Sexy Talk with Joem Bascon

Forty-two years ago, the late Lino Brocka broke barriers by tackling a then “forbidden” subject — romance between two men — in his 1971 classic drama Tubog sa Ginto, casting Eddie Garcia as the closet-gay husband of Lolita Rodriguez and the late Mario O’Hara as the husband’s lover (yes, pre-dating the hit GMA soap My Husband’s Lover that stars Carla Abellana as the wife, Tom Rodriguez as her closet-gay husband and Dennis Trillo as Tom’s openly-gay lover).

Brocka’s “formula” worked because his actors were known to be straight (otherwise, “confirmed bachelor” actors wouldn’t have succeeded in convincing the public). Since Tubog, other actors (not only local but also Hollywood) stayed away from the same roles which they deemed to be “suicidal.” Thanks to Ang Lee’s critically-successful (award-winning) 2005 movie Brokeback Mountain (with the late Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as cowboy lovers) which apparently liberated actors from “homophobia.”

Now come Joem Bascon who throws garments and caution to the wind and plunges right smack into torrid lover scenes with Jake Cuenca in Joel Lamangan’s Lihis in which they play rebels in love not just with a cause but with each other. Lihis is one of the 12 films included in the National Film Festival — the All-Masters Edition set for Sept. 11 to 17, produced by FDCP (Film Development Council of the Philippines) and BG Productions in cooperation with SM Cinemas.

Lihis is Joem’s most daring movie so far…more coming?

How did he condition himself for his love scenes with Jake?

“I had a talk with Jake before doing our love scenes,” said Joem in this “sexy talk” (Jake declined to do it). “We discussed the scenes and agreed that we had to do it in the best possible way we could. When I accepted the project, I already conditioned myself that I would do it all the way and without any hesitation, so on the day of the shoot, I was already prepared.”

After the take(s), Joem said that he and Jake decided to keep distance from each other.

“We didn’t talk about it,” he added.

After Lihis, how far more daring can he go; would he do frontal nudity?

“Yes,” Joem said, “I’m open to doing frontal nudity, given the right material and a very respectable and trusted director.”

What is sexy to you?

“When you have a sense of humor, I find it sexy.”

When do you feel sexy?

“When I wake up in the morning.”

What part of your body do you find sexiest?

“My eyes.”

What part of a woman’s body do you find sexiest?

“Her eyes.”

When did you lose your innocence?

“When I was 18.”

To a younger woman, older woman or woman your age?

“A little older than me.”

Lights on or lights off?

“Lights on.”

Have you received any “indecent proposal;” how did you react to it?

“Yes, I did. I said, ‘Wow! Are you serious?’ But eventually, I said sorry, ‘I’m not into that’.”

Sexiest book?

“Lucifer graphic novel.”

Sexiest movie?

“Last Tango in Paris.”

Sexiest musical instrument?

“Flute.”

Sexiest song?

“Any jazz song.”

Sexiest TV show(s)?

“Da Vinci’s Demon, The Tudors and Camelot.”

Sexiest food?

“Chocolate cake.”

Sexiest car?

“Ferrari.”

Sexiest perfume?

“Bvlgari.”

Sexiest time of day?

“Morning.”

Sexiest part of the house?

“Kitchen.”

Sexiest animal?

“Cheetah.”

Sexiest billboard?

“The Oxygen billboard.”

Sexiest scene you have seen in a movie?

“The scene in the public toilet in Unfaithful (with Diane Lane and Olivier Martinez).”

Sexiest scene you have ever done?

“My love scenes with Jake in Lihis.”

Sexiest thing you have ever done to yourself?

“Making love with a woman I love.”

Sexiest thing you have ever done to or with somebody?

“Same as above.”

Sexiest clothes?  

“Boxers.”

Sexiest concert you have ever seen?

“I haven’t seen one yet.”

Sexiest fantasy?

“Doing that scene in Unfaithful.”

Sexiest face of a woman?

“Monica Bellucci and Eva Green.”

Three women that you find sexy?

“Monica Bellucci, Eva Green and Scarlett Johansson.”

(E-mail reactions at entphilstar@yahoo.com. You may also send your questions to askrickylo@gmail.com.)