Oyo Boy on his own

At 20, Oyo Boy Sotto has gone a bit past the raging hormones stage. But this doesn’t mean he has put passion away in favor of his elders’ drab, predictable sobriety.

In fact, our Romeo describes himself as someone "determined to go after a girl the minute I’ve grown to like her."

Showbiz insiders know what he means. Vic Sotto’s son is proving himself a chip off the block in his dogged pursuit of the 16-year-old Nadine Samonte, said to be a younger version of Oyo Boy’s mom Dina Bonnevie.

Oyo Boy doesn’t hide his intentions for the comely Nadine, whom he fetches from her house, waits patiently in the dressing room for while she goes on taping, and brings home to her parents. The young swain, while admitting he doesn’t usually shower his ladylove with gifts, has made an exception with Nadine. He has given her expensive jewelry.

Nadine is a looker alright. But so were Oyo Boy’s ex-girlfriends, like Alessandra de Rossi and Anne Curtis, his sweetheart for two years.

Beyond the looks factor therefore ("her face was the first thing that attracted me to her"), what has kept Oyo Boy enamored of Nadine all these months?

Without making any ugly comparisons, he says it’s Nadine’s sheer simplicity. She’s not queasy about places they go to. He can take her most anywhere — from the plushest of places to the most informal of gatherings.

Oyo Boy has even gone as far as introducing her to his parents.

"I can feel how much Nadine appreciates my efforts to please her," he adds. "It’s nice to know your efforts are not laid to waste."

Oyo Boy is not only an avid suitor. He’s also an eager adviser.

"Those negative comments she gets on her cell phone really hurt her," he reports. "So I tell her just to let them be and not to mind them anymore. I remind her that you can’t please everyone."

"What she should do," Oyo Boy assumes the role of a doting elder brother this time, "is to continue being professional: to know her script even before she arrives on the set, to be on time for tapings, to follow what her director tells her to do. This, I also tell her."

If his tone is laced with maturity these days, it’s because the sudden death of his cousin, Miko Sotto, has become a wake-up call for Oyo Boy

It still is the "most painful experience in my life," he says matter-of-factly. Oyo Boy, the star of Regal Entertainment’s Singles says, was his sounding board, his shoulder to cry on. It was Miko Oyo Boy sought solace from when he broke up with Anne.

And then, one day, out of the blue, Miko chided his younger cousin, "You’ve got to solve your own problems. What if I’m no longer there?"

While Oyo Boy has recovered from his Miko’s death last December, the question still rings loud and clear in his (Oyo Boy’s) mind.

"That’s how I learned to move on," he reveals. "I also learned to be more demonstrative to my loved ones, to cherish the moment because you’ll never know what will happen next."

Moving on is an understatement where Oyo Boy is concerned. He’s making big strides, career-wise. Oyo Boy is highly visible these days, not only on Ikaw sa Puso Ko, but in the movies. In Singles, he is Vinny, who pretends to be rich just to hook a wealthy girl. He gets a dose of his own medicine when he gets interested in Samantha (Angel Locsin), who pretends to belong to the upper crust of society, much to the chagrin of her older sister Samantha (played by Aubrey Miles).

Mother Lily proved she has big plans for Oyo Boy when her company launched him and other young stars late last year in the youth-oriented Kuya.

"My dream movie though," he reveals, eyes shining, "is a hard-core action vehicle, where I don’t have to wear a leather jacket as to be an action star."

And he is out to make a difference in the genre, too.

"The problem with our action movies is that it has the same story. Action heroes always have a leading lady. And why do they always resort to torching an old vehicle and showing it in flames?" he asks.

Oyo Boy is also gearing up for his big day at the box office. Instead of going out on gimmicks during his free days, Oyo throws himself into regular work-outs, martial arts and taekwondo.

"I seldom go out on gimmicks anymore. I’m over that phase in my life," he states. "I meet the same people, anyway."

Besides work-outs, Oyo Boy prefers visiting friends and tinkering with cars.

One big plan he is bent on pursuing is his studies. He plans to enroll as a Business Administration freshman soon.

To his credit, Oyo Boy doesn’t mind being younger than most of his classmates when he returns to school.

He knows showbiz is unpredictable and he needs a fallback position when the rainy days come, often without any warning.

For, while Vic and Dina support him all the way, Oyo Boy is sensible enough to know that he can’t depend on a prominent family name all the time. "I can’t be relying on my parents forever," he says.

True, he has reasons to be proud of his genes – his dad’s intense eyes and flair for comedy and his mother’s nurturing ways and talent for drama, but Oyo Boy wants to be known more for what he can do on his own.

As he insists, "My acting style is different. When the director asks me to cry, I don’t resort to memories of a sad experience – like Miko’s death or my parents’ separation, to summon the tears. I just concentrate on what the director tells me to do."

This means he won’t be banking on the loneliness he will surely feel when Danica leaves for Switzerland to take up culinary arts, to sharpen his dramatic acting skills.

"We’re close," Oyo Boy describes his relationship with Danica.

But he knows he has to move on, like the independent, self-reliant guy he is. Besides, his flourishing career and overriding passions will see him through the worst of times.