,” “My Ex and Whys,” and “Dolce Amore,” among many others. n