How Emilio became a serious actor

Curtain-raisers:

• As Funfare reported a few issues ago, Karen Davila (a.k.a. “Korea Denmark”) has changed her mind about moving from ABS-CBN to TV5 where the new head of the News & Public Affairs is her husband, DJ Sta. Ana (former head of the same department at ABS-CBN). The one who is definitely joining TV5 is another Kapamilya, Cheryl Cosim who got an offer (double her ABS-CBN salary, etc.) she couldn’t refuse. Effective March, Cheryl will anchor the evening newscast with Paolo Bediones, the GMA recruit who now holds an executive position in TV5.

• Charie Villa is taking on a new challenge as the head of ABS-CBN’s on-line news website abs-cbnnews.com <http://abs-cbnnews.com/> and its mobile counterpart, ABS-CBN news mobile, starting Monday (Feb 1). Villa’s new appointment shows ABS-CBN’s commitment to reach out to its expanding audience worldwide and deliver the news in any platform they prefer, said ABS-CBN senior vice president for news and current affairs Maria Ressa.

Named to another strategic position is Chi Almario-Gonzalez, a veteran print and TV journalist, who is now head of news gathering for ABS-CBN. The network is set for this year’s pivotal elections. ABS-CBN launched Boto Mo, iPatrol Mo: Ako ang Simula one year before the May 10 elections.  

• This just in: Could it be true that a singer-actor-comedian and a young singer-actress are poised to make a “big leap” to another channel? The two have the same manager. Will the guy’s singer-actress girlfriend do the same? She has been conspicuously absent from the network’s weekend variety show.

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Although he has been in the business for more than 15 years, Emilio Garcia realized that he could be a serious actor only five years ago at about the same time critics started recognizing his acting ability. Not that they were taking him for granted; perhaps they just overlooked him.

Now, with six awards to his name (four for the indie film Selda, Best Supporting Actor from the 2007 Star Awards, Urian Awards and Gawad Tanglaw, and Best Actor from the Thessaloniki International Filmfest in Greece; and two for Walang Kawala, Best Supporting Actor from the 2008 Star Awards and Gawad Tanglaw), Emilio told Funfare that way back in 1998, three years after he was discovered while modelling in a fashion show by director Jose Mari Avellana to replace Miguel Rodriguez (who had just died) as Snooky Serna’s leading man in the Seiko drama Koronang Itim, he did entertain the idea that, yes, he could be a serious actor.

“I was doing Mapusok then,” said Emilio who was a waiter at Alex restaurant when discovered for the ramp. “I was playing a killer and I thought, wow, pang-award ito.”

No, he wasn’t even nominated.

“Since then,” added Emilio, “hindi na ako nag-i-expect. I just put heart and soul into the role I’m playing without thinking of any award. Otherwise, pag iniisip mo ‘yan, you can be distracted.”

He has done myriad roles that should be the envy of other actors, including a prisoner who falls in love with a fellow inmate (Sid Lucero in Selda), a killer cop who is a closet homosexual (in Joel Lamangan’s Walang Kawala) and now in Sagrada Familia as an incestuous father to Lovi Poe (with Snooky Serna as Emilio’s wife) in a story inspired by the Mike de Leon classic Kisapmata (with Vic Silayan and Charo Santos in the father and daughter roles).

“It’s Lovi’s first time to play a daring role so I was careful during our love scenes,” said Emilio. “I asked her how far she could go. During the shoot, I took good care of her as I always do with my leading ladies.”

Contrary to what some people think, Emilio didn’t graduate from bold movies.

“I’ve never stripped in a movie or for a pictorial,” he said, “not that I won’t ever do it. If it’s a good role, with the right director, why not? I saw Antonio Banderas in Law of Desire (La Lie del Dieseo, directed by master filmmaker Pedro Almodovar) where he went really bold, complete with nude scenes, and nobody called him ‘cheap’.”

Before doing a role, Emilio does thorough research.

“Before I shot for Walang Kawala, I interviewed a cop who is gay pero hindi halata.”

During the Thessaloniki Filmfest in Greece, Emilio got a “high” when Bill Pullman congratulated him for a job well done in Selda.

“He said he saw the movie and he liked my performance.”

 Asked what role he’d like to play, Emilio said any of those Banderas, his favorite actor, usually plays.

“My dream is to meet him and shake hands with him.”

How Mother Lily got into Magkakalayo

I’m not sure if the episode has been aired already, the one with Regal Matriarch Mother Lily as a “guest” in a party scene. But you might be wondering how Mother Lily got into the scene.

It was Monday last week. Mother Lily was at her Imperial Palace Suites checking if all was set for the lunch presscon she was hosting for Quezon City vice mayoralty candidate Joy Belmonte when she learned that Kris Aquino (“My baby,” Mother Lily said) was at Dolce (next to Imperial) shooting for the ABS-CBN soap Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo.

“I will go see her,” said Mother Lily who was, by coincidence, in a party dress. “I will talk to her.” Kris and husband James Yap’s domestic problem hadn’t been sorted out yet at that time.

The shoot was in progress when Mother Lily entered Dolce.

“Come Mother,” Kris summoned her, “guest ka namin.”

Mother Lily gamely agreed.

During the shoot, when Gabby Concepcion entered, Mother Lily forgot that she was in a shoot and she called out, “Hi, Gabby!” Luckily, her voice wasn’t captured by the microphone. Remember, it was a noisy party scene.

And that was how Mother Lily got her 15 minutes of fame.

(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph or at entphilstar@yahoo.com)