Oliver twists into an extreme actor

MANILA, Philippines - “Walang problema, basta no photos and reporters,” filmmaker Joselito “Jay” Altarejos replied matter-of-factly when asked about Oliver Aquino’s availability to pose nude for visual artists Cris Cruz, Jun Rocha, Fernando Sena, Carlos Cee Cadid, Vic Bachoco and Bing Siochi held at Rence Art Gallery.

That’s uncomplicated, according to Jay, unlike the steamy seven-minute sex scene profiling same-gender lovemaking in his full-length feature, Kasal (The Commitment), which won Best Film at Cinemalaya X’s Director’s Showcase. That turned Oliver from a zeitgeist heartthrob into an actor with an extreme edge.

This article’s visual shows Oliver as a bare-naked model. Others are too graphic for publication.            

Signaling his crossover with a big bang, straight guy Oliver bagged the lead role in Kasal where he plunged without hesitation into the role of a gay filmmaker. And he did so with daring and direction.

“I want to do roles na ayaw gawin ng ibang actors. Gusto ko lang mag-grow as an actor para maiba naman. Gusto kong mag-experiment. Kasi, kailangang i-enjoy yung ginagawa mo, di ba?” Oliver intoned to explain his choice.

“Pero hindi madali ang ginawa namin ni Arnold (Reyes). The entire sex scene was most difficult to shoot,” he admitted.

Carlos Cee Cadid and Jun Rocha midway through their painting of Oliver /strong>

“I didn’t know that Oliver is a good actor,” Jay recalled when the Star Magic actor formerly known as Mhyco Aquino auditioned for the role. “He is unlike Arnold who is a well-known stage actor. I just thought that he registered well on video. But when (the panel) started talking to him, we found him a very determined actor.”

But Oliver had pushed boundaries another time in his new film, Death by Gokkum, also directed by Jay. Be convinced without reservation he’s now an ultimate player. Jay decided to pull it out from Solar Entertainment Corporation and director Brillante Mendoza’s Sinag Maynila film festival to open on March 18 as he disagreed to submit it for censorship.

Oliver is Gino, a young padyak driver who moonlights as sex worker to improve life for his sister and grandmother. Likewise, Marie (Angela Cortez) is a seasoned sex worker who has a daughter to raise. The two strangers take the long bus ride to a far-flung private resort as partners in a foreign produced pornographic film.

Treated like royalty upon arrival, they turn slaves when shoot begins. With minor glitches, they manage to perform the required scene and ask to collect their payment. They think the worst part is over but their nightmare is yet to begin.

Threatened and forced into performing in an all-out orgy depicted graphically on screen, the two are ordered to perform acts that violate not only their beliefs but their limitations as sex workers and as human beings. The shoot ends crushing their dignities to death.

Death by Gokkum previewed by The Philippine STAR in advance is Jay’s fulfilled move over from gender films after specializing for a decade.

Oliver denied when asked if he prepared for the scene: “Ginawa ko lang. It’s just a sex scene. Take it as it is. Accept it and it will play itself.”

Did Oliver turn into a sex actor? “Actors are actors. It doesn’t matter what type of films they are involved in. Oliver is a protean actor with a sincere streak. He can change his appearance and attack depending on the role’s demands,” Jay elucidated.

“I did them na. I think that’s enough,” Oliver said about essaying another sex role. “Baka pag kumuha pa ko ng iba mabawi pa. (Laughter.) I mean, I did a gay role. Pero, Best Film, di ba? Mahirap burahin yun. So, I think, I’m gonna need to pass on another sex role.”

Asked to project his future as an actor three years from now, Oliver said, “That’s a very long time for me to predict. I’m more of a now person. I do everything and focus on what’s in front of me. So I don’t know. Just please wish me luck.”