Diether makes his move

How did fatherhood change the life of Diether Ocampo? "It has given me the right direction and so much peace," he says at the presscon of his new film, Nasaan Ka Man. "Because of my son, Dream, who turned one on April 10, I got to reassess my life. I feel I was given a new beginning and I am now moving forward."

How come there’s a rumor he and Kristine Hermosa have broken up? "We do have problems every now and then, just like any other couple, but we’re still together. I really don’t want to talk about her as she’s not part of the movie and we’d like to keep our personal relationship as private as possible. Pagpasensiyahan n’yo na lang kami. All I can say is I love her so much and we’d like to keep a low profile about our relationship. We’d like to live our life in a normal way, as much as possible."

He is very happy and fulfilled with his role in Nasaan Ka Man as Ito. "I play a very complex character."

Is it even more demanding than his role in La Vida Rosa, for which he got a Best Actor nomination? "That was four years ago and I feel I was still a novice then. Honestly, if I’d do that now, I’d interpret it differently. My role in Nasaan Ka Man is more challenging and delicate as it’s a twisted character. Mabigat talaga. At the start of the story, I am the big brother, the caring Kuya who acts as the padre de familia. But after I find out that Claudine Barretto and Jericho Rosales are in love with each other, something goes wrong. I just can’t tell you exactly where the character is going as it might spoil the viewing pleasure of those who’d watch the film. Basta, it’s full of mystery."

Is it true he initially asked to play Jericho’s role in the movie? "When I first read Ricky Lee’s script, I felt right away it’s a good project. Both the role of Ito, who I play now, and Joven, played by Jericho, are very demanding, so it didn’t really matter for me whichever role they’d assign me. But now, I’m glad I was made to play Ito, although I got nervous at the start that I might not be able to do justice to it as his character is really full of angst. There’s a back story in Ito’s past that makes the role even more well defined."

Nasaan Ka Man is a suspense-thriller about two spinster sisters, Hilda Koronel and Gloria Diaz, who adopt three kids. Gloria adopts Diether and Claudine while Hilda adopts Jericho. All hell breaks loose when Claudine and Jericho confess they have fallen in love and want to get married, much to the consternation of everyone who feels that they’re really brother and sister.

Set in Baguio, Nasaan Ka Man is the directorial debut of Cholo Laurel, a graduate of New York University Film School who’s been megging TV commercials for many years now. Cholo pitched the project to Star Cinema people who asked Ricky Lee to write the full script along with Cholo.

"The film has many surprises, not only in the story but also in all the characters," adds Diether. "We filmed this for one year kasi ang hirap ng schedules namin. Claudine was busy with Marina while Echo and I were taping Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas. But now that we’ve seen the completed film, it’s worth all the hardships we suffered while shooting it in Baguio at the height of the meningococemia scare. We can all be proud of it."

How is Cholo Laurel as a neophyte director? "What’s nice about him is he has an open mind and listens to suggestions. He’s very meticulous and it’s understandable as this is first attempt at a full-length film. Before we started shooting, I really took the time to study the character I play and before each take, I’d usually call Direk Cholo and tell him I have a question. He listens patiently to what I have to say and if he likes my idea, we incorporate it in the scene and if not, he tells me why we should follow what he has in mind. He’s very professional and he certainly knows what he’s doing. Gusto niya, pagdating mo sa set, in character ka na and prepared to face the camera. He addresses you not with your real name but with the character you’re playing, and this is a good way to remind you all the time that you are not yourself but another person in the movie."

And how is it working with Claudine and Jericho? "I’ve worked with Claudine several times. On TV, we did several shows together. On the big screen, we were paired in Soltera and Dahil Mahal na Mahal Kita. She has become one of our finest young actresses and this can be seen in Nasaan Ka Man, where she plays a very intriguing character with its own surprises. As for Echo, we’ve been good friends as we both belong to the Hunks and we’ve travelled together abroad several times. What’s nice about him is he’s always full of energy. Even when our work is difficult, he remains very happy and makulit. We shot in Baguio for three straight weeks. Walang babaan sa Manila. And it would have been a bore kung hindi laging nagpapatawa si Echo."

After doing a fantasy-comedy last year, Volta (where he was Ai Ai de las Alas’ leading man), and the romantic trilogy, Bcuz Of U, he’s glad to be in a serious suspense-drama this time. He won the Star Best Drama Actor award last October forSana’y Wala Nang Wakas on TV. Does he think Nasaan Ka Man will give him his first acting trophy for the movies?

"I don’t know. All I can say is I have a very good role and I did my best in this film. More than anything else, I wish people would watch it so that it would do well at the box office. In these days when the local film industry is down, we should exert serious efforts like this and tap new directors like Cholo Laurel who certainly shows a lot of promise as a filmmaker."