‘Indie Prince’ and his ‘mainstream’ dream

Like Coco Martin who made a name as the so-called “Indie King” before he went mainstream, Norris John also dreamed of pursuing the same direction.

“Sana maka-penetrate ako sa mainstream,” said Norris.

His PRO/publicist Joey Sarmiento calls Norris an “Indie Prince,” a “title” that might send the eyebrows of some people soaring, but Joey has a point. In four years, Norris has done eight films — Dulas, Tagsibol, Babaeng Bastusin (with Snooky Serna), Boy Onse, Batang Ifugao, Binatilyo (with Jao Mapa as his gay father), Ken at Abel (with Dan Alvaro) and Gabriel — that qualified him for an award as Most Promising Indie Actor given to Filipino achievers by the Gawad Amerika at ceremonies held in Los Angeles late last year. (Founded in 1996, Gawad Amerika Foundation is a civic organization that encourages and helps young Filipino and Fil-Am achievers achieve their dreams. The award-giving body is composed of newspaper publishers and selected community leaders in the US West Coast.)

Norris was born on Dec. 31, 1992 to a half-Japanese/half-Filipino father (Noly Okamoto) and a pure-Ifugao mother (Jennifer Rose Okamoto). He spent his early years in Koto, Japan, where he finished elementary grades. Then, he came back to pursue his dream of joining showbiz.

“I am a Japugao,” said Norris who described himself as a “rebel” (with a cause?).

Because his parents frowned on Norris becoming an actor, he ran away from home in 2011 when he was 18, gone for a week and staying with friends who were doing bit roles in indie films. He went back home only after doing his first indie and convinced his parents that showbiz is where he belongs.

“I didn’t have any experience in acting before I joined showbiz,” said Norris. “Hilig ko lang talaga ang acting.”

His most memorable (“And most controversial,” added Joey) film is Batang Ifugao.

“It was easy for me to identify with the character because I’m also an Ifugao,” said Norris (just like Bert Nievera and Paulo Avelino who trace their lineage to the Mountain province).

He divides his time between showbiz and his studies at Colegio de San Juan de Letran where he’s taking up B.S. Civil Engineering. (He has a Computer Science degree from AMA College Caloocan.) On the side, he trains at John Robert Powers, attends acting workshop under Joey Paras and takes martial-arts/fight routine lessons.

Anytime now, he’s going to start work on Tinago (Hidden) which will be shot around the Banaue Rice Terraces, to be directed by Rob Martin, an American, and in which Norris plays the bad boy (his co-star, the good boy, is a greenhorn Ifugao boy).   

He might also be included in the cast of Sugo, the film about Eduardo Manalo, the current executive minister of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), with Gabby Concepcion (in the title role) as replacement for Sen. Bong Revilla who bowed out and Richard Gomez as INC founder Felix Manalo.

If and when, that film would serve as Norris’ first step into mainstream cinema.

Repeaters in the 2014 Bb. Pilipinas pageant

Nothing wrong with repeaters because in most cases, they turn out to be winners, right?

Janine Tugonon (who placed first runner-up in the 2012 Miss Universe pageant) and Diane Necio (who won 2011 Bb. Pilipinas-International) were repeaters. In fact, some winners in the international contests were repeaters, too.

Of the 40 candidates (winnowed down from hundreds who applied) in the 2014 Bb. Pilipinas pageant set for March 30, seven are repeaters, any of whom could bag the two major titles at stake, Bb. Pilipinas-Universe and Bb. Pilipinas-International.

They are: Diana Arevalo (2009 and 2011 finalist), Mary Jean Lastimosa (2011 second runner-up and 2012 finalist), Ladylyn Riva (2011 candidate), Pia Wurtzbach (2013 first runner-up), Ellore Noelle Punzalan and Parul Shah (2013 finalists), and Hannah Ruth Sison (2013 candidate).

Two candidates are relatives of former Binibinis: Nichole Marie Manalo, sister of Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Bianca and Bb. Pilipinas-World Kate Manalo; and Joy Antonette Diaz, niece of 1969 Bb. Pilipinas/Miss Universe Gloria Diaz.

— Reported by Celso de Guzman Caparas

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They are (top, from left) Diana Arevalo, Hannah Ruth Sison, Ladylyn Riva; and (above, also from left) Mary Jean Lastimosa, Noelle Ellore Punzalan, Parul Shah and Pia Wurtzbach