Carlo Muñoz on the line - CONVERSATIONS with Ricky Lo

Name	:	Carlo Miguel Garcia Muñoz
Nickname	:	Carlo (a.k.a. "Billy")
Birthday	:	Feb. 24, 1979
Zodiac Sign	:	Pisces
Height	:	5’7.5"
Weight	:	159 lbs.
Color of Hair	:	Dark Brown
Color of Eyes	:	Dark Brown
Religion	:	Roman Catholic
Father's Name	:	Luis Muñoz
Mother’s name	:	Patricia Garcia
Siblings	:	Two brothers (one of them actor Leandro Muñoz) and one sister
School	:	San Beda College (Marketing Management, undergraduate)
Distinguishing mark	:	A mole "somewhere"
Perfume	:	Carolina Herrera
Favorites
Food	:	Shrimp Tempura
Comics Character	:	Spiderman
Actor	:	Al Pacino
Actress	:	Michelle Pfeiffer
Song	:	What Might Have Been
Hangout	:	Warehouse (Timog Ave., Quezon City)
Movie	:	Braveheart

Launched as a member of the Star Circle Batch 7 in 1997, Carlo was set to quit showbiz and say goodbye to all that — and good riddance? — when his career seemed to have hit a snag before it could even take off, never mind if he was doing bit parts in ABS-CBN TV dramas.

His frustration worsened when his older brother, Leandro, made big waves on TV (the soap Saan Ka Man Naroroon? and now Your Honor with Richard Gomez among other co-stars) and in movies (Isusumbong Kita sa Tatay Ko, Anak, Kahit Isang Saglit and soon a romance-drama with Jolina Magdangal), even if Leandro was launched two years behind him, as member of Star Circle Batch 8 in 1999.

And then the big breaks came: As the now-popular Billy in the PLDT commercial, as Walter Navarro in the late LEA Productions’ matinee idol’s life story on Maalaala Mo Kaya, as Aga Muhlach’s buddy in Star Cinema’s Narinig Mo Na Ba ang L8est? and now as one of Judy Ann Santos’ four leading men in Maverick Films’ Luv Text, the comeback directorial job of Rowell (Joseph) Santiago.

So for the time being, Carlo is putting his planned trip to America "on hold" (he would have continued his studies — plus a side course in filmmaking — in California). America can wait but stardom cannot.

Hello, "Billy"? Are you around?

What comes to your mind when you hear the phone ring?

"That call is for me."

Do you get any prank calls?

"Of course, I do! A lot!"

What sort?

"They call me on my cell phone, saying, ‘Hello, Billy! Kumusta ka na?’ Most of them strangers but feeling na kakilala ko. I don’t know how or where they get my phone number."

Has anybody, boy or girl, ever invited you to have, you know, an S.O.P. (well, Sex On the Phone)?

"Not on the phone but through text-messaging. They send me bastos messages, expecting me to send back equally bastos messages which I never do. Sa phone, all I get are threats." (Already reported to the authorities. — RFL)

When you hear somebody calling "Billy," do you turn around?

"Yes, automatically. In fact, since the PLDT commercial came out, fewer people call me Carlo; mas marami ang tumatawag sa akin ng ‘Billy.’ Sometimes, when somebody calls out ‘Carlo,’ it takes a second before I realize that it’s me he’s calling."

What’s the craziest thing that you’ve ever done on the phone?

(Laughs self-consciously, as if sorting out his — crazy? — mind) "Actually, it’s a joke. You dial seven numbers at random and when somebody answers, you ask for a certain name. Philip, for example. The one on the other end of the line would usually say, ‘Philip?’ But before he could say anything more, you tell him, ‘Pakisabi na lang kay Philip na bayaran na ’yung utang niya sa akin.’ Then you hang up. A few minutes later, you call the same number and tell the one who answers, ‘O, si Philip ’to. May tumawag ba sa akin?’ Not so crazy, is it?"

Do you have any "Gracia" in your life?

"Yap!"

Is she that lovely girl in the PLDT commercial (shot at the airport) with you?

"Nope. She’s not the one. The ‘Gracia’ in my life is a private person, not from showbiz and neither is she a commercial model."

Describe your Gracia briefly?

"She’s nice... and cute... and really thoughtful. Hayan. Briefly."

Do you have a "Joey" (the gay friend secretly in love with "Billy" in the commercial) in your life?

"None."

Have you ever received any, uh, "indecent proposal" from a Joey?

"A lot but I don’t entertain them."

Are you as obedient and as ideal a son as you are in the PLDT commercial?

"I think so."

In what way?

"My Mom sometimes relies on me for information about my sister (Carissa, older), Leandro (older) and Angelo (younger brother)."

Does your mom meddle in your love life the way your "mom" in the PLDT commercial does?

"No! No, no, no! She never does."

What’s the best advice your mom has ever given you?

"Don’t get violent, get even."

Do you practise safe sex?

"Yes, I do."

"How?"

"I don’t do it at all."

What’s your type of girl?

"’Yung Filipina beauty. I love my own, you know. I’m attracted to the morena type, with eyes not too singkit and not too round either. I’m not so much into physical appearance; I’m more particular with the personality."

What turns you off?

"A girl who pretends to be what she is not."

How can you tell?

"You can see through her — very ‘trying hard’ ang dating."

And what turns you on?

"Sa physical? Of course, big boobs. And the back assets, like the butt. It should be nice, parang kay Jennifer Lopez."

What part of a girl’s body do you notice first when she walks into a room?

"The face, with emphasis on the eyes. If she has a sweet smile, the more I get attracted to her. I’m turned off by even a very pretty girl but with a frown on her face."

You’re standing in front of the mirror, looking at your naked body. Which part of your body is your favorite?

"My shoulders. When I take off my shirt, those are also the parts that many people take note of. ‘Yun ang napapansin nila. Ang shoulders ko."

Before showbiz, what were you doing?

"Delivering party chairs, tables, balloons and other paraphernalia. Leandro and I were helping in our dad’s party-needs business. Dad was also into carpets and Leandro and I also helped him there. I guess that’s how I got my asthma. Na-i-inhale ko ’yung mga dust from the carpets."

How did you bag the PLDT commercial?

"I auditioned. There were dozens of us. Maraming screen tests. And then I was made to do a scene with the lady (TV talent Aurora Uding) playing my mother. We clicked, and that’s it."

Are you fond of texting?

"Of course, of course!"

How many text messages do you send a day?

"More than a hundred."

What’s the funniest text joke you’ve ever received and passed around?

(Checking his cell phone) "Well, it’s about two guys talking about their exploits with a GRO (Guest Relation Officer, a.k.a hostess). One says, ‘Pare, walang kwenta ’yung nakuha ko kagabi; mas magaling pa yung asawa ko.’ The other guy answers, ‘I have also had that GRO. You’re right; mas magaling nga ang asawa mo d’un.’ Get the joke?"

You’re being typecast, so far, in romance-comedies about texting, such as your movie debut (Star Cinema’s Narinig Mo Na Ba ang L8est?, topbilled by Aga Muhlach and Joyce Jimenez) and your second one, Maverick Films’ Luv Text. I guess that being an incurable texter, you enjoy doing these movies?

"In Narinig, I play the friend of Aga. Si Aga na palaging kinakantiyawan na bading. But we don’t have any ‘relationship’ in the story; friends lang talaga kami. In Luv Text, which is not really basically about texting, I play a different kind of role. It has some element of surprise as you’ll find out when you watch the movie."

In her last movie, Kahit Isang Saglit, Judy Ann was your brother Leandro’s girlfriend. Now, she’s your girl in Luv Text. What’s the best thing that you can say about Judy Ann?

"She’s humble and warm. Nag-open-up kaagad siya sa akin pagdating sa set. She made me feel at once that okay akong ka-trabaho. She’s easy to work with."

If you were stranded on an island with a girl, who would she be?

"Ashley Judd. Yes, Ashley Judd!"

What’s the first thing you would do?

"I’ll ask her if she’s hungry or thirsty. And if she is, I’ll search the whole island for food and potable water."

What’s your favorite fantasy?

"A nightout with — who else? — Ashley Judd!"

Your greatest fear?

"Not being able to achieve my goals."

One thing you regret having done.

"Actually, it’s something I failed to do — not being open with my parents. But it’s never too late. One of these days, I’ll be opening up to them."

One thing you wish you could achieve — soon.

"Win a Best Actor award. But in the long term, I want to be a director, that’s why one of these days I might take up a course in film-directing."

One thing you’ll never do whatever happens.

"I’ll never be a politician. I hate politicians."

What’s the best thing about being Carlo Muñoz?

"I’m career-oriented; I always think of the future. Before I do anything or make any decision, I think a hundred or even a thousand times."

And the worst thing about being Carlo Muñoz?

"I’m short-tempered. Pag mainit ang ulo ko, I tend to say bad things which I later regret."

What’s the best thing that you’ve ever done to yourself?

"Making myself happy by making other people happy. If the people out there are entertained by what I’m doing on TV or in a movie, that’s good enough for me. That’s why I’m in the entertainment business."

If you were to be in another place, where would it be and why?

"In the past... Scotland circa the 13th century, setting of Braveheart, my favorite movie. Life was hard in that era pero parang ang saya-saya pa rin ng mga tao dahil sama-sama sila."

If you were not Carlo Muñoz, who would you rather be?

"My father. I think he’s the best father in the world. He’s such a good example to us. We are what we are today because of what he has taught us."