Confess without blushing
When he was younger, Tom Rodriguez envied actors who, ehrm, do love scenes on the big screen
When he was younger, Tom Rodriguez envied actors who, ehem, do love scenes on the big screen
Kapag bata ka, nu’ng audience ako, ang sinasabi ko ‘Ang swerte naman niyan. Sana ako ang nandiyan.’ Pero kapag nandiyan ka na, ‘Ang hirap pala nito!’
The first time Tom Rodriguez was about to do intimate scenes in “The Significant Other,” his mind went blank and there was a blast from the past moment.
“‘Kapag bata ka, nu’ng audience ako, ang sinasabi ko ‘Ang swerte naman niyan. Sana ako ang nandiyan.’ Kapag nandiyan ka na, ‘Ang hirap pala nito!’” he said. “Ang daming ilaw, ang daming tao, ang daming equipment.” The actor recalled feeling as jittery as when he did an intimate scene with Lovi Poe on a soap sometime ago. “Nakakakaba so you try to detach ang sarili mo from Tom na artista. Naramdaman ko ’yun doon sa honeymoon scene namin sa ‘Someone To Watch Over Me.’ May mga salamin pa ang room kaya kita mo lahat ng crew.”
Executing love scenes could be a turn on for some actors but not for Tom. “Kailangan immersed ka sa ginagawa mo and at the same time aware ka sa blocking kasi iba ’yung intimacy na natural lang na kayo. Positions are different, the way you handle things is different. Iba ’yung for cinematic purposes na may camera kayo, may shot kayo,” he said. “The Significant Other” is about a most-touched-on subject – infidelity. Tom said this one is different, though, as the presentation is “non-linear.” “Usually, lahat ng ideas or tema na pwede nating i-explore na gusto kong i-explore at gusto kong gawin ay nagawa na ng mga tao before. They’ve done it way better than I could ever hope to sa haba ng panahon na nag-e-exist na ang sining, ’yung industriya na ito. What I look for is a version of the truth, sa themes na na-explore na dati na nilalagyan nila ng bagong selection.
Kumbaga, kung kaleidoscope siya, pipili ka ng isang salamin doon sa marami, a window to look through it. “Here, I like it kasi sa istory pa lang non-linear ang pag-present nila. Kasi nu’ng ibinigay sa akin ang script, may character na ito ’yung si Edward. At the same time, you’re imagining how the film will look in your head. Non-linear siya pero hindi siya nakakaligaw,” Tom enthused. He added doing the film was physically and emotionally taxing. Why, in several scenes, Tom was slapped by both Erich Gonzales and Lovi! “Kutis kargador ako, eh, so ang mukha ko makapal,” he said in jest. Someone asked Tom why men cheat. “I think both sides have their… it could be partly biological. Sometimes, the hardest part of being a guy is having an ego. That’s a normal way. You’re always constantly battling if I could win over that ego. Si ego mo sasabihin ‘Hindi, okay ka lang, kumalma ka diyan.’ And for some guys siguro they
feel undervalued. Nawawala ’yung empathy na baka may pinagdadaanan
ang partner mo. Baka busy sa work. Baka nagpo-focus ka sa (isip na ) bakit hindi na ako inaalagaan.
“In his heart, Edward, I think, means well. He wants to do right by the world. He fell in love. He didn’t want it at first but subconsciously hinahanap niya rin
ang validation niya as a person. I mean, he was seeking it, always.”
Working with both Lovi and Erich was an enjoyable experience for him.
“They’re professionals, very passionate, they’re very dedicated to their roles,” he said. “I’m just lucky to be working with amazing people.”