The evolution of Roi Vinzon

MANILA, Philippines – Into his early ‘60s, erstwhile action star Roi Vinzon has managed to keep a lean body and with it, his unpredictable sense of humor.

Asked how he would have turned out if he didn’t go into showbiz, he bluntly said probably an “ex-convict” which threw the media crowd into uproar.

Then, he would go into monologue about the early days. He reflected: “That was quite a life. I have no contact with showbiz insiders and I can say that I made it on my own.”

With the rest of the cast of Maria Labo

In his high school years, he was a member of the folk-rock band, he worked with Lino Brocka in Jaguar, he was into action movies both hero and villain until he resurfaced in the popular teleseryes of the new millennium.

For a while, he quit showbiz to become a gentleman farmer and a full-time father. He lived a life of a recluse in Baguio and lived a simple life with just one or two movies a year.

Indeed, direk Roi isn’t the kind who will relish his early days in showbiz and gloat about it. One of his early film appearances was in Jaguar where he starred with Philip Salvador.

He has since then appeared in tough hombre roles with film titles like Jesus Salonga Alyas boy Indian, Antonio Cuervo — Police: Walang Pinipili Ang Batas, SIG. 357 Baril Mo Ang Papatay Sa Yo, Kapitan Tumba: The Capt. Jose Huevos Storyand Sunugin si Antero Castro, among others.

The millennials will probably connect with him as Ret. Gen. Armando Soriano, the father of Tom Rodriguez in My Husband’s Lover where he plays the highly-disturbed military man aghast by the discovery that he has a married, gay son.

But after appearing in Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles, offers came one after another.

Then he came across the story of Maria Labo whose very name elicited terror and repulsion among the Visayans notably Iloilo, Capiz and other adjoining provinces.

Maria Labo was an OFW working in Dubai and came home a strange woman who became predator of the human flesh.

Direk Roi admitted that the story of the woman is indeed ghastly and since nothing about the woman’s background was explored in any movie (except perhaps Resureksyon?), he considers it a challenge to accept the project.

“When you direct an unusual story,” he pointed out, “you must believe in it and admit the possibility that it can happen in real life. A director can only pursue the story with the help of his actors.”

Fellow cast members Jestoni Alarcon and Dennis Padilla could only agree.

“You cannot give everything you have as an actor if you don’t believe in the story,” added Jestoni. “You can only act and react only if you believe such a human being can actually exist.”

Roi said actors who turn to directing later have a good advantage over non-actors. “It pays to have a dual occupation,” he said. “If you started as an actor and ended up a director, you will have a good feel of the best of two worlds. When good roles don’t come, directing is a good fallback position. But it was as an actor that I learned what a good director should be like. When the late Lino Brocka was directing, I observed how he treated his actors, how he inspired them, how he guided them when the going was rough. I suppose I imbibed that attitude because I give my actors time to learn their roles and how to make the most of it. Being an actor gives you an upper hand when you turn to directing because once upon a time, you also started as an aspiring actor before you got your first big breaks.”

The character of Maria Labo has a grim background fit for cinema and for this reason, Roi said he easily said yes to the project.

“The story of the villain has an unusual twist not yet explored in horror films,” he added.

Maria Labo also stars Baron Geisler, Mon Confiado, Sam Pinto, Rez Cortez and with a new face named Kate Brios in the title role.

It opens in all theaters on Nov. 11.