Coco the happy prince

He is called “Prince of the Indie” but if Coco Martin was not a very boyish 24-year-old actor (some people describe him as “cherub-faced”), he would be tagged “the king” instead. As of last count, he has to his name about a dozen indie films. Many of them had him in the lead role, some in supporting characters, and in others in virtual cameo roles.

But if, indeed, it’s quality that matters, and not quantity, let it be known that he has several indie films that made the rounds of international festivals — and won either Best Picture or the Grand Jury award. Coco, in fact, is the Pinoy actor with the most number of international film fest credits.

His very first indie film alone, Masahista, which had him in the title role, was shown in about 30 global film events after it won Best Picture co-winner in the video category of the Locarno International Film Festival, which is the oldest in the world.

He and his director-producer, Brillante “Dante” Mendoza, attended the event in Switzerland, giving the then only 21-year-old actor his first in a series of international film festival attendance.

His next major film with Mendoza, Serbis, would literally bring him to the world’s most prestigious film festival: Cannes. And it happened only this July, when Serbis became only the second Filipino film to be accepted there as official competition entry. The first acceptance happened 24 years ago: For Lino Brocka’s Bayan Ko (Kapit Sa Patalim).

Serbis would also make it to the festivals in Toronto (Canada), Fukuoka (Japan), Bangkok (Thailand), Pusan (Korea) and Vladivostok (Russia). It has also been accepted at the New York Film Festival which will be held this month. Direk Dante will take him to New York, though he has also brought Coco to Vladivostok. Serbis is also set to be shown at the world festivals in Berlin and Jakarta.

At the Toronto festival and at Bangkok, Coco actually had two films — aside from Serbis, he also had Jay, directed by first-timer Francis Xavier Pasion which won Best Film in the local Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival just a few weeks before it was accepted for exhibition at the Venice International Film Festival. Jay is also set to be shown at the London Film Festival.

Coco has also appeared in major and minor roles in Adolf Alix’s independent films Tambolista, Daybreak and Batanes. He also played a major role in Neal “Boboy” Tan’s Ataul for Rent which was shown at the Montreal International Film Festival in August last year.

The young actor has also begun to do films directed by Celso Ad. Castillo (yes, Philippine cinema’s one-time enfant terrible is now into indie films!), Jeffrey Jeturian and Raya Martin.

“For some reasons, the shoots for those films go off and on. But that’s just fine with me since it gives me time to do regular TV work now with ABS-CBN,” reveals Coco.

But why is he a Kapamilya, not a Kapuso?

“Because I really started with ABS-CBN. I was with Star Circle-Batch 8, along with Janus del Prado. People hardly remember me in that batch because I was introduced as Rodel Nacianceno, my real name. And then almost soon after we were launched, I quit because I decided to give in to my grandmother’s pleading that I finish college first before I do anything else,” revealed the surprisingly obedient prince.

He took Hotel and Restaurant Management at National College of Business and Arts in Fairview (he grew up in nearby Novaliches), Q.C. Soon after graduation, he rejoined showbiz and assumed the name Coco Martin.

But the cherub-looking prince of the indie now portrays nasty guy in Ligaw na Bulaklak (with Roxanne Guinoo in the title role) and in the weekly drama series Your Song topbilling John Prats.

“I actually find it challenging to be a kontrabida on TV where the stars I work with are hardly into indie films and working conditions very different from those of indie films. TV soaps and dramas are not taped in the really miserable places where we shoot indie films about prostitution and extreme poverty. It’s more difficult to act tough and mean when your surroundings are comfortable and clean,” he shares.

In Ligaw na Bulaklak, he plays an arrogant young politician. Well, watch the prince of the indie turn really nasty. Up close and personal, the actor is very mild-mannered.

But how has he been taking to the title “Prince of the Indie” when he should actually be “king”?

“I really have no complaints about it. I think it’s a title given by columnists and reporters when they write about me. I did not ask for it. I did not compete for it, so I am happy I was given the nice-sounding title,” he discloses.