Sid Lucero: Making A Name For Himself

MANILA, Philippines - When Timothy Eigenmann decided to launch his acting career, his father, Mark Gil, suggested that he change his name.

“My dad suggested that I drop Eigenmann since everyone’s using it… so I can make a name for myself.” His manager drew up a list of possible names, but none of them worked. Then someone asked if he had seen Mike de Leon’s Batch ’81, a film starring his father. Thus, Sid Lucero (taken from Mark Gil’s character in the film) was born.

“That movie was where my dad met my mom,” shares the actor. “I would not have been made if not for that movie.”

Though he is part of a family dynasty of actors – father Mark Gil and mother Bing Pimentel; siblings Maxene and Andi Eigenmann; grandparents Rosemarie Gil and Eddie Mesa; aunt Cherie Gil; uncle Michael de Mesa; and cousins Ryan, Geoff and AJ Eigenmann – acting was the last thing on Sid’s mind. “I never thought I would be an actor,” he says.

Sid took up acting out of necessity. He wanted to pay his own tuition in college, so he started doing commercials. Eventually, he attended an acting workshop with Peque Gallaga and Gabby Fernandez. Sid shares, “I remember on the second day I thought – this is something that I will be doing for the rest of my life’.”

Sid is almost speechless when asked what it is about acting that had such a profound impact on him. “I don’t know,” he says at first.

“It’s like when you get into a sport for the first time without knowing anything about it… Then you realize you’re just doing it – better than expected,” he says, then quickly adds, “Not that you know that you’re good… it just feels right.”

Though he has separated himself by using a screen name, being part of a family of actors still has a huge influence on Sid. “There’s a lot of pressure, especially because people speak highly of their performances.” He adds, “But not as much as when I’m actually working with them,” which is when they start to be compared.

He recalls, “The first time I worked with my cousin Ryan, I had two lines – I couldn’t even say them!”

Pressure aside, Sid has been recognized by many award-giving bodies for his acting. He was nominated for best actor in the 24th STAR Awards for Selda and for supporting actor in Tambolista. The Golden Screen deemed his performance in Donsol as the best breakthrough performance and he tied with Emilio Garcia for best actor in the 2008 Thessaloniki International Film Festival in Greece, also for his performance in Selda.

A perfectionist when it comes to his craft, he sees each role the same way – “whether I have to walk across the street or I have to cry 10,000 tears” – and always tries to give his best performance.

“I don’t like to watch myself anymore,” he says. Though he has been highly praised for his acting, Sid says, “Sometimes I feel like there are scenes where I could have given more.”

When asked what his most challenging role has been so far, he says, “I always say the last one.” Each role, he explains, has different challenges – “Some are emotionally challenging, some physically challenging, sometimes the challenge is your comfort, a test of patience, or working without sleep.”

Sleep is definitely something Sid is getting very little of as one of the most in demand actors today. “I live in my car,” he says, estimating that he has spent almost half of the year so far in his car, trying to catch some sleep in between filming his various projects. As to how he handles his busy schedule, the actor jokes, “I don’t handle it – I have someone else handle it!”

With his popularity growing steadily since his role as Red Ramirez in last year’s Dahil May Isang Ikaw, there are many projects keeping the actor busy today, including the teleserye Magkano ang Iyong Dangal, which he enjoys, especially because he gets to work with director Chito Roño.

Among the movies that he is working on is Paglipad ng Angel, an independent film written and directed by Doy del Mundo. Being part of the project is like coming full circle for Sid and his acting career because it was Del Mundo who wrote the screenplay of Batch ’81. It was time for Sid Lucero to meet his maker, so to speak.

 “I never imagined I’d play an angel – it never even crossed my mind,” Sid says of his role in the movie. The actor plays Gabby, the film’s protagonist and reluctant hero, who one day finds that he has started to sprout wings after doing a random act of kindness. “I like it… it’s really fun,” he says of the movie.

“One of the best things about it is the audience it caters to,” he adds. The film is being produced for the One La Salle Scholarship Fund, with a cast and crew made up mostly of La Salle alumni and faculty, among them Del Mundo, a DLSU professor and university fellow; Sid, who started his college studies in DLS-College of St. Benilde; LJ Moreno who is pursuing a master’s degree in special education in DLSU; Christian Vasquez who studied at the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod; and cinematographers Shane Sarte and Lee Meily Briones (who are also joined by cinematographer Rody Lacap).

As for dream roles, Sid exclaims: “All of them!” He adds that he would like to have a role that is heavy in narration, exposing the inner voice of the character and showing the conflict between what the character thinks and what he actually does. Another dream role is “something that breaks all traditions… and a role that will sell both here and in other countries,” he adds, noting that it is usually only one or the other.

Aside from acting, Sid is interested in anything and everything to do with filmmaking. “My girlfriend and I can argue all day about film,” he says.

He also plans to make his mark behind the scenes. “My first movie will be for me. I don’t care what other people will think.” He adds, laughing, “They can watch.”

Sid’s ultimate goal is to be able to contribute to the efforts of filmmakers who are bringing Philippine film to the fore of international cinema – not only making a name for himself, but for Philippine film as well.