Catching up with Matteo

CEBU, Philippines - Kapamilya actor Matteo Guidicelli had just wrapped production for his first indie film and will start shooting for his second one by late October — coincidentally, both movies deal with stories of real-life saints and even allow him to showcase his Cebuano-Italian roots.

The heartthrob was in town recently to join the press launch for ‘P’, a Cebuano musical film that will pay tribute to the soon-to-be-canonized Blessed Pedro Calungsod, to be directed by Remton Zuasola and produced by Susan Henry of SHE Productions.

Before accepting the role of a Cebuano youth gone wayward for ‘P’, Matteo got his first taste of the independent filming scene when he played an Italian priest-turned-saint named Jerome, produced by a Filipino and Italian team.

“It’s very exciting, because I like doing indie movies. It’s really great timing, since both movies are about religion and Christianity. I got to play an Italian guy for the first one, and then for the other, I get to play a Cebuano. Both are very close to my heart, so I’m very excited,” he remarked.

Matteo said working with teams outside of the traditional major film/TV studios was a breath of fresh air.

“My first experience in doing an indie, it was very different compared to working in the mainstream. I realized it last month when I was working on ‘St. Jerome.’ The environment and the people are just different. As an actor, you can do what you want. You can talk to the director more, there are less limitations in doing what you want to do.”

The former karting wonder also said that any project aiming to uplift his hometown of Cebu will immediately warrant his interest.

“First of all, when I heard ‘P’ will be made in Cebu, that captured me right away. And then the name Pedro Calungsod also captured me. Later, when I found out Direk Remton was this award-winning talent, that even made me more interested. But the one reason I really wanted to do this was because the producer said her goal was to enliven the Cebu film industry again. I’m a Cebuano, I love this place, and I’ll do anything for it.”

In the synopsis for ‘P’, Matteo’s character Pierre is described as a “young and carefree musician who spends his summer partying, drinking and doing drugs. He resides in the fast lane, cloaked in a dream cloud of sex, drugs and rock and roll. His career is about to take a higher leap when lies pull him down, forcing him to face a grim reality.”

That pretty much veers away from Matteo’s boy-next-door image, but he doesn’t mind. If anything, he’s eager to test his thespic heft in a non-cookie cutter role, and with speaking lines that’s in his own dialect.

“It’s gonna be a challenge for sure. But with the script being in Bisaya, it’s going to be a nice change for me. I’ve always wanted to do something in Bisaya,” he said. 

Cebuana Akiko Solon, product of an ABS-CBN reality singing contest where Angeline Quinto came out the victor, will portray Matteo’s girlfriend. Other locally-bred talents Piero Vergara, Jay-R Siaboc and Donna Gimeno of ‘Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria’ fame are cast as his bandmates.

Sensual Matteo

Matteo is sporting a darker skin tone these days, but his triathlon-related activities aren’t the only ones to blame for it. He’s been taping scenes for the upcoming afternoon romance-drama ‘Isla’, and the title alone clues us in on the locale and the wardrobe staple of this show’s lead stars.

He shared, “Basically, we’re gonna be half-naked for the most part. It will not come across lewd though, since it goes with our roles. Our characters are stuck on an island, and we only have the clothes on our back.”

Here, Matteo is paired with Jessy Mendiola, while Jewel Mische and Matt Evans play their respective third parties.

“It’s coming out in a few months. We’ve been working hard on it and it’s very different from those I’ve done before. It’s very sensual and daring, similar to the movie ‘Blue Lagoon’.”

Making peace

While the actor refused to reveal the real reason behind his split with Maja Salvador, he did share what went through his head during that impromptu reconciliation with Coco Martin whom he famously had a fist fight with over the actress after last year’s Star Magic Ball.

It took another Star Magic Ball, which took place last September 1st, for the network colleagues to cross paths again. Matteo was tasked to announce the recipient for “Standout Award,” and Coco happened to be the awardee.

Matteo shared, “It was actually spontaneous. Honestly, since last year, I’ve always been reaching out. But we never saw each other. Finally during the Star Magic Ball, I took the opportunity. When I opened the envelope and saw his name in it, I didn’t know if I was gonna call his name. When he came up, I shook his hand. Ako na lang ang mag-reach out di ba? I hugged him and I even gave him a kiss.”

“What’s nice is, everything’s at peace now. I’m happy that everyone’s friends again. It’s all about forgiving. It’s gonna sound cliché, but it’s really about forgiving and respecting each other. Sometimes, you need to stoop down. You don’t have to keep your head high all the time. Go down a bit and treat everyone equally; we’re all the same,” he added.

Asked what could possibly provoke him to lose his cool and trade punches with another guy again, he replied, “I’m a person who doesn’t usually get mad. There have been many instances where I should have been mad, but I wasn’t. That was a rare incident last year. But if somebody disrespects who you are, especially your morals and values, that’s when I have the right to get mad.” (FREEMAN)