Take 3 with Mario Maurer

Here are some “Mario Maurerisms” gathered from Conversations’ previous two close encounters with him in Bangkok last year when the Thai star signed up as endorser for Penshoppe and closed a deal with Star Cinema for the romance-drama Suddenly It’s Magic, directed by Rory Quintos with Erich Gonzales as Mario’s love interest, showing nationwide starting on Oct. 31:

His full name is Mario Manfred Maurer, born in Bangkok on Dec. 4, 1988, to Roland Manfred Maurer (German) and Vanranya Maurer (Thai); he said he’s part-German, part-Thai and part-Chinese;

He stands 5’8”, weighs 143 lbs., has brown eyes and black hair and one brother named Marco;

He’s a Roman Catholic, graduated from St. Dominic School and (at that time) taking up Law in college;

His favorites are: actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), singer (Chris Brown), movie (Forrest Gump), food (Thai and Japanese), color (Black), perfume (Chanel Homme), sleepwear (Boxers and old shirt), and hobby (taking care of classic cars); and

For workout, he runs and lifts weights, skateboards and plays football.

Even before he was hired as Penshoppe endorser and signed up with Star Cinema, Mario was popular among Filipino fans, thanks to his movie Love of Siam which won him a Best Actor award at the 2008 Cinemanila Film Festival (but wasn’t able to come and receive his trophy). In that iconic movie, Mario plays a high school boy in love with his childhood buddy and schoolmate.

His other movie (one of more than one dozen), A Crazy Thing Called Love, was a hit when it was aired on a non-primetime Sunday-morning timeslot on ABS-CBN last year.

Asked what part of his body was his favorite, Mario (who never forgets to say “Please!” with every sentence) said, “My eyes. They are kind of like those of my mom’s and my dad’s. A mixture of their eyes. My mom has brown eyes and my dad has blue eyes.”

Told that he has many fans in the Philippines and most of them are gay, Mario smiled, “It’s okay for me. Love of Siam, which was my first movie, is a love story about gays, man loves man. For me, it’s okay because I grew up with these people, I work here in the Thai movie industry and most of the people in it are gay. I respect them; I don’t have a bad attitude towards them.”

What is sexy to him?

“A girl in swimsuit.”

By the way, does he find himself sexy?

Mario blushed, “No! I don’t think I am sexy. I’m a very funny-looking boy. I always cut my hair very short. I do it myself. My brother Marco and I like to hip-hop, and we don’t grow our hair very long.”

In Suddenly It’s Magic, Mario plays Marcus Hanson, a Thai heartthrob on the verge of breaking into international stardom but is tired of showbiz; while Erich plays Josephine “Joey” Hermosa, a pastry baker based in Ilocos and nursing a broken heart after her boyfriend left her and got engaged to another girl. Also in the cast are Joross Gamboa, Ces Quesada, Kakai Bautista, Dinky Doo, Jestoni Alarcon, Guji Lorenzana, Dionne Monsanto and Joy Viado, and Thai actors Apasira Chantrasmi, Michael Chaowanasai and Nana Dakin.

Here’s Mario Maurer, “Take 3”: 

You’ve been to the Philippines thrice. What did you find memorable during those visits?

“There are so memorable things, from the first shoot with Penshoppe, Fashion Week and the shoot with Star Cinema for Suddenly It’s Magic. I would say that the most memorable things for me every time I am in the Philippines are the people I work with and my fans. They have been very nice, warm and supportive. They made me feel at-home every time I was there. And I hope that the people in the Philippines will continue supporting me and my work especially the recent project, Suddenly It’s Magic.” 

Tell us about the Penshoppe shoot and about your experience on the set of Suddenly It’s Magic.

“The shoot for Penshoppe was great! I recently had a chance to work with them again when we shot here in Bangkok. I love all my campaigns with Penshoppe. They are very creative and easy to work with. I love their products and I even wore some of Penshoppe clothes in my TV series in Thailand.

“For the movie shoot, of course working with Erich was always fun. We worked hard on the set but we always got to talk and joke around in-between takes. It was like that not just with Erich but with the entire cast, director Rory and the crew. I had so much fun shooting with the team.” 

“We had a lot of fun during the shoot in the Philippines and in Thailand. I learned a lot of Tagalog words from them. We exchanged stories about our countries and also about the industry in Thailand and in the Philippines. Director Rory also joined us in our chats. Joross kept us laughing so much during the shoot. Great fun for all of us.” 

How are Filipino girls similar to and different from Thai girls?

“I think we Asians look quite similar. Of course, both Filipino and Thai girls are beautiful and kind. The only difference is the language we speak and probably how the Filipinos could sing so well. I can say almost everyone in the Philippines could sing really well, whereas in Thailand that doesn’t come easy.”  

What kind of girls do you find attractive? What are the qualities that you want in your “dream girl”?

“I like girls who are nice and funny and happy to be with. I don’t have a ‘dream girl.’ You wouldn’t know that she’s the one until you meet her. That’s why love is like magic. Don’t forget to watch my movie Suddenly It’s Magic. Watch it and you will agree with me.”

How different is making movies in Thailand and making movies in the Philippines? What about the fans, how are Thai fans like or unlike Filipino fans?

“Of course, in Thailand it’s much easier because there are no cultural differences or adjustments that I have to do. It may take awhile to adjust but we got it quick. I really had so much fun with my Suddenly It’s Magic shoot.”

“The fans, both Thai and Filipino, and fans from other countries are quite similar. They are passionate, they are loyal and very supportive. I love them all.”

Your huge billboards are all over Metro Manila. How did you feel when you saw them during your second visit? Do you have similar billboards in Thailand?

“I was very happy to see them. They’re all very nice. Penshoppe always launches a nice campaign not only for me but also for the other endorsers. I have billboards in Thailand, too, but they are different because in Thailand the billboards are focused not only on the endorsers but also on the products. Most of them are horizontal in shape. I noticed that in the Philippines, the billboards focus on the endorsers a lot which is good. I would love to see more billboards of me. (Smile) Thank you to my Penshoppe family.”

Mario and Erich create their own kind of magic in this series of scenes from the movie directed by Rory Quintos (below), showing Oct. 31 nationwide

You were daring in some of your movies, especially in Love of Siam where your character has an affair with another guy. How did you feel during the shoot of your kissing scenes? How daring can you be in your future movies?

“It was work. I take my work seriously and I love acting. I prepare for any project that I do. For future movies, for as long as the role is good, relevant and will entertain a lot of people, I am open to it.”  

In what roles are your most at-home in, comedy or drama?

“I can do any role. As I said, as long as it’s good and interesting I am open to it.”  

Have you ever dreamed to be an actor?

“No, I just wanted to make some money when I did my first movie. I didn’t think I would like it this much. Now I am enjoying it and very happy to have this as my career.”

How do you handle success? Do you still enjoy even a little privacy?

“I have to thank all my fans for their support and people who give me the opportunity and have trust in me. I understand we are public figures and it’s only good to have the fans supporting us. I am okay and happy to make my fans happy. But of course a little privacy sometimes is nice, too.”

How are you like away from the limelight? How do you spend your spare time? What are your interests?

“I love cars. My favorite is Volkswagen. I collect vintage cars. I spend my free time fixing all my cars with my close friend who is half-Filipino. Working on my cars helps relax my mind. I love traveling, too. If I have time, I drive to some resort near Bangkok to unwind.”

Who are your role models?

“I have only one — my dad. He is the coolest person I know.”

You will be back in Manila on Oct. 29 for the presscon of Suddenly It’s Magic. Are you ready to face the Philippine media? 

“Actually, I will be joining ASAP in Singapore (today, Oct. 14). But I am excited to go back to Manila and meet the press and the fans. Yes, definitely I’m ready to meet the press! And I will be there also to guest in some ABS-CBN shows, and I’m looking forward to the premiere night for our movie.”

And lastly, if you were somebody else, who would you be, and why?

“Hmmm…I’d still love to be me.” 

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. You may also send your questions to [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on www.twitter/therealrickylo.)