They call December 30th, 1896 the day Jose Rizal became immortal. However, his immortality is also largely due to the works of literature that were safeguarded and propagated, amidst challenges of history and circumstance, by patriots, teachers, historians, journalists, artists, poets, authors, and filmmakers who were inspired, and who share and support his causes – an enlightened breed of Malays called Filipinos.

I watched for the nth time the 3-hour Marilou Diaz-Abaya 1998 epic film José Rizal as part of a Rizal Day ritual and coming from the media production people perspective, I cannot help but appreciate over and over the pristine technique of the late Diaz-Abaya and the magic of Ricky Lee in one of his most masterful writing oeuvre. Then, I asked myself whether the movie would have worked if the title role was played by somebody else. I’m not really sure. Unlike the case of Antonio Luna (Did you just imagine John Arcilla’s face?), it seems the celebrity that is Jose Rizal has been so imbibed into our faculties that we cannot really imagine somebody else better playing Jose Rizal in our minds than Jose Rizal himself.

However, we still have to give it to these men who were given the chance to play the role of the First Filipino and to further instill the heroism of Gat Pépe:

CESAR MONTANO – Of course. He won the Best Actor for the eponymous role in the 1998 Metro Manila Film Festival. Among many, he is unarguably the most famous actor to have played the national hero. Montano also played Andres Bonifacio (where he won Best Supporting Actor). Aside from him, Eddie del Mar and Gardo Versoza have also played both heroes Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio in film.

JOEL TORRE – He is often mistaken as the actor who plays the most Jose Rizal roles. However, it’s actually the Crisostomo Ibarra role that he has played for at least twice in major film and television productions (for Noli Me Tangere TV Series and Diaz-Abaya’s Jose Rizal). He played Jose Rizal in the Mike de Leon-directed Bayaning Third World in 2000. (Heneral Luna’s John Arcilla played both Jose Rizal and Crisostomo Ibarra in theatre, too.)

ALBERT MARTINEZ – Character actor Albert Martinez played Jose Rizal in the movie “Rizal Sa Dapitan” directed by Tikoy Aguiluz  which premiered 1997 – a year prior the Diaz-Abaya Jose Rizal which stars Cesar Montano.

ALDEN RICHARDS – Pambansang Baeyani. Lol. He played Jose Rizal in the primetime GMA series (bayaniserye) Ilustrado directed by King Mark Baco. It was produced by GMA News and Public Affairs in 2014. This was way before all the AlDub craze.

ROCCO NACINO – During the sesquicentennial of Jose Rizal’s birth in 2012, GMA News and Public Affairs produced “Pluma: Rizal, Ang Dakilang Manunulat”.

JERICHO ROSALES – JR played JR in the 2014 movie “Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo” directed by Enzo Williams.

ALLAN PAULE – He played the role Jose RIzal in a 2008 indie film “Sisa” directed by CJ Andaluz and Frank Rivera. The eponymous role was played by Jodi Sta. Maria where she won Cinemanila Best Actress in 2008. The movie was also a nominee for the 2009 Star Awards for Movies.

ERIC QUIZON – ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. in cooperation with the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports presents “Bayani”. (MIllennials represent! Lol.) In the Volume 2 of the series, four episodes were dedicated to Jose Rizal. We should have more of these educational television programs and less of “reality” (ugh) television.

MARVIN AGUSTIN – He played Jose Rizal in the GMA Network’s Lupang Hinirang Music Video and in Kimmy Dora and the Temple of Kiyeme in 2012. I’m not sure why Rizal was even in the Kimmy Dora installment. Wtf.

JOMARI YLLANA – In the 2007 Metro Manila Film Festival, he played Jose Rizal in the fourth installment of OctoArts and MZet-produced Enteng Kabisote: Okay Ka Fairy Ko movie series. Interestingly, the plot includes a time warping controlled by a Time Lord played by Peque Gallaga – director of Magic Temple and Oro, Plata, Mata. I thought seeing Rizal in Kimmy Dora could not go weirder.

OGIE ALCASID – In 1996, during the centennial of Jose Rizal’s death, Musical Theatre Philippines produced the musical “Sino Ka Ba, Jose Rizal” directed by Nestor U. Torre. The role was recently played by Gerald Santos, the winner of a contest Regine Velasquez (who played Maria Clara in Cayabyab-Lumbera’s Noli Me Tangere) used to host years back. Although Ogie and Rizal both hail from Calamba, one would rather be green than be blue and the other claims the best years of his life were at the Ateneo.