Joey No. 2 in Wenn’s heart

It was Tempo’s Ronald Constantino who aptly put it.

“The difference between Joey Paras and Vice Ganda is very clear,” Ronald said. “Vice Ganda is a stand-up comedian while Joey Paras is an actor-comedian.”

And that’s a big difference, indeed!

No wonder box-office director Wenn Deramas loves Joey dearly. Wenn is directing Joey in Bekikang (Ang Beki Kong Nanay), his first-starring role inspired by the 1978 Dolphy movie Ang Tatay Kong Nanay (directed by Lino Brocka, with Niño Muhlach as Dolphy’s adopted son), which is opening nationwide on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

“I could feel that he’s the next big star,” said Wenn who considers Bekikang as his No. 2 favorite work, next to the Ai-Ai de las Alas starrer Ang Tanging Ina (Part 1), pushing back the Vice Ganda movie Petrang Kabayo to No. 3. “He’s very talented. It’s about time he was given his own starrer.”

Ronald was right. Joey has a solid background in theater, just like Eugene Domingo, before he ventured into television and film. While studying at UST, he applied as a scholar at Tanghalang Pilipino (he was one of the 10, out of 200 applicants, who passed the audition). Among his teachers at Tanghalang were Irma Adlawan and Nonie Buencamino.

But before going full blast into acting, Joey joined the band The Groove as vocalist, then he formed his own band, Dash, which performed at Hyatt Hotel and other Asian cities.

“But my real love is acting,” said Joey whose face should be familiar to many people who can’t quite put a name to it.

Yes, he was the gay beautician who clashed with Eddie Garcia in Bwakaw, the partner of Dingdong Dantes (as an inmate) in Dance Of The Steel Bars, and as sidekick of the lead actors in other movies (Sisterakas, Bromance, etc.). He was also a regular in several TV shows, such as Ikaw Sana, The Last Prince, Sinner or Saint, Langit sa Piling Mo, Daldalita and I Heart You, Pare, all on GMA; and Dahil May Isang Ikaw, Maging Sino Ka Man, Kapag Puso’y Nasugatan, Petrang Paminta and, currently, Galema, all on ABS-CBN.

It was in Bona, the staging (directed by Soxy Topacio) of the Lino Brocka classic, where Wenn saw Joey. Eugene played the role immortalized by Nora Aunor in the movie.

“Direk Wenn surprised me with a call,” recalled Joey. “He asked if I wanted to appear as guest in his ABS-CBN soap Kapag Puso’y Nasugatan. I was doing a soap for GMA then. There was no conflict in the taping schedule. I asked for a sign if Direk Wenn would agree to a cut-off in my shoot for Kapag and I got it. Until he made me a regular on the soap.”

When Wenn decided to shoot Bekikang (initially conceptualized as a TV series), he thought of no other actor for the title role than Joey who, when told about it, asked, “Bakit ako?”

Convinced that Joey is more than ripe for a solo starrer, especially after he won Best Supporting Actor (for Babagwa) in the recent Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, Wenn told Joey, “Hinog ka na. Magaling ka. Kung hindi kita pipitasin baka mabulok ka.”

Partly inspired by incidents in the colorful life stories of both Wenn and Joey, Bekikang is a comedy about a gay bullied as a child who rises above his humble beginnings. Produced by Viva Films, it also stars, among others, Tom Rodriguez as the guy with whom Joey’s character Vittorio/Bekikang falls in love, and Tirso Cruz III and Janice de Belen as Bekikang’s parents.

I should add to Ronald’s observation that Joey is different from Vice Ganda.

Unlike Vice Ganda, Joey doesn’t crack jokes at the expense of others, he is not offensive at all, and he is not abrasive.

“Mahilig ako magpatawa pero ayokong makasakit ng tao,” said Joey.

The public has had more than enough of swell-headed funny guys who are not funny at all.

Thank you, direk Wenn, for offering us a welcome (positive) alternative like Joey Paras.

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