Real Life, starring Christopher de Leon

Thirty-something is a lifetime to some people. It's enough time to grow up, make serious mistakes, hit rock bottom and bounce back to make something beautiful out of the experience. It's enough time to settle down, start a family, and witness your dreams begin to come true.

Looking at him, you wouldn't think that Christopher Strauss de Leon already has 120 movies listed on the Internet Movie Database web site and over 30 years of show business under his belt. A picture from 20 years ago shows the difference between the appearance of Christopher then and now-practically nothing. If anything, he looks younger now and more at ease.

The master of the house, his presence fills the room as he sits on the sofa to be interviewed. Framed black and white photographs of his and his wife Sandy's families stand alongside the colored photos of their wedding and their children. Any evidence of his profession and celebrity status is discreetly assigned to the next room, along with the Framed posters of his favorites of the films he's made and of course, his numerous acting awards.

Ever since his stunning award-winning debut as a teenager in Lino Brocka's Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, Christopher de Leon's name has become a staple in Philippine cinema. He rose among his peers and became one of the best dramatic actors of his time. Even up to now, his name on the marquee is almost a guarantee for a critically-acclaimed film.

But if you stay out of the other room, you would never know that he has one of the most recognizable faces in the country. He exudes a quiet, serene confidence as he introduces his beautiful wife and children.

This is the secret to his craft, and in a way, his sanity. When he was young, he described show business as a circus, but through the years, he has come to realize that this is a noble job. "I do my work in front of the camera and I'm happy," he says. "Away from the camera, when I'm not working I do the things that should keep me on the ground. I have a mango orchard, so when I'm not entertaining, I'm farming!" One cannot be closer to the ground than that. "At the same time," lie points out, "it's part of my work to be grounded because I portray real life."

It's rather ironic to point out that his life used to resemble the dramas in the movies more than real life. Just like a dashing leading man in an action movie, he used to ride a Yamaha Virago, and like any flawed hero, his past was wild and dangerous-a melange of the proverbial sex, drugs and rock and roll. "I grew up in Quezon City-Lumaki ako sa barkada [I grew up with a group of friends]." According to him, he got his education from the streets. "I dealt with tough guys... But everything changed when Jay died."

Jay Ilagan was one of the Bad Bananas-a group Christopher was in-similar to the Saturday Night Live group back in the day. Just like them, the Bad Bananas were at the top of their game. "Jay said that there was a parallelism between the two groups," Christopher says. "When John Belushi died, he said that we could be like that. We were heading towards that. Jay thought it would be me, but it turned out to be him."

He pauses and says softly, "We were living in a fantasy world. We didn't think anybody would die." After Jay died, the group talked about what he had said before and changed their ways. Christopher gave up his big bike and his wild ways and reconciled with God. The others did the same.

Sandy Andolong was a witness to those dark days. Christopher says fondly of his wife, "What is striking about Sandy is that she took me for what I am, for who I am. She took everything. When I was doing drugs, she understood. When I was recovering, she was there. Before, she caught me with somebody else. There was a breakup but she took me back. She accepted me as I am, and that is important."

She in turn describes Christopher just as fondly. "As a father, he spoils the kids," she says. "As a husband, he's very demonstrative. He shows me that he loves me and he always assures the kids every day that they are important."

"I'm not really strict as a dad," Christopher says, "but I still believe in the saying, `Spare the rod, spoil the child.'"

The Christopher de Leon of Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang was a teenager with immense talent and great instincts for acting. Thirty years later, he has honed his craft beyond just instincts. With mentors from the golden age of Filipino cinema such as Lino Brocka, Lolita Rodriguez and Linda Azarcon, Christopher grew as an actor and an entertainer.

"Lino told me, `The highest form of art is discipline.' When you're an actor, it's the whole package." Christopher says, "Eat right, exercise, read, study. You have to be all professional." This is why even if his children are going to follow in his footsteps to show business, he wants them to finish their studies first. "Not as a fallback," he clarifies, "but more for the discipline of going to school, studying and meeting deadlines."

He doesn't take all the roles that come his way. He reads the material first, and if it captures his interest enough for him to finish it in just one sitting, he gives it a go-no matter how much he earns from it. He speaks of his latest movie Nasaan si Francis? which he produced and starred in, with fondness.

" I attacked the role [of Rocky] in all seriousness. In fact, none of us in the film was playing for laughs. It was funny because of the situations," he recalls with a smile. "It was a fun movie."

The future is looking bright for Christopher. The thought of retiring has never crossed his mind. "If I retire, I will die," he confesses. He has achieved some of his dreams like recording a solo album, Mga Awit-Pelikula ni Christopher de Leon. "It's been my dream for 10 years to record an album and I only got to do it now."

When the topic of whether he'll go into politics like FPJ comes up, he laughs and states, "Politics should be a calling from God. I love the job I have right now. I don't have to steal. I make people laugh and I touch their hearts. When I sing, I make them smile. Why should I change my job?"

What he's worried about right now is the film industry. "It would take a miracle to revive it," he says. Aside from the economy problems and piracy plaguing the business, Christopher calls it a "bankruptcy of ideas."

"Back then, it was like New Year every week!" he says, his eyes lighting up. "Lino would make a movie, boom! Bernal, boom! Romero, boom! Fernando Poe Jr., boom! Joseph Estrada, boom! Celso Ad Castillo, boom! Abaya, boom! Boom bang, bing! Vilma Santos, Christopher de Leon, boom! Rudy Fernandez and Phillip Salvador, boom!" But now, he says, "Let's just hope it's just the changing of the guard." In any case, he is not going anywhere.

The Christopher de Leon sitting for this interview does not look tired or in a hurry. There is a sense of peace around him that can only come from a certainty that he has good relationship with his God, his family, his friends and himself. The dreams that he has been working on for many years are now coming true. It looks like he's finally on the road to his happily ever after.