The ‘small’ film that won Ricky big at ASEAN film festival

What a waste that Ricky Davao was too preoccupied with work to be in Malaysia last week to receive his second international Best Supporting Actor (for the indie Dayang Asu) award at the ASEAN International Film Festival & Awards (AIFFA). The first was for Signos (directed by Aloy Adlawan) at the UK International Filmmaker Film Festival (UKIFFF).

“I would have loved to be there,” regretted Ricky who was stuck on the set of the GMA soap Legally Blind directing Mikael Daez and Janine Gutierrez (the first cousin of Ricky and Jackie Lou Blanco’s three children and whose father, Ramon Christopher, is Jackie’s brother). “I was up against actors from the ASEAN region (Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Brunei, Singapore, etc.), and Bernardo Bernardo from the Philippines.”

Directed by Bor Ocampo, Dayang Asu (Dog Nation) is different from all the other films, indie or mainstream, that Ricky has done as an actor.

“I would describe it as a ‘small’ film,” said Ricky. “It’s about small-town politics. I play the town mayor’s henchman who collects tong (grease money), kidnaps and kills people for him including women whom I would molest and discard after the mayor is done with them. The one who plays the mayor is a non-actor. Junjun Quintana plays my son. He’s so good, napaka-galing niya, so I was surprised why he didn’t get nominated for Best Actor.”

Although Ricky has worked with some non-actors before, Dayang Asu marked his first time to work with a cast of 70 percent non-actors.

“It’s an entirely new experience working with non-actors,” shared Ricky who has been cast with almost all the veterans in the industry (name them, he has starred with them) and many of the new actors both in his capacity as actor and director.

“But I make no distinction between a non-actor or an experienced actor,” Ricky explained. “Neither do I make the same distinction between an indie or a mainstream film. As far as I am concerned, a film is a film is a film.”

Asked if he has the same mindset when directing both seniors and juniors, Ricky said, “I think I am an actor’s director. When I’m directing the likes of Gina Alajar (also a director), Joel Torre, Cherie Gil and Michael de Mesa, at mga ka-edad ko, I just tell them what to do. You know why. Mga beterano ang mga yan. There’s very limited time on the TV set so there’s hardly time for further discussion. Besides, before we shoot, mayroon namang story conference. Where the nitty-gritty is discussed. With new actors, siempre, you have to give them more guidance.”

He’s happy with the cast of Legally Blind. Janine plays a visually-challenged lawyer who has been raped, Mikael as her lawyer boyfriend and Marc Abaya as the rapist.

“One time,” recalled Ricky, “I was joking with Marc. I told him, ‘You know, Marc, in Ipaglaban Mo, I played a rapist and I was directed by your mom (Marilou Diaz-Abaya). And now, here I am, directing you as a rapist.’ Work on the series is easy because the cast is good.”

Except that, due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control, TV work is much more stressful than movie work.

“You cannot control the traffic that causes actors to come late and the weather if you shoot outdoors. But then, we encounter the same problems when shooting a movie. In TV kasi, sometimes what you shoot tonight or tomorrow morning is already scheduled for airing the next or same night, kaya added stress.”

Aside from Legally Blind, Ricky has directed several other Kapuso soaps (among them Forever starring Heart Evangelista), in one of them he worked with estranged wife Jackie Lou. So how was it?

“Well,” said Ricky, “we were civil on the set.”

Directing Heart Evangelista in Forever and (below) Janine Gutierrez and Mikael Daez in Legally Blind, both Kapuso soaps —Photos by VER PAULINO

Unlike scions of other actors, none of Ricky’s children are inclined to follow in their parents’ footsteps.

At the latest count, Ricky has won three Best Actor awards (for Abot Hanggang Sukdulan, directed by Eddie Rodriguez with Snooky Serna as Ricky’s battered wife; Minsan May Isang Pagibig, by Joey Javier Reyes; and Saranggola by Gil Portes, as the cop who accidentally kills a boy flying a kite); and three Best Supporting Actor awards (aside from Dayang Asu, also for Endo, directed by Jade Castro; and for an episode in Star Cinema’s Ipaglaban Mo The Movie).

“I am also a Hall of Fame awardee for Best Actor in the Aliw Awards,” Ricky added.

Did he think he would win for Saranggola (by the way, not just one but four Best Actor awards)?’

“I never thought so because I felt that I did nothing, parang wala akong ginawa. It was siguro the magic wand of Gil Portes and the way the story was told. Ang magaling sa ganoon si Jaclyn Jose…parang walang ginagawa pero ang lakas ng dating.”

Come to think of it, which of his performances did he think award-worthy but never got nominated?

“I would say Ang Lalaki sa Buhay ni Selya (with Rosanna Roces, directed by Carlos Siguion-Reyna). It’s one of my favorites among my films. I play a closet gay, married to Rosanna’s character and having an affair with another man (played by Allan Paule).”

Every time he gets invited to speak in acting workshops, Ricky would always tell the audience.

“I practice what I preach,” said Ricky. “I would tell the audience, ‘If the role calls for you to do something, even if you have to kiss a dog, do it.’ Allan and my characters in Lalaki called for us to kiss, so that’s what we did, we kissed.”

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)