Is Nico 'shackled' by his mother?

After playing a jueteng collector in Kubrador (with Gina Pareño), a driver in Here Comes The Bride, a gay working at a call center in My Amnesia Girl (with Toni Gonzaga and John Lloyd Cruz), a singing farmer in Emir and a demented murderer in Magkakapatid (for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor), Nico Antonio bags his first-starring/title role in Posas (Shackled) which is one of the entries in the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival at the CCP from July 20 to 29.

Directed by Lawrence Fajardo from a screenplay by Zig Dulay (with the supervision of Armando “Bing” Lao), Posas is produced by Nico’s mom, lawyer and TV host (Legal Forum) Joji Alonso, and that sets eyebrows soaring — you know, is Nico, to quote the movie’s title, “shackled” by his mom?

As they’d say, mother knows best and Joji is unperturbed.

“Whose money is it anyway?” she asked half-jokingly, “It’s mine and I can spend it any way I want to,” adding, “and I can cast anybody I want to or I see fit for the role. Kung may problema ang ibang tao, ako wala.”

Having produced almost two dozen films (including the critically and commercially successful Ang Babae sa Septic Tank with Eugene Domingo as star) under her own Quantum Films, Joji should know what she’s doing.

The eldest of Joji’s four children, Nico in Posas plays a notorious Quiapo snatcher.

“When I read the script,” said Joji, “I knew that Nico would fit the role. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had him cast.”

Atty. Joji backed up the statement by clarifying her casting process, “For me, choosing the actors is like completing the puzzle with the script providing the board, the foundation. If Nico were not suited for the role, he would never have been cast. When I saw the movie, I was more than convinced that Nico was the right choice. It’s a very physical role. Ang biro ko nga kay Nico, ‘Hindi ka tao in this movie; halimaw ka!’ I saw the snatcher and not my son.”

Confirmed direk Lawrence, “Nico is very talented and he really commits himself to his craft being an actor. He knows his role and studies it. What I like about Nico is he listens to me. We talked about every scene and he would do as expected. He’s never tired and wants to give his 100 percent to the role. If he is not happy he always requests for another take. I am very proud of what he has achieved in this film. People will look at him differently after this.”  

Asked how he prepared for the role, the muscled Nico said, “I did rigorous cardio-vascular exercises like boxing, running and Plyometrics to lose weight (from 180 lbs. to 150 in three months). I had to tone down my muscles because in real life, hindi naman maskulado ang mga snatchers, di ba? I also tried to get the feel of the streets. I would start walking in EDSA which is near my house and then proceed to Cubao. “Sometimes, I would hang out on Claro M. Recto Ave. around San Sebastian College where I’m studying (Law). I observed how snatchers went about their business, sometimes simply grabbing the victim’s bag or slashing the victim’s back pocket.”

Nico considered the torture scene as the hardest to shoot.

“I thought I would die,” he recalled. “It was short but terrifying,” making mom Joji recoil at the memory. “When I saw the rushes,” she said, “I was scared. ‘My God,’ I thought to myself, ‘Are they being so realistic to the point of killing my son?’ I was just as traumatized as Nico was.”

Incidentally, what part of his body did Nico not try to lose during his training?

“My butt. I read in some articles that having a perky rear looks good on men. So, I worked out my rear as much as possible so as to not lose it.”

And what part improved?

Nico Antonio (below, left, with director Lawrence Fajardo; and below, right, with Posas co-stars including Bangs Garcia, to his left, and Wendy Valdez, to his right) has to trim down by working out (including boxing, left) for his role as a notorious Quiapo snatcher

“My thighs. I shed a lot of fat so my thighs were toned.”

What happened to the nude scenes that he was supposed to do? Did his mom have them scrapped?

“There’s no longer any nude scene in the movie. The means of torture was changed to something more common which is water boarding. The first draft of the poster which shows me naked, was taken way before the initial shooting had even begun.”

Maybe aside from an award (he’s keeping his fingers crossed), what Nico is expecting is his first baby with his wife Angel.

“What a trophy he will be,” he said. “We are expecting a boy. I feel that my son will be a very vibrant boy. Ang galaw-galaw niya sa loob at ang lakas sumipa…to think that he is only on his seventh month inside his mom’s womb. Mukhang mapapasabak ako nito sa habulan kapag nakakapaglakad na siya.”

And how does he think fatherhood will affect his perspective as an actor?

“Nothing much will change. Though being the lead actor in Posas will hopefully make a difference in my career as an actor, I do not think that this will change me in a negative way. Hindi naman po ako pihikan sa role. Every role to me is a challenge, big or small. As a father, I also do not see that this will change me. If at all, it will make me more responsible.”

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. You may also send your questions to [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos visit http://www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on www.twitter/therealrickylo.)