A challenge Gardo can’t resist

In assessing 2004, Gardo Versoza concludes that he is extremely grateful for the year-that-was. Although he admits the movie industry hit a slump in 2004, he remains adamantly optimistic.

Truth to tell, he did only one movie last year, but it was the highly praised Babae sa Breakwater, under the direction of Mario O’Hara.

In that award-winning film, Gardo played Dave, a corrupt cop-turned-hobo sinking in the metaphorical quagmire of perdition by the breakwater. "Every time I do a movie with direk Mario, it’s always something different," Gardo beams with pride. "It’s always something to look forward to."

Gardo has nothing but praises for direk Mario. "He’s very cool. I’ve never seen him get upset. And he’s very open to suggestions and questions." The last time Gardo worked with Direk Mario, it was for a similarly-acclaimed film, Sisa. Once again, Gardo and direk Mario’s latest collaboration didn’t disappoint.

A small independent movie produced by Arlene and Edgar Aguas of Entertainment Warehouse Productions, Babae sa Breakwater has exceeded everyone’s expectations, receiving rave reviews both here and in film festivals abroad. It was even screened at the Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes International Film Festival, ending the country’s 20-year absence in the same cinema forum where the likes of Lino Brocka and Mike de Leon once excelled. "When we were doing Breakwater, we didn’t really target the international market," he recalls. "So what more if we received support from different sectors – like the government and the media? Its success abroad is not even played up. There’s no drumbeating for it. I just hope Filipinos will support small but good movies like Breakwater, so that new independent producers like the Aguases will be encouraged to make more daring and groundbreaking movies."

Even though it was a small movie, Gardo still gave his all to the project, completely altering his look and immersing himself in the gritty and grimy world of Breakwater’s hapless characters. "I was really deglamorized in that movie," he laughs. "So dirty. I looked like a taong grasa (homeless hobo)."

Method acting, anyone? "Not really," he explains his technique. "I base everything on the script. I read it carefully. I visualize it. Then I create a look for my character and discuss it with my director if it’s correct."

For all his efforts and creativity, Gardo earned a much-deserved nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the PMPC Star Awards.

Away from the big screen, Gardo continues to make waves on the small screen. He recently cinched back-to-back triumphs on two ABS-CBN 2 soap operas, Bituin and It Might Be You, playing two very distinct and divergent characters. In the former, he wowed audiences as Diony, the flamboyant gay best buddy of Nora Aunor. In the latter, he made fans shudder as Governor Camilo San Carlos, a vengeful and malevolent politico and nemesis of Tirso Cruz III. "I was joking around with Tirso, that may career is now complete since I was able to work with both Guy and Pip," he jests.

Seriously now, he made certain that his two telenovela characters would be as different as night and day, not only in terms of characterization, but also visually. "For Diony, I wore scarves and was very colorful," he affirms. "For the governor, I decided to grow a mustache so that I would look more mature since I was supposed to be the father of (teen star) John Lloyd Cruz. The mustache also made me look mean. In fact, I think the governor would be the type who would beat up Diony for no reason!"

On those two telenovelas, Gardo was allowed to exhibit his range and depth as an actor. "That’s why I really feel grateful for television," he reiterates. "I get to play around with the roles that are assigned to me." Now that It Might Be You has just wrapped up its run, Gardo is looking forward to doing more projects – both on the small and big screen – in the coming New Year.

On the personal front, Gardo also aims to fulfill a long-cherished dream of becoming a pilot. "Just like John Travolta, he pipes in. "Ever since I was young, I’ve always dreamed of flying airplanes. That was the main reason why I took up Electrical Engineering in college." At that time, however, there was a spate of plane crashes that made Gardo think twice about a career in the airline industry. "I realized that it was such a huge responsibility," he relates. "Imagine, the lies of the plane’s passengers are in the pilot’s hands."

Still the lure of flight remains irresistible. "Now, I am planning to take courses in flying," he remarks. "I don’t have to go into commercial flying. Maybe I can fly cargo planes or take part in relief operations whenever there’s a calamity like the flashfloods and landslides in Quezon and Aurora. I also want to try sky diving in the future."

Before Gardo takes flight, he has also chosen to conquer another mighty challenge, by enrolling in scuba diving lessons. "I’ve always been fascinated by marine life," he says.

That’s Gardo, always adventurous, fearless, and peerless – both as an actor and as an extreme sports enthusiast.