He said he’s a Gemini (born on June 6) and when asked if, like his zodiac sign, he has a split personality, Victor Basa smiled, “No, I have a multiple personality.” It’s a joke!
He’s said to be “shielded,” over-protective about his private life and those who know him claimed that Victor has “angst” and unresolved “issues” from his childhood which he adamantly refused, despite pressure from the “unseen voice,” when he was inside Big Brother’s house.
“Issue like what?” he asked. “That I’m gay? No, I was never affected by that. I know myself. I’m secure with my sexuality. I was quiet inside the ‘house’ and I guess that was cooked up to spark some interest in me.”
He has two siblings. All he would tell you about his mother is that she used to be a model. He was mum beyond that.
“I would say that I had a happy childhood. When I was young, it seemed that school wasn’t a priority. I became serious with my studies only when I got to college. I finished elementary grades at The Brent high school at what he called “a small school in Greenhills” and college at La Salle (where he finished Computer Science, specializing in Software Technology).
Victor (whose swollen-like nose reminds people of James Yap) belongs to the Mercator Model Management. He has been in showbiz for barely two years. A talent scout saw him on the cover of Pink magazine and told him to audition at the ABS-CBN Talent Center’s Star Magic for which he’s now under contract. Hello, PBB (Pinoy Big Brother)! You see him guesting on ABS-CBN shows every now and then. Starting Sunday afternoon May 4 after ASAP ’08 on ABS-CBN, he’s starring in Your Song Presents: Without You (with the theme song Here I Am by Erik Santos), with Joross Gamboa as his lover and Alex Gonzaga as the girl between them. Daring? “Well, it’s a good role and I want to try anything. The more daring the better.”
He’s a bona fide member of the Cover Boys (the group that has eased out the aging Hunks) whose “naughty and sexy side” will be “uncovered” on May 9 (next Friday, 8 p.m.) at the Music Museum in a show called Cover Boys: Uncovered at the Music Museum produced by ASAP Live and MJM Productions. Other Cover Boys are Jon Avila, Will Devaughn, Zanjoe Marudo, Jake Cuenca, Rafael Rosell, Ron Morales, John James Uy and Marvin Raymundo.
Victor stands 5’11”, weighs 155 lbs., with a 29-inch waistline, and wears medium-sized shirts, size-31 briefs and size-10 shoes.
Let’s “uncover” him before he mounts the stage of Music Museum.
What kind of diet do you follow?
“I am a food lover but I stay away from fatty food. I tried being a vegetarian but I lasted for only two weeks because I was losing too much weight, so I started eating meat again. I also avoid salty food and sweets.”
Do you take three square meals every day?
“Oh yes, I do. For breakfast, I take oatmeal with a moderate amount of sugar but no milk. For lunch, it’s mixed. I take either salads or spaghetti. I take a lot of carbs because I work out a lot. Believe it or not but I eat a lot during dinner. I don’t know why but I have a good appetite at night and it must be because that’s when you feel tired and hungry after a hard day’s work.”
Do you take snacks in-between?
“No junk food, just soya milk or fruit shake.”
Food that you crave for all the time.
“Lamb chops. It’s fatty, I know, but sometimes I can’t avoid it.”
Favorite fruit?
“Mango and melon.”
Vegetable?
“I love vegetables! All kinds.”
How much water do you take every day?
“As much as I can. More than eight glasses. I also take energy drink, like Gatorade, and fruit juices (mango, pineapple, etc.) and apple-flavored green tea. I’m not a coffee drinker.”
Hard drinks?
“At most? Sprite with vodka. But only on certain occasions.”
Do you smoke?
“On occasion...sad to say.”
Have you done drugs?
“Let’s just say that I also passed through the same stage that most young people did. Part of growing up, I guess.”
What kind of workout do you do?
“I go to Gold’s Gym (Robinsons Galleria branch) as often as I can. But these days, since I’m busy, once a week na lang. I lift weights and do the treadmill for more than an hour each time.”
What’s your favorite sport?
“Skate-boarding.
What part of your body is your favorite?
“My shoulders. I play soccer with Jake (Cuenca) every Sunday, usually at Colegio de San Agustin. Recently, I’ve been wake-boarding.”
The most vulnerable part?
“My lower back. That’s where all the stress is stored, isn’t it?”
What part do you think needs improvement?
“The chest. I’m doing a lot of bench press to improve it.”
What part of a girl’s body do you look at first?
“The shape of her face and then her hip bones. And also, the nape. They say it’s a woman’s erogenous zone. It should look nice especially when her hair is brushed up.”
What else about a girl turns you on?
“Her being articulate.”
And what turns you off?
“When she’s too feisty and too high-strung. I’m high-strung myself.”
How do you deal with aggressive girls?
“They also turn me off.”
How do you deal with temptations?
“Hypothetically speaking? It depends on who’s the seducer. Hahahaha!”
At what age did you lose your innocence?
“I guess when I was 19. But not being the kiss-and-tell type, I won’t elaborate. All I can say is that she was older.”
What are your interests in life?
“Music, theater, photography...everything about the arts. I love to tell stories and I feel that I can do that through acting, singing and even through pictures. But I don’t have the illusion that I’m an accomplished musician. Not yet.”
What’s your outlook in life?
“I’m an optimist, although I must admit that I also sometimes worry — you know, I worry that I may not be making good use of my time; I feel that I should do more.”
Are you a workaholic?
“Not really. But when I do something, I put my heart into it.”
How do you cope with stress?
“Some people drink but I don’t. Or they hang out with friends. I simply stay home with my family. I relax in my room and read. The last book that I read was The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. I listen to music, particularly pop and folk...songs by Lou Reed who’s with the band Velvet Underground.”
Favorite city?
“I’ve been to several cities. Yes, LA is nice; that’s where Hollywood is. It has some nice beaches, too. I’ve been to some Asian cities like Hong Kong and Singapore. I want to visit New York because I have a sister who’s there; she works at the United Nations.”
Favorite hideaway?
“I went to Camsur (Camarines Sur) recently and I loved it. I’m a nature-lover. When I was in Phoenix, Arizona, I went hiking up a mountain. It was fun! You sit on top of the mountain and you feel all your problems slipping away.”
How much sleep do you get per night?
“An average of six hours. I noticed that in showbiz, your success is inversely proportional to the amount of sleep that you get. The more successful you are, the less sleep you get. I go to sleep not earlier than 10 or 11 o’clock.”
Favorite sleep wear.
“Underwear, nothing from the waist up, especially now that it’s hot. I turn the aircon on full blast and put it on timer.”
Last thing that you do before you sleep?
“Listen to music and review what I’ve done during the day. Once a week, I give thanks.”
First thing that you do when you wake up?
“Check the time and turn my celfon from ‘silent’ to ‘general’ mode.”
You are not a pillow person, are you?
“No, I’m not. One pillow under my head is good enough for me.”
Do you snore?
“I will never admit it. Oops! I just did!”
Do you talk in your sleep?
“I don’t think so. Nobody has told me that I do. I sleep alone in my room.”
How’s your nightlife?
“Not much. I prefer gigs to nightclubbing.”
Your love life?
“None. I don’t have a girlfriend.”
And your sex life?
“Secret!”
Name three women you think have nice bodies.
“Heart Evangelista. Terrific body! Jes Wilson (sister of Georgina Wilson, one-time girlfriend of Richard Gutierrez). Scarlett Johansson.”
And three men...
“Brad Pitt (in Fight Club). Tom Cruise (in Vanilla Sky). Just those two.”
Using only body language, how would you make a woman know that you admire her?
“Through eye contact na walang break. Usually, it’s the girl who blinks.”
(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph or at entphilstar@yahoo.com)