Raymond breaks barriers

What do Raymond Bagatsing’s 20-plus "odd" film characters have in common? They are all intense men– some authentically damaged, some endearingly complicated, and still others, down-right angst-ridden.

Often these characters are dysfunctional, yet he makes them likable in a way. In the local acting business, most of the so-called "actors" try very hard to show us what they are feeling. Raymond, on the other hand, shows us how people try to hide their feelings. This, I reckon, makes him considerably more interesting to watch.

"I think the worst thing an actor can do is over-act. Just like a singer. Don’t we all cringe when we watch a singer go way above the lines and melodies just to impress us?"

With two Best Actor URIAN awards (for Lav Diaz’s Kriminal ng Barrio Concepcion and Marilou Abaya’s Milagros) to his credit and another two Supporting Actor trophies (for playing gender-bender roles in Burlesk King and Soltera), there’s nothing Raymond has to prove anymore in the acting department.

I’m sure Raymond wouldn’t mind if I say that he is a credible actor because he is both fearless and "crazy," in a perfectly charming sort of way. He makes noises – he laughs, he cries, he cracks up, he can shut off from the real world in a jiffy.

At times when Raymond and I would catch up and talk about life, he accompanies his stories with theatrical body movements and whooping sound effects. On other instances, he’d just be content with long, penetrating stares and very subtle physical motions while sipping his drink.

After going through storms in his personal life recently, Raymond says he feels happy that his career is on an upswing once more. "I feel I’m starting to be creative again. I get this feeling of excitement to work, to try out different stuff. I feel so energized again with this freedom," he says. Raymond is the latest addition to Boy Abunda’s Backroom stable of talents, which is a very good career move.

Following the killing of his mega-mean character in Kung Mawawala Ka, Raymond is back on the soap scene with another good role in GMA-7’s current drama toast, Narito Ang Puso Ko. Here, he gives multi-level emotions to his character named Joaquin, who is believed to be the brains behind the death of his mother’s favorite son (played by Ariel Rivera).

"More than just playing roles, I am particularly more interested in understanding the psyche and frame of mind of every new character I play. I guess delving deeper into the role is more challenging to me," he says.

For his new horror film Sanib (in which he plays a priest who tries to cast out the demons lurking inside the sensual Aubrey Miles) Raymond once again, shows us why he is one of the few thespians around. He quietly did research on religious leaders who specialize on exorcism. And for a guy who’s into new-age practices, yoga and meditation, he admits it’s one of his more challenging assignments.

Perhaps another component of Raymond’s success as an actor is his ability to swallow all that preparation and be spontaneous. In acting, which I must say, he does exceptionally well in this Celso Ad. Castillo film, Raymond is modest. The pyrotechnics of a Christopher de Leon are not for Raymond because he knows how to disappear inside his characters, which is why sometimes the audience takes him for granted. To Raymond, acting is an absorbing profession, rather than an excuse to parade his neuroses, that is, assuming he has any.

In real life, Raymond is as open as the sky and as moody as the seas during this monsoon season. He can be startlingly flaky. He is professionally friendly. And for his few genuine friends, he is simply beloved.

I’ve known Raymond for a long time now. I’ve seen both his introspective and wild sides, and shared his many ups and downs. He is very much an old soul and yet he remains a free spirit. He is dead serious about his many passions as an artist, which also includes poetry, music and, when the time is perfect, putting on screen the movies in his mind.And that’s not too long from now.