Aga on an ultimate high

So how is life for Aga Muhlach now that he is a husband and father? "It’s the ultimate high," he says. "My life changed especially after the twins came. I don’t even go out anymore. My life is centered on my wife and kids kaya nanibago ako when I have to stay out of town for several days each week to shoot my new film with Claudine Barretto, Kailangan Kita. Honestly, I’ve forgotten kung ano ang maging artista. It’s Charlene who had to push me and remind me, ‘You cannot deny that you are an actor. That’s your life.’ For a while, I lost my enthusiasm to work because of what’s happening to our country. I felt walang nangyayari sa bansa natin. But now, bumalik na ang sigla ko. I also enjoy taping for my new TV show, Ok Fine Whatever.

He’s also glad Charlene is back as a TV host in Feel at Home with Charlene. "That suits her well–going to the malls, interviewing people. But I don’t want her to go back to being a movie star, kahit sabihin pang kami ang magiging magkapareha. Ako na lang doon. Right now, I want us to grow old together, so I make sure that all my properties, puro joint ownership na kami. We seldom leave the twins na sabay kaming aalis. If ever, we make it a point to leave them to one of their grandmothers, her mom or mine. As a father, I want to teach them the right values that will guide them well until they grow up. I want them to have good training at home, aside from having good education in school."

What if the twins also want to join the movies? "We’ll see kapag nandoon na. Right now, I have no objections if some companies would be interested to get them for commercials. At first, I didn’t like the idea dahil baka sabihin ng tao kinakalakal ko pa ang mga anak ko. But right now, I feel, ano bang pakialam nila sa buhay namin? Basta I’ll make sure the kids will not have a hard time during the school at hindi namin sila pipilitin."

He did two movies last year, Narinig Mo Na Ba ang L8test with Joyce Jimenez and Pangako Ikaw Lang with Regine Velasquez, both blockbusters which earned him the Box Office King Title. But this year, it seems he would have only one movie released, Kailangan Kita. What happened? 

"Well, we’ve been shooting this movie since April and, after seven months, we still have not finished it. It has a Nov. 6 playdate but we still have eight shooting days to go. All in all, we’ve already had 50 shooting days for it."

What caused the delay? Are they making an epic? "There are many reasons. We’re shooting it on location in various provinces. In Bicol, we shot some scenes in Irosin, Sorsogon, supposed to be my hometown, and some in Ligao, Albay, Claudine’s supposed hometown. But we also shot in Candaba in Pampanga, in Zambales and in Bulacan. Then the rains came and were hampered by the bad weather. Also, the script underwent several revisions. About 60 percent of the original screenplay was changed in the course of the shooting. Originally, the film is about local food, connected with the love affair between Claudine and me, but the story went much deeper than that."

Aga plays Carl, a celebrity chef based in New York. After 17 years of staying in the Big Apple, he comes home to the country of his birth to marry his fianceé, Chrissy, played by newcomer Rissa Samson. Chrissy’s family lives in Albay and he stays with them and meets her parents (Liza Lorena and Johnny Delgado) and siblings (among them, Cris Villanueva and Cholo Escaño.)

During the wedding preparations, Carl also meets Chrissy’s younger sister, the gutsy Lena (Claudine), who is somewhat an outcast because she fell in love with an NPA (Jericho Rosales in a cameo role) and this affected adversely their dad’s candidacy as mayor of their town, making him lose in the elections.

Lena, like Carl, is a good cook. The difference is that he does high cuisine like fondue and flambé, but her ability to cook is something innate in the Bicolano, especially when she cooks spicy native dishes like laing and ginataang sili. Soon, Carl finds himself falling in love with Lena. But more complications occur. Carl’s family is originally from Sorsogon and he has a big grudge against his dad (Dante Rivero) who abandoned them when he was still a child. Lena becomes the instrument for him to meet again his long-lost father.

"The movie is not just an ordinary love story as it also deals with family values," adds Aga. "Naging mas malalim ito, mas madugo. In the end, my character realizes that although you may be away for a long time from your country, it remains inside you, nakatatak sa iyo, and you cannot erase it anymore. Also, it says that when you love someone, you have to learn how to fight for it, for what would make you happy, and not be saddled by guilt feelings because of obligations to your family. This is a valid issue for us because Pinoys can be very clannish, di ba? In Lena’s case, will she be willing to follow her heart and love me back even if her family is against, or will she forego her personal happiness?"

For their roles, Aga and Claudine took special cooking lessons with a culinary expert. "I have to show that I’m used to cutting vegetables like onions and tomatoes in a fast way," says Aga. "When you watch the movie, you’d really think I’m a good cook. I do cook at home, but only pasta."

Working with Claudine proved to be a very enjoyable experience. "We first worked together when she was 13 in a telemovie," he says. "Then she played my youngest sister in May Minamahal. We also worked in my sitcom, Oki Doki Doc and in its movie version. But this is the first time she plays my leading lady and we even have a passionate love scene. She tells me it’s her first time to do a love scene and she’s glad that I served as her godfather because she feels very comfortable with me."

After Kailangan Kita, Aga is supposed to do a movie with Unitel, the producer of American Adobo, to be directed by Laurice Guillen. But he had to forego it because Kailangan Kita took many months to finish.

His next assignment will then be with Viva Films, where he might be paired with Sharon Cuneta or be reunited with Regine Velasquez.