Diet dares to bare

The sex symbol look is written all over him like some neon sign proclaiming to the whole world that this hunk is ready to tickle your wildest imagination like never before. You can’t help but wonder what happened to that innocent-looking matinee idol who teamed up with just-as-sweet leading ladies years back.

But make no mistake about it. Diether Ocampo has those broad shoulders, heaving chest, smoldering eyes and muscles that can make any red-blooded female swoon. And Star Cinema is wasting no time capitalizing on these.

It has cast Diether in an honest-to-goodness adult role: that of Rosanna Roces’ leading man in La Vida Rosa. The Chito Roño film marks a milestone in the erstwhile boy-next door’s career.

Nothing can be as unnerving to Diether as this, sizzling scene with Rosanna Roces.

His leading lady, Diether Ocampo says, did nothing to hide all of her flawless skin from him. And that, in itself, can make any man lose his concentration.

It’s a far cry from the Diether of yore, the kind who played matinee idol roles in many a harmless starrer.

This Diether burns with passion – the kind that ignites the screen with all the sensuality of a torrid embrace.

Diether can’t help but have a bad case of jitters. Yes, he admits feeling oh-so-conscious. People, he explains, give him the feeling that he is a "piece of meat" – to be devoured all in one sitting.

But he doesn’t take it against them. In fact, Diether says it’s but natural to arrive at this conclusion. And if they derive pleasure ogling at him, so be it. They’re entitled to this kind of visual delight.

This sensuality did not come by accident. It’s a product of regular huffing and puffing at the gym, of a passion for physical fitness. But neither is it premeditated. That to-die-for physique, Diether insists, is proof positive of the emerging health buff in him.

It’s also a natural progression of the way he’s career is going. At 25, Diether is the eldest among ABS-CBN’s The Hunks, made up for Carlos Agassi, Piolo Pascual, Jericho Rosales and Bernard Palanca.

Diether also plays a "grown-up" role in the soap series Recuerdo de Amor. So there’s no avoiding the R-18 image La Vida Rosa is bestowing him (the film is rated just that, by the MTRCB).

Besides, the Diether then is miles away from the Diether now. The latter has grown, emotionally, intellectually. With it comes a maturity borne of experience and discipline.

Diether can very well take it easy, with his well-appointed townhouse (five bedrooms, three floors) and his comfortable lifestyle. But he prefers to be up on his toes, constantly improving himself.

He enrolled in a film course at UP, where he is a freshman (irregular) student. The totally different milieu of the academe, where he buries himself in books, instead of movie dialogue and camera angles, has done Diether a lot of good.

"The academe has given me a wider perspective of cinema and my work as an actor," Diether explains.

His command of English has improved as well, thanks to faculty members who have helped him sharpen his verbal skills.

Goes to show that here is one guy who won’t sacrifice one area of development for another.

Diether will keep physically fit, yes. But he will also work on something just as important: his mental muscles.

The result is a balance: a good mind and a healthy body.

Thus, before anyone gets ideas about his newly-acquired sex symbol image, Diether wants to make it clear: he is willing to go back to boy-next-door roles, which is how he started in the first place. In fact, his next movie, a Joyce Jimenez co-starrer, is a lot tamer than the La Vida Rosa sizzler, which, incidentally, rated an impressive B+ with the Film Ratings Board.

For now, Diether must face up to the sensual image calculated to attract moviegoers like magnet to his latest film.

No problem, he tells you.

"If that’s what the audience likes, they can go ahead."

No doubt about it. Diether is enjoying the moment, as only someone comfortable about himself can.