Harvey gets his first movie role

So you think showbiz royalty have all the fun in the world? Yes and no.

Harvey Bautista, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista’s youngest child, says a celebrity dad shields him from physical harm — the kind that could land a punch on his handsome face.

“I got bullied once,” Harvey recalls. “But the bully got scared because my dad is a mayor.”

The young star of Quantum Films’ horror movie Ilawod has another theory about the aborted punch.

“He can’t punch me, because I’ll win if he does.”

When Herbert learned about it, he burst into laughter, and advised Harvey to react the same way if the bully starts shouting at him. Harvey did. And he had a great time watching the bully turn livid with anger at seeing Harvey’s amused reaction.

Not everything is amusing in a showbiz royalty’s world, however. Like the bird in a gilded cage, Harvey has to be surrounded with a yaya and driver each time he steps out of the house.

Otherwise, life is as normal as can be for the 13-year-old actor, an eighth grader at the Multiple Intelligence International School in Quezon City. Like most teens, Harvey has his share of crushes — all of them students like him.

And like most boys, Harvey loves superheroes. Step into his room and you’ll find superhero posters everywhere. He even went a step further and created his own superheroes — and villains.

Harvey recalls how Goin’ Bulilit writer Sherwin Buenvenida, upon learning how much the young actor loves superheroes, pitched the idea of Zero, a creature who happens to be “in-between the negative and the positive.”

It took Harvey all of six years to perfect Zero, whom the young actor says represents balance, a condition that reflects Harvey’s current status (in Math, zero is right smack at the center of negative and positive values, remember?).

The Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) Star Awards for Television’s Best Child Performer loves acting and dreams of directing films someday. But he follows his dad’s advice to mind his studies.

In fact, Herbert allowed Harvey to audition for the role of Iza Calzado and Ian Veneracion’s son in Ilawod, provided the boy has time for his studies. Harvey passed the auditions, even if he admits he feels more comfortable in comedy, his dad’s genre.

Harvey himself was pleasantly surprised that he was able to make it.

“Direk Dan (Villegas) didn’t tell me how Ben (his character) was supposed to act. He just told me to interpret the character on my own.”

And so it is that Harvey landed his first movie role, a meaty one he can sink his teeth into.

Needless to say, this makes Herbert one proud dad.

”I’m grateful to God for giving me a talented son,” he beams. “Now, I know what my dad (actor-director Herminio ‘Butch’ Bautista) felt.”

Not only that. Harvey combines talent and a down-to-earth attitude that prevent him from falling into the trap many teens are prone to: Social media addiction.

In his spare time, Harvey prefers to stay in his room, not to surf the Net, but to perfect his drawings. He finds joy in squeezing his creative juices to a pulp.

If this shows he has the makings of a role model, Harvey doesn’t mind. In fact, he’ll gladly be one.

Dad Herbert has more reasons to count his blessings. His efforts in finding time for his children — despite his busy schedule — haven’t landed on stony ground.— With reports from Almed Garcia and Julian Mauricio