Amitabh Bachchan statue installed at a temple in Kolkata

Highlights

• Filipino actor Joaquin Pedro Valdes left a career in filmmaking and advertising to pursue musical theatre in the UK, following his first love for the stage.
• Now playing Benny in RENT, he wants audiences to see the character as a complicated human being rather than simply the villain.
• Valdes believes Asian representation in British theatre has improved, but says producers and creative teams still have a long way to go.

Filipino actor Joaquin Pedro Valdes spent nine years working in filmmaking, directing commercials and advertising before deciding to pursue the one passion he could never leave behind. Theatre had been part of his life since childhood, but turning it into a full-time career meant leaving Manila, moving to the UK and rebuilding his professional life in a new country.

Now performing as Benny in the West End production of RENT, Valdes is drawing on his own experiences of ambition, financial pressure and belonging to explore a character who is often dismissed as the musical's antagonist. For him, Benny's story is about more than money. It is about someone who once belonged to a community but chose a different path in the hope of building a better life.