Tom Rodriguez stays true to his Visayan roots

CEBU, Philippines - Filthy ain’t the first description that comes to mind when thinking of television’s newest golden boy, Tom Rodriguez. It’s the word’s Visayan term though that the Fil-Am actor repeatedly uses to illustrate his younger self back in Catbalogan City, Samar way before he was thrust into the spotlight.

“Simple ra kaayo akong childhood sa Samar sa una. I would run around the streets, that’s why most of the people there are shocked with my line of work now. Bulingot jud ko kaayo. No one expected that I would be an actor,” says Tom, effortlessly switching from English to his native tongue without the twang despite his growing up years spent in the United States.

Tom was born to an American Navy serviceman and a Filipina from Samar. They migrated to Arizona, United States when he was 12, along with his five siblings.

“When we were in the US, we spoke either Waray or English. I didn’t understand Bisaya until I went inside the Pinoy Big Brother house kasi lahat ng kasama ko doon puro Bisaya and I asked them to teach me the dialect,” explains the 25-year-old former graphic artist.

After that 2009 reality TV stint, Tom signed under ABS-CBN’s Star Magic. He appeared in a slew of shows under the network and joined the all male-singing group VoizBoys with Jay-R Siaboc, Guji Lorenzana and Nico Antonio.

The project that put him once again on the radar was the morning series “Be Careful with my Heart” where his odd team-up with Aiza Seguerra was a surprise hit. Little did the bedimpled heartthrob know that another unconventional tandem from the rival channel would turn him into a household name.

Tom says he feels grateful to be cast in GMA-7’s “My Husband’s Lover,” a TV series that he believes has sparked a national conversation. “It’s nice that viewers are aware of our show’s moral compass. It opens a lot of discussions, which has been rare for the past two years on television that’s why I’m very happy and blessed to be part of one that is doing just that. This year has been non-stop for me in terms of personal and professional blessings. When we go out, I’m just so overwhelmed with the warm reaction we’ve been receiving. Tinood ba ni? Normal ra man ko nga tao sa una, bugoy-bugoy ra ko ug bulingot sa una.”

Of the most difficult scene he’s done in the soap so far, Tom easily picked the hospital scene where his character finally ‘fessed up to being gay to his doting wife of ten years.

“I can remember doing that scene like it was just yesterday. When we’re about to do a heavy scene, I look at Carla [Abellana] or Dennis [Trillo] and they make it look so easy. I remember I was praying in my head, ‘Lord, please guide me and give me the right emotions because I don’t think we can do this on a second take.’ Thankfully, we did it on one take. Our director is very understanding though. If we, the actors, feel we could have done the scene better, he lets us do another take, unlike other TV directors who would say there’s no more time.”

Striking while the iron is hot, Tom disclosed that he is set to star in two upcoming films: One with Joey Paras directed by Wenn Deramas and a Regal Films rom-com with Carla Abellana. After playing the title role in the musical stage play “Aladdin” late last year, he will also soon go back to theater via “The Addams Family.”