Direk Joey: Gretchen is no prima donna

Joey Javier Reyes has always attracted controversy the way flowers magnetize bees. When he stepped out of an awards venue because of an ulcer attack, some people thought he left in a huff. And talks of a walk-out flew like sparks from a burning building.

And who can forget that Toro brouhaha where direk Joey was at the receiving end of all forms of attack on his morality?

But now, all seems disturbingly quiet on the scriptwriter-turned-director’s front. And he seems to have passed on the mantle of controversy to Gretchen Barretto, his lead star in the Canary Films’ Metro Filmfest entry, the trilogy Matakot Ka sa Karma.

Direk Joey doesn’t understand all the fuss about Gretchen being a prima donna. And unlike Gretchen who has chosen to keep mum on the issue, direk Joey doesn’t mind speaking his mind about it.

He insists she is no prima donna, at least on his movie set.

"You’ll know a good person by the way he treats people lower than he or she is in social status," the director begins. "Gretchen orders food, not just for herself, but also for the dubbers."

Thus, instead of feeling intimidated, the crew felt at ease with Gretchen, who is said remained as inconspicuous as possible when she’s not needed on the set.

True, she uses her trailer’s comfort room instead of going where all the others go to answer the call of nature. But she also gave all her clothes to a female co-star who remarked that Gretchen’s dresses looked great.

Rica Peralejo, who also stars in Karma, blurts out, "You should have cast me in that scene with Gretchen!"

To those who say his comebacking star is a diva, direk Joey wants to say Gretchen came to the set on time and always prepared for her role as the no-nonsense Aleli.

They were so at ease in-between takes they found themselves laughing, as if they had nary a care in the world.

Come to think of it, direk Joey himself need not have a single care in the world for now. He has two filmfest entries, the other one being Star Cinema’s Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo.

Awards are the least of his worries.

But he won’t be around when the filmfest executive committee hands out the traditional awards. He’ll instead reward himself with a vacation in Boracay.

"I have three reasons for my absence," he explains.

First, formal clothes such as the one awards nights require of everyone, make him ill at ease. Second, awards nights that stretch on and on till kingdom come make him hungry. And third, direk Joey admits he hates the controversy that follows close on the heels of these glittery affairs.

"If I win, it will be a wonderful gift for my mom," he relates. But if he doesn’t make it, what the heck? The director will just shrug his shoulders then forget all about it.

Awards, he says, is not the be-all and end-all of his acclaimed career. He’s sure aspiring for them will only leave one frustrated.

Does that mean he doesn’t put stock on any of the gleaming trophies lining his cabinet shelves?

Actually. Direk Joey finds trophies "nice to look at." And he appreciates them all right. But the bottomline for him is not how many trophies he has. Rather, it’s who you are as a person.

"That, not the trophies, is what you will be remembered most for," he insists. Besides, he adds, the world is full of nice people who don’t have a single trophy to their names.

These are the people direk Joey admires more; the ones who linger in his heart – whether they have a trophy or not.

It is in this class that the director wants to belong. After all, karma is not a mere word in the title of his latest film, which is all about how old furniture, like an antique aparador, a bed and a tocador inherit the luck of its previous owners.

It’s a law direk Joey takes seriously. And you might just end up believing in it, too, once you watch come the Christmas holidays.