Alex out of his Dad Pen’s shadow

MANILA, Philippines - On this noonday presscon, actor Alex Medina talks about his role in The Janitor, where he figures as a look-out in a bank heist that actually happened in a Laguna town some years back.

His part isn’t one of the major roles but he is happy as it is in the company of other big stars like Dennis Trillo, Richard Gomez, Derek Ramsay and Raymond Bagatsing, among others.

As usual, he has a special gut feel about this action movie which earlier he thought would no longer push through. He got this call if he was available in an action film and he easily said yes. He waited a long time but he didn’t mind. The role is limited but he has learned to find a way to make the part his own. “I was in the dark in the beginning and the learning experience started there. Direk Michael Tuviera and I were discussing a lot and that made dissecting the role easy. He was open to interpretation and so I built my own interpretation that sat well with him. I like the tenacity of direk Tuviera. He has a special passion for this movie even with limited budget and his passion was infectious. For that reason, you have to do your best to live up to his expectation.”

What Alex enjoyed doing The Janitor was the camaraderie and the special bonding with the members of the cast and production crew. “I can feel that the chemistry of the group is extra strong and I figure out the film turned out to be this special because of this factor.”

On the other hand, direk Michael points out his latest indie output is not a statement film on the state of peace and order in the country. For one, he started the film way before the celebrated EDSA huli-dap happened. “As a director and storyteller, my priority was to come up with real characters and real people and not to find fault in our police institution. We have good policemen as well as bad ones. As they say, there are bad apples in every institution. But if the release of the film happened when the newspaper headlines are all about the bad apples, I can’t help it. As they say, art imitates life and vice-versa.”

What does it take to direct a good action picture?

Direk Michael says patience is No. 1 but the big secret is getting the right actors. He easily got the ones he liked and Alex figured in it.

The actor has a part in a death scene where his character has to break down and he gave it everything he has.

In his book, there is no such thing as minor roles which facilitated his entry in the world of indie films.

For the record, he won his first Best Actor trophy in Palitan and even made both critics and audiences sit up and take notice of him in another indie film, Babagwa, where he was another major contender in the Best Actor category.

Later, he was Diego in the top-rating teleserye, Ina, Kapatid, Anak and the rest is history.

Looking back, he likes to think that Palitan was his first big break that involved a large amount of body exposure. “It was perfectly fine for me. My mindset is that it’s not me exposing myself but my character. If it is decently conceived and executed well, you won’t hear me complain even with those butt exposure.”

As usual, building the character is his first priority and it involves both his heart and mind and especially what he calls gut feel. “When you portray a role, you need to have a strong sense of imagination to lead you to where the character is going. I need a good grasp of my role and what will make it more interesting. As usual, I always trust my instinct, what you call gut feel. It stays in my mind as I study the role and when I face the camera, I know I have a good idea of what will make the part not just a cameo role. Everything about my role should be clear from the very beginning. I need to have a complete idea on what the character is driving at and how he will end up in the story. I have to constantly build on that.”

It just happened that he is the son of actor Pen Medina and brother of actor Ping Medina.

For him, the connection works both ways.

He points out: “For one, you don’t need lengthy introduction in the showbiz circle as you easily connect with a respected name. But it doesn’t end there. With your showbiz connection, there is also pressure to do well and live up to the good name. My Dad probably honed us to be actors by just being himself and letting his output speak for themselves. But I like my Dad’s philosophy which can also apply to acting. The other advantage is that you have a ready acting coach in the family. I consult and discuss a lot with my Dad. All scripts pass through him for scrutiny and together, we exchange ideas on how to delineate characters. He is pretty honest about what he thinks about your acting and from that candor, I learn a lot. But more than that he is a very strong person. And I like his conviction.”

The Janitor, directed by Michael and starring Alex, Dennis, Richard and Ricky Davao, among others, is now showing in theaters.