Body Talk with Arnold Reyes

Indie is where it’s at. The challenge, I mean.

After 15 indie starrers, Arnold Reyes finally bagged a Best Supporting Actor award in the recent Cinemalaya for his performance in Astig, directed by newcomer GB Sampedro.

“I play a Chinese mestizo from Zamboanga who comes to the big city to sell a decrepit building in Binondo which I inherited from my father who has just died,” said Arnold. “It’s a dilapidated building and there’s no buyer, except for a syndicate member, played by Gardo Verzosa, who agrees to buy it on condition that I go to bed with him. After giving in to the seduction, I hire a prostitute to reaffirm my sexuality, not suspecting that she will run away with my money.”

During the shooting of his bed scene with Gardo, there was no plaster available to cover Arnold’s sensitive part so he made do with a masking tape that kept peeling off.

“Gardo and I were so engrossed in the scene that we didn’t notice na wala na pala kaming takip,” laughed Arnold. “It was worth it because nanalo naman ako ng award.”

The first award that Arnold won was for writing a song for the Metropop a few years back.

“I was into singing then,” said Arnold who actually started in theater at the MET. “It was there where Tito Boy (Abunda) discovered me. He put up a group called Boyzvoyz and I was one of the three members. Two have migrated to the States; I’m the only one left.”

When Boyzvoyz disbanded after four years, Arnold went back to CEU to resume his studies (Masscom, with only a thesis to complete the course). But then, the acting bug kept biting him, so...

With the “mainstream” so near yet so far, Arnold finds satisfaction in doing indies. He has just finished a stint in the ABS-CBN soap Only You (with Sam Milby, Angel Locsin and Diether Ocampo) and a co-starring role in Star Cinema’s In My Life with Vilma Santos, Luis Manzano and John Lloyd Cruz.

An Aquarian (Feb. 5), Arnold stands 5’8.5", weighs 145 lbs., and wears small/medium-size shirt, large-size briefs (“Ayoko ng masikip”) and size-8.5” shoes.

How did you get that kind of body?

“Discipline. I always think that I’m going back to school. As soon as I wake up, I take breakfast consisting of 10 hard-boiled egg whites, Century Tuna and vegetables, with a piece of wheat bread. That’s my lunch na because I usually wake up at 11 a.m. And then, I go straight to the gym. I don’t take only water with that. For dinner, I eat 10 more hard-boiled egg whites with more tuna or whatever viand is available. Monggo or whatever. So I take only two full meals a day.”

How much water do you take per day?

“A lot. As in A LOT! I always bring with me a two-liter container. Siguro I take four liters a day especially when I’m on a diet.”

Juice(s)?

“Cranberry juice. When I am at Starbucks, I don’t take coffee; I take cranberry juice. It’s good daw for the kidney. May kidney problem kasi kami sa family. We are diabetic. My mom is diabetic. Her diet is my diet, maraming bawal. I once developed stones in my urinary bladder. It’s a good thing that I was able to flush them out just by drinking lots of water.”

Any food that you avoid?

“Fatty and oily food.”

And what food do you always crave for?

“Chicken but without the skin. And sweets. I have a sweet tooth kasi, eh. If I can’t avoid chocolates, I just taste a little piece, ninanamnam ko lang at hindi ko na inuubos.”

Favorite vegetables?

“Broccoli and squash.

What vitamins do you take?

“I take Usana multivitamins and minerals. It has a cleansing effect. I also take wheatgrass (powder form) every morning as soon as I wake up para daw madaling ma-absorb ng katawan. Thirty minutes before my brunch, I take C-Lium Fibre.”

How often do you work out?

“Almost every day. It has become routine to me, like going to school. I work out for two hours at a gym which is within walking distance from our house. I lift weights, first day for my chest and biceps, second day for my shoulders, third day for my back and triceps, and fourth day for my legs.”

Any part of your body that still needs improvement?

“My legs, I think.”

What part is most vulnerable?

“My eyes. When I’m sobrang-pagod, sobrang lalim ng ilalim ng mga mata ko.”

And what part is your favorite?

“My butt. Marami ang nagagandahan sa butt ko, that’s why I showed it in Astig. Hehehehe!”

Do you get enough sleep?

“D’yan ako mahina. If I don’t sleep for eight hours, nanlalata ako. Then, nanlalalim ang mga mata ko. I get only an average of six hours every night. I try to make up for lack of sleep by taking power naps on the set.”

Favorite sleep wear?

“Boxers...when I sleep alone. Kapag may kasama...depende kung sino, especially if somebody special, wala nang suot. Kumot lang. Hehehehe!”

With the aircon turned on full blast?

“Full blast, so when we get too cold we can hug tight. Hehehehe!”

How many pillows do you sleep with?

“Four. The long one I hug.”

The last thing that you do before you go to sleep?

“I brush my teeth, take a bath. I’m a cleanliness freak. I take a bath twice, once in the morning and then in the evening.”

And the first thing that you do when you wake up?

“Take a glass of wheatgrass.”

Do you snore?

“Sometimes...sabi n’ung katabi ko.”

Do you talk in your sleep?

“Daw!”

Do you sleepwalk?

“Sometimes I wake up and find myself going somewhere, as if I want to open the door. That happens when I’m too tired.”

Do you have a nightlife?

“None.”

Love life?

”Zero!”

Sex life?

“Hindi naman nawawala ‘yon, di ba?”

How do you cope with stress?

“I get a massage. I sleep. Or I watch DVDs. I listen to music. Very Pinoy ang taste ko sa music, mga OPM.”

Favorite hideaway?

“My room. I seldom leave the house.”

Name three women you think have nice bodies.

“Jessica Alba. Anne Hathaway. Rufa Mae Quinto.”

And three men...

“Piolo Pascual. Brad Pitt. Diether Ocampo. Mga katawan nila ‘yung ginagaya ko.”

Using only body language, how would you make a girl know that you admire her?

“I just keep on looking at her. And then I smile at her with my eyes.”

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