Proceeding with caution in love and career, Matteo does it slowly but surely

CEBU, Philippines – In a rare occasion, Cebu’s well-heeled set trooped to the cinema for a screening of a mainstream Tagalog comedy.

What was the fuss all about? The Viva Films flick starred Matteo Guidicelli, a member of one of Cebu’s prominent clans, being the grandson of the late Senator and Chief Justice Marcelo Fernan – and high society or not, Cebuanos are known to ardently support one of their own.

Arranged by Viva Films and Matteo’s family, the block screening at Ayala Center Cebu for the Wenn V. Deramas-directed “Moron 5.2 The Transformation” was attended by the Fil-Italian’s relatives, friends and fans last Friday.

“This is my first movie that we really organized something like this. I’m proud to be Cebuano, so I wanted to share this to the Cebuano audience. The promo is big in Manila, but not really here. So I really wanted to come here and spread the word to Cebuanos,” Matteo told entertainment writers in a pre-screening interview at the Ayala branch of La Vie Parisienne, owned by the Lhuilliers, a family friend of the Guidicellis.

A sequel to 2012’s “Moron 5 and the Crying Lady,” Matteo joined the first installment’s cast (Luis Manzano, Billy Crawford, Marvin Agustin, DJ Durano and John Lapus), taking on the character originally played by Martin Escudero. While there’s no issue on Martin’s part that he had to be replaced, Viva decided to bring in Matteo to fulfill a two-film contract that the ABS-CBN star recently signed with the film outfit.

Luis, Billy, Marvin, DJ and Matteo portray dim-witted friends who think they’ve acquired supernatural powers. Escaping from a mental asylum, their archenemy

Becky Pamintuan (portrayed by John) catches wind of their supposed powers, and thus does everything in her power to steal the five guy’s power source.

This is Matteo’s first full-on comedy project, so he was naturally unnerved to act alongside industry veterans like Marvin. It didn’t help that he was the new, uninitiated kid on the block.

He related, “Maglisod gihapon ko sa Tagalog, so it’s extra effort for me to study the lines. But they guided me all the way. It was like letting my inner child come out.

They also bullied me all the way, since I was new and the youngest!”

The bullying came in the form of boys messing around and horsing with one another, nothing of the serious sort.  Apparently, the five male leads are a riot off-cam as they are in front of the cameras.

Sharing one example of the guys messing with him, Matteo narrated, “I was with Billy before he went to jail. So the next day Billy appeared on set, he wasn’t talking to me. And everyone was telling me, ‘Uy galit siya sayo ha, kasi may kasalanan ka kay Billy.’ Syempre ako nauwaw, kasi kami nag-inuman nuon eh. Pero umuwi na ako before the incident with him happened [Billy briefly jailed for misconduct at a precinct] Pero gibinungan ra diay ko nila.”

“When I fall asleep on set, they wake me up and scare me all the time. They’re like little kids. Marvin is an entrepreneur and owns many restaurants, Luis is a very serious guy, Billy looks like a tough guy...but they’re really like kids, very playful,” he added of his co-stars juvenile antics.

Slowly but surely

After getting his taste of comedy, Matteo’s fans will see him in the horror genre next.

Cast in one episode of “Shake Rattle & Roll 15” titled “Flight 666,” Matteo here tackles the role of a plane passenger in a “flight from hell.” Along with co-stars Lovi Poe, Daniel Matsunaga and Kuya Kim, they battle a hijacker, a bomb scare, and a supernatural entity.

His ascent to fame may not be quicker compared to his counterparts, but Matteo is content in building his credibility one movie, one TV series at a time. “[Making a name] won’t be overnight, it won’t be in a year. It’s hard work because the industry is really competitive. Every year, it gets harder and harder, and I still have many things to prove. Step by step…” he said.

One proof he’s on the right track is a recent acting award – his first – as Best Actor for the Cinema One Original entry “Saturday Nights Chills.” He shared the ensemble acting honor with co-stars Rayver Cruz and Joseph Marco.

In terms of singing, Matteo shared that Louie Ocampo and Star Records are cooking up an album for him. Set supposedly for a 2014 release, the album is currently on hold because of Matteo’s film commitments. Rest assured though, that the album will see the day of light by 2015. “We have three original songs of Louie, and the rest are remakes,” added Matteo.

Perhaps his Popstar Princess sweetheart can dole out some recording tips?

Read between the lines

“What you see on TV is not what I see in real life,” described Matteo of what captivated him about girlfriend Sarah Geronimo. “When we’re sitting in front of each other, she’s very, very simple. She reminds me a lot of my mom. Very quiet. If you didn’t know who she was, you wouldn’t even know she’s a star. That’s what I like about her – her simplicity.”

Apart from her no-frills persona, it’s the fact that he can trust Sarah that sealed the deal for the Cebuano heartthrob. “One thing I’ve learned from past relationships, the most important thing is if you can trust one another. And if you find someone you can trust...,” Matteo let his sentence trail off.

Like any relationship, Matteo admitted there are “little quarrels and disagreements” sometimes. “Mga ginagmay lang gud, binata lang ba,” he quipped.

Their families have met, he said. “When they came here, my mom hosted a dinner. The mom was there, and Sarah was there. My family loves her. She’s a future Cebuana.”

How does he manage quality time with the singer-actress if she was allegedly closely-guarded? “Ako naa man sad koy mga gwardya, so walay problema,” he answered with a laugh.

Asked once and for all what was the real story between him and Sarah’s mom, Matteo treaded carefully by replying, “One day, I’ll answer that. Not today. In time, everything will be okay. Read between the lines,” said Matteo with a laugh. “There are challenges, everything has challenges...I won’t lie. There’s also always going to be rumors going around. As a person, I was raised to think that whatever negative aspects somebody has, I won’t mind that. I look at the positive side of a person. If there are negative stuff that will bring me down, I don’t involve myself with that.”

Marriage has casually come up in their conversations, but nothing concrete and serious, said Matteo. He is 24, Sarah is 26. “We have our dreams together, and separately. That’s why we don’t work with each other, because as much as possible, we want to do separate things. She does her own thing, I do my own. Hopefully, I want to get married before I turn 30.”

As for their Christmas plans? Matteo said he’ll definitely be spending the holidays in Cebu. Adding it would be lovely for Sarah to celebrate a Christmas in his hometown, Matteo knows there’s time for that in the future. For now, he knows it’s wise not to push his luck any further.