Body Talk with Joem Bascon

It all started with a crush.

Director Jerry Sineneng was shooting some scenes for Hiram, an ABS-CBN teleserye, at the resthouse of the Bascons in Antipolo City. Heart Evangelista was one of the stars.

“So I went there to meet Heart,” recalled Joem Bascon. “Crush ko kasi siya, eh.”

The next thing he knew, Joem was taking an acting workshop for one year.

“Direk Jerry, who is my dad’s friend, asked me if I wanted to be an actor after my mom and dad introduced me to him. I said, why not?”

That was in 2006.

His being a Piolo Pascual lookalike helped. “Nag-create ng ingay. People wanted to find out if I really looked like Piolo.”

Take a good look at those huge billboards showing Joem reclining seductively half-naked as the new Folded & Hung endorser and you will say he could pass for Piolo’s twin, separated at birth. Piolo stands 5’11” and Joem, 5’9”.

“I worked with Piolo on my first soap, Walang Kapalit, and he was nice to me. He was even teasingly calling me kuya.” Some people say that he also looks like Sam Milby.

Since then, Joem (full real name: Joseph Emmanuel Bascon) has done two more, Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara and Prinsesa ng Banyera, and is now in the cast of I Love Betty La Fea (with Ruffa Gutierrez, Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz). He was also in the GMA film Batanes (with Iza Calzado and Taiwanese Ken Zhu).

What Joem really wanted was to be a basketball star. At UST where he was taking up Electrical Engineering (he stopped on his third year to devote full time to showbiz), he was a member of the engineering basketball team. He also played basketball at Don Bosco (Mandaluyong) where he finished high school.

The fourth of five siblings, Joem, 23 (Virgo, Aug. 29, 1986) grew up in a closely-knit family, constantly reminded by his parents to keep faith in God. He weighs 165 lbs., and wears medium-size shirt and size-10.5 shoes.

How did you adjust to the erratic showbiz schedule?

“I was briefed by direk Jerry. He told me that showbiz work involved waiting, waiting and waiting. You wait not just on the set but for a break because there are so many talents around. At home, I was brought up disciplined and organized.”

What about your bedtime schedule?

“Before, I would be asleep at 9 p.m. and up at 7 a.m. It’s not the same anymore. But I see to it that I get eight hours of sleep every night. Otherwise, I make up for it by taking power naps.”

What’s the last thing that you do before you go to sleep?

“I drink Nesvita milk. I can’t sleep without it.”

And the first thing that you do when you wake up?

“Check my celfone for missed calls and text messages.”

Favorite sleep wear?

“Basketball shorts. Nothing from the waist up.”

How many pillows do you sleep with?

“Three. One under my head, one I hug and the third on my side.”

Do you snore?

“I don’t. I’m a quiet sleeper.”

Do you talk in your sleep?

“I wouldn’t know.”

Do you sleepwalk?

”I’m sure I don’t.”

What kind of diet do you follow? Do you take three square meals a day?

“Yes, I do. Actually, I take six small meals every day. For breakfast, I take oatmeal, coffee and three hard-boiled eggs but only one of them with the yolk. For lunch, one cup of rice with chicken breast or fish or liempo. For dinner, chicken or tuna sandwich is good enough. I stay away from fatty foods like sisig. These days, I usually crave for Jollibee chicken. My favorite fruit is apple. I love chocolates.”

What vitamins do you take?

“Multivitamins, fish oil, vitamin E and vitamin C.”

How much water do you take per day?

“It has to be eight glasses. I avoid soda. But if I crave for it, I take Coke.”

Do you take hard drinks?

“Occasionally. Social drinking lang. I drink beer more often.”

Do you smoke?

“Only for a role.”

What kind of workout do you do?

“I try to hit the gym three times a week.”

What part of your body needs some improvement?

“My abs siguro. And my butt.”

What part is most vulnerable?

“My shoulders. They are weak.”

What part of your body is your favorite?

“My back.”

What part of a girl’s body do you look at first?

“The eyes.”

What turns you off?

“‘Yung maaarteng girls. I am challenged by the Maria Clara type.”

How many girlfriends have you had so far?

“Three. All of them non-showbiz.”

How’s your love life?

“Dating. Nothing serious.”

And your sex life?

“Before, it was very good. Now, zero. I don’t have a girlfriend, eh. I don’t play around. I’m a one-woman man.”

What’s your outlook in life?

“Very positive.”

How do you cope with stress?

“I just stay in my room, isip-isip, pa-daydream-daydream. I’ve never been abroad and I think of the places that I want to visit. I want to go to Las Vegas. I also want to visit Chicago. My brother lives there (Illinois).”

Who’s your favorite fantasy figure?

“Monica Bellucci (who played Mary Magdalene in the Mel Gibson movie The Passion of the Christ).”

Name three women you think have nice bodies.

“Angel Locsin. Anne Curtis. Marissa Tomei whom I just watched in The Wrestler (with Mickey Rourke in the title role).”

And three men...

“Derek Ramsay. Marc Nelson. Ryan Reynolds.”

Using only body language, how would you make a girl know that you like her?

“I just look at her. If she looks back, I smile at her. Then I hope it would lead to something beautiful.”

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