Joaquin Domagoso is back with a vengeance.

After being written off by some following news about him siring a child out of wedlock, the 21-year-old actor, son of former Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, is now earning raves for his magnificent performance in his film debut, “That Boy In The Dark.”

Directed by Adolf Alix, Jr. as written by Gina Marissa Tagasa, “That Boy In The Dark” has Joaquin playing the role of a blind young man torn between his squabbling parents.

The Toronto Film And Scripts Awards thought his performance worthy of a best actor trophy.

Same with organizers of the Five Continents International Film Festival based in Venezuela and the Boden International Film Festival in Sweden.

Asked about it, Joaquin shared, “I didn’t expect any of it at all. I’m thankful of course, but I didn’t expect people from far away would notice. It feels good actually.To be recognized by three different award-giving bodies is a huge honor.”

He is now more than eager to take on new challenges.

“I feel energized,” he said. “I can’t wait to try other roles, more challenging ones.”

Note that prior, Joaquin was in a love team with Cassy Legaspi, appearing in several GMA TV series.

Is he saying goodbye to all of that?

“I’m not saying I’m closing my doors to doing TV work or being in a love team but I feel the need to challenge myself as an actor at this point,” he said. “I want to do more than the usual.”

It seems that fatherhood gave Joaquin a renewed sense of purpose as actor.

“You could say that,” he said. “It’s different. I feel different. Having a son changed me for the better, I think. It’s inspiring.”

Also starring Ramon Christopher, Lotlot de Leon, Glydel Mercado, Aneesa Gutierrez, Kiko Ipapo, Nanding Josef, “That Boy IN The Dark” opens in cinemas Jan. 8.