Victor Neri’s ‘lucky charm’ - FUNFARE by Ricardo F. Lo

When Victor Neri admitted that he’s an expectant un-wed father (answering a question during the open forum) at last Friday’s presscon for his latest movie, Star Cinema’s Ex-Con, he offered neither apologies nor explanation. Victor made no attempt to deny the persistent rumor which started as a blind item in this corner. In fact, he was kind of "excited" to make the announcement that, yes, his love child with his non-showbiz girlfriend (identity withheld upon Victor’s request to protect the girl’s privacy, not necessarily her innocence) will say "Hello, world, here I am!" on Dec. 14, a day after the opening of Ex-Con.

"Honestly," said Victor, who’s turning 23, "I don’t know what I should be excited about – the opening of Ex-Con or the coming of the baby (a boy, as Victor wished it would be, according to the ultrasound). Magkahalo, e. I consider the baby my ‘lucky charm’ kasi nga he’ll be born in time for the showing of Ex-Con, my first and only movie this year."

The boy will not be a junior but will be named Veto (as in Don Veto Corleone of The Godfather). "It’s a nice name, isn’t it?" said the expectant father. "I hope my son will be a ‘don’ when he grows up."

No, Victor confessed, he and the girl are not living-in. They’ve been going steady for a year now. She stays with her family and he stays in his bachelor’s pad somewhere in Marikina City, but they see each other regularly. They haven’t discussed the wedding yet but they do have plans to settle down – legally – maybe sooner than later. "It will come," said Victor, "that’s for sure."

Once romantically linked to such actresses as Sharmaine Arnaiz and Angelu de Leon (with whom he shares a manager, Veana Fores), Victor clicks with his girlfriend not because she’s non-showbiz but because, that’s it, they click. "What’s important is that magkasundo kami," he said.

At the same time, he denied that he and Angelu ever had any romantic relationship.

"Friends lang talaga kami. When we go out, it’s always in a group, as a barkada. Angelu is happy with her life and I’m happy with my life."

Ex-Con is Victor’s fourth movie with direk Toto Natividad, coming after Utol (where Victor played second lead to Cesar Montano), Notoryus (Victor’s launching movie as an action star) and Suspek (Victor’s only movie last year). In Ex-Con, Victor plays a double agent, disguising as a convict so he can draw vital information from the head of a Chinese Triad inside the National Penitentiary. Besides having Rica Peralejo as leading lady who’s going bold and bare for the first time (no truth to the rumor, though, that Rica had a bustlift for the role because completion of the Ex-Con shooting preceded the rumor by many weeks), what’s new about Victor’s latest actioner is his introduction of the martial art Wushu for which he trained for months prior to the actual shooting.

"In the past," said Victor who was a member of the National Wushu Team that competed in Vietnam recently, "we usually rehearsed the routine before the shooting. This time, pinag-aralan ko talaga ’yung Wushu under an expert trainer."

Unlike most action stars, Victor doesn’t go around in black jacket ("Mainit sa Pilipinas!") or hiding behind dark glasses even inside dark buildings. Tagged as "The Action Star of the New Millennium," Victor projects an image all his own (see it for yourself in the movie), complete with a distinct and unique hairdo.

Does he really limit himself to just one movie a year?

"After Suspek, I wanted something new, so I waited for a good script before I decided to do a follow-up. I don’t want to make a movie for the sake of just doing a movie. Mas maganda ’yung inaabangan ang next movie mo, di ba? The new one should be better than the last one. I can assure you that Ex-Con is better than Suspek."

In-between films (and making that love child), Victor did TV guestings and did his bit in the country’s anti-drug campaign by joining the DrugWatch Foundation, frequently flying to the Visayas in a span of five to six months to give a boost in the anti-drug projects there.

Is he as clean-living as he seems to be?

"I must admit that I once tried drugs," said Victor, "but I didn’t like it. It’s good that I tried it once or twice so that when I talk against drugs, I’m talking from experience."