Remember the six-year-old boy who played Vilma Santos and Christopher de Leon’s autistic son in Laurice Guillen’s unforgettable drama Ipagpatawad Mo, whose tear-drenched face left an indelible mark in the memory of the public because of that scene where Vilma and Christopher (who hates what he called his "retarded" son) argue at the top of their voices, culminating with Vilma, hugging the boy, delivering one of local movies’ classic lines, "Si Jun-Jun, si Jun-Jun"?
Jun-Jun is a big boy now, all of 22, playing not an autistic but a macho dancer in Mel Chionglo’s Twilight Dancers. Vilma will surely have a hard time reconciling the 5’9" macho dancer to her little boy in Ipagpatawad Mo. Like Vilma’s son Luis (who has dropped Lucky as public monicker), Terence Baylon has grown fast during the decade or so when he quit showbiz to concentrate on his studies (he’s now taking up Masscom, major in Broadcasting, at Centro Escolar University).
"I was 11, an awkward age," said Terence who, besides Ipagpatawad Mo, also played Vilma’s son in Kapag Langit ang Humatol. (He did three other movies as a child star, Sambahin Mo ang Katawan Ko, Buddy en Sol and Masahol Pa sa Hayop; he won three Best Child Actor trophies for Ipagpatawad Mo, from the FAMAS, Star Awards and the FAP Awards.)
Asked how Vilma would react if she sees him in Twilight Dancers, Terence wondered, "I don’t know."
On the set of Ipagpatawad Mo, Terence would sit on Vilma’s lap.
"She was like a mother to me," he recalled.
Asked about the idea of doing a movie with Vilma now, perhaps she playing his Sugar Mommy, Terence said, "Why not? It would be an honor to work with her again on a different level."
In some scenes in Twilight Dancers, Terence is shown calling his mom from the gay bar where he’s working, lying to her that he’s on the midnight shift at the (imaginary) call center where he’s working.
In real life, Terence has been working at a call center since February.
"(Scriptwriter) Ricky Lee patterned my role after my real-life job," explained Terence.
How did you prepare for your role in Twilight Dancers?
"Like my co-stars Tyron (Perez, in the title role) and Kris (Martinez), I joined an acting workshop and was trained by real macho dancers. We visited several gay bars as part of our research."
What else?
"I went on a diet. I used to be on the heavy side."
What vitamins and supplements do you take?
"Vitamins A and E, fish oil and Pharmaton multi-vitamin."
What food do you avoid?
"Oily and fatty foods. I eat more protein, chicken, fish and vegetables. Mostly salads."
How much water do you take per day?
"More than eight glasses, about 13 to 14 glasses a day. At the call center where I work, we are provided with bottles and bottles of water."
Don’t you strain your vocal cords in your job?
"I do. It can be tiring. I refrain from taking cold drinks."
Don’t you get prank calls?
"None. But there are customers who call with complaints and they’re usually angry, nagmumura. But we keep our cool; kailangan mahaba ang pasensya mo. We never answer back. Tinitiis na lang."
What if the angry caller is unstoppable?
"Sometimes, we turn the receiver to ‘mute’ mode."
What are your working hours?
"Irregular. Sometimes I’m on the graveyard shift."
How much sleep do you get per night?
"Four to five hours. Since I’m young, the doctor said it’s good enough."
What’s your favorite sleeping wear?
"None. I sleep in the nude. I wear only perfume, Clinique Happy. I live alone in my pad. My parents are in Cebu. I’m self-supporting."
What’s the last thing that you do before you go to sleep?
"I pray – for good health and for protection, and for peace and unity in our country. Magulo ang bansa natin ngayon, di ba?"
And the first thing that you do when you wake up?
"Yawn. Ha, ha, ha! Then, I check my schedule for the day. I keep a record of my daily activities."
How do you spend your free time?
"I go to the gym. Or to an Internet café. Or I watch movies. But I never go on ‘gimiks.’ If ever, I go to Starbucks, but not to the disco. I’m done with that."
You did lose a lot of pounds in your workout for Twilight Dancers. What part of your body do you think needs more improvement?
"My biceps and my abs."
And what part of your body is your favorite?’
"My eyes. They’re very soulful daw."
What part of your body is most vulnerable?
"My nose. I suffer from sinusitis. Even a mild smell of cigarette makes me sick."
You’re clean-living, I presume.
"Yes. I don’t smoke; I don’t drink. I’ve never tried drugs."
No vice?
"None. Kain lang."
What part of a girl’s body do you notice first?
"Her smile, like that of Angelina Jolie. ‘Yung nang-aakit na tingin."
Are you a pessimist or an optimist?
"An optimist. I always look forward to a better, brighter tomorrow. I’m also spiritual. My Sunday is not complete without hearing Mass. I pray all the time."
Do you have any favorite saint?
"St. Michael the Archangel."
What’s your zodiac sign?
"Taurus (April 26). My guardian angel is Cahethel."
Name three guys you think have nice bodies.
"Brad Pitt. Marc Nelson. Paul Walker."
And three women...
"Jessica Alba. Elisha Cuthpert (The Girl Next Door). Scarlett Johansson."
Using body language, how would you make a girl know that you like her?
"I just look at her."
(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph)