Arcilla and his family moved to his mother's hometown in Baler, Aurora due to the declaration of martial law in the Philippines in 1972.

[14] At the Cultural Center, he played lead roles in several productions, including Orosman and Zafira, Walang Sugat, and Ryan Cayabyab's Rizal musical trilogy: El Filibusterismo in 1993, Noli Me Tángere in 1995, and Illustrado in 1996.

[16][17] Arcilla has also been in various television commercials for brands including Tide and Gold Eagle, and companies such as National Steel Corporation and Development Bank of the Philippines.

[19] One of Arcilla's early film appearances was as a photojournalist covering the release of political detainees in Lino Brocka's Orapronobis (Fight for Us, 1989).

Arcilla had a larger role in Raymond Red's first full-length feature, Bayani in 1992, where he played General Mariano Noriel, a member of the War Council that oversaw Andrés Bonifacio's case in 1897.

A year later, he starred in Ligaya ang Itawag Mo sa Akin and won a Best Supporting Actor Award at the Gawad Urian.

To prepare for the role, he analyzed the positive and negative sides of Antonio Luna's personality, taking note of his temper and vulnerability.

From 2017 to 2022, Arcilla played Renato "Buwitre" Hipolito, a power-hungry and corrupt government official and the main antagonist in FPJ's Ang Probinsyano.

He also starred in the comedy film, The Panti Sisters,[32] where he played Don Emilio, the stern father of three gay sons.

Arcilla was also part of the main cast of the Filipino adaptation of the Korean film Miracle in Cell No 7, where he played the prison warden Johnny San Juan.

[33] In 2021, Arcilla starred in Erik Matti's On the Job: The Missing 8 as the journalist Narciso "Sisoy" Salas, a role for which he won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor.

Arcilla was also in a romantic comedy, 'How to Move on in 30 Days', a TV series streamed via the YouTube Channel of ABS-CBN Entertainment.

In 2017, Arcilla received his first international Best Supporting Actor Craft Award from the First Run Festival for the short film Supot.

Arcilla received a Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in the film Ligaya Ang Itawag Mo Sa Akin from Gawad Urian in 1997.

Director Jerrold Tarog cast Arcilla in the leading role of his film Heneral Luna after seeing his performance as the devil's advocate in Anino, and in Metro Manila.

[61] In 2009, he also received an Outstanding Citizen Award from the municipality of San Luis, Aurora for his achievements in the field of performing arts.