Like the lead character that he played in the stage play M. Butterfly, R.S. Francisco is mysterious in some ways, appearing on and disappearing from the scene like, well, a butterfly.
His recent reappearance is in Bwaya, one of the 10 films competing in the New Breed category in the Cinemalaya X ending tomorrow, which is the story of a 35-year-old Manobo woman (played by Urian Best Actress Angeli Bayani) desperately looking for her daughter who, she later discovers, has been devoured by a huge crocodile while she (the mother) was preparing for the girl’s 12th birthday. In the process, while looking for her missing daughter, the mother realizes that not all predators are underwater — you know, there are bwayas anywhere including high places in government and society.
Directed by Francis Xavier Pasion (previous Cinemalaya winner for his films Jay and Sampaguita), Bwaya is based on the first and only crocodile attack ever recorded in the Agusan Marshlands in March 2008. R.S., who’s one of the executive producers of the movie, plays the teacher blamed for the fate of the girl (played by Jolina Espana who was discovered during casting time while jumping from a high point into a river).
So whatever happened to R.S. after M. Butterfly? (R.S.’ father is former Sampaguita actor Rudy Francisco, now 92, who starred as an Alzheimer’s-stricken grandfather in a McDonald’s commercial. Fred Montilla, another Sampaguita actor, is R.S.’ uncle.)
“Well, after staying away from theater, I earned my keep as an AD (Assistant Director) of commercials,” said R.S. “I also opened Front Row Enterprises which sells anti-oxidants, skin-whitening products, etc. Actually, Bwaya is not my first foray into indie. I did one years ago for Joey Agbayani when I was doing M. Butterfly which was my first play na binayaran ako. Before that, I was doing plays na in school (La Salle).”
One of his memorable encounters doing commercials was with Gretchen Barretto. Their first meeting on the set was straight out of a Wenn Deramas comedy.
“When Gretchen arrived on the set,” recalled R.S., “I was holding my breakfast tray. I said, ‘Girl, let’s eat!’ Kinakabahan ako, actually, baka mamaya tarayan niya ako. Sabi niya, ‘Beautiful people don’t eat!’ So I said, ‘And who told you that I’m gonna eat? I’m just going to smell my food.’ Then she laughed and hugged me, ‘You’re crazy! You’re a bitch! You’re R.S., right?’ I said, ‘You’re Gretchen, right?’ I told her that I used to hate her but at that moment I really fell in love with her. Pareho kaming baliw, eh! We became chika and ended up good friends. We even appeared together in the ABS-CBN soap Magkaribal.”
R.S. didn’t really set aside acting abruptly. After M. Butterfly, he did a few other projects (the TV show Angels in America, and the movies Markova [which won Best Actor/Best Actress for Dolphy at an international filmfest] and Sibak [Midnight Dancers] directed by Mel Chionglo). Then he concentrated on working behind the camera.
“What I would consider my ‘comeback’ vehicles were the ABS-CBN soap Princess and I (with KathNiel) and Star Cinema’s She’s The One (with Bea Alonzo and Dingdong Dantes),” added R.S.
What R.S. found attractive about his Bwaya role is its being mysterious.
“My character is not based on a real person so I have to base it on people’s haka-haka,” explained R.S. “You know, bading ba siya, straight ba siya, masamamg tao ba siya, mabait ba siya, anong klaseng tao ba talaga siya?”
Karl: Another Medina in the industry
Also in the cast of Bwaya is Karl Medina, one of the four children of versatile character actor Pen Medina, who plays the father of the girl swallowed alive (burp!) by the crocodile which was inspired not by Lolong but another one captured years earlier. Karl’s siblings are Alex Vincent, Victor and Ping (who occasionally writes for The STAR’s Life section). Their only sister Kathlin stopped acting after playing one of Dr. Jose Rizal’s sisters in one of the movies about the National Hero, and is now thinking of acting again.
An indie regular, Karl won Best Actor in The Guerilla is a Poet (for TV5’s Cine Filipino), his first movie with Angeli Bayani in which he played Jose Maria Sison. “I had a Facebook chat with Joma before the movie started shooting,” said Karl (named after Karl Marx) who, with his siblings, finished high school at San Beda and moved to different schools for college. “He’s very eloquent.”
Asked if there’s any sibling rivalry (professional jealousy) among them, Karl said no, never!
“Ping has been in the business for the longest time so he has appeared in the most number of movies,” said Karl. “We are really supportive of each other.”
In Guerilla, Karl delivered long dialogue but in Bwaya he hardly has any.
Any piece of advice from Dad Ping?
“He always reminds us, ‘Kailangan intindihin mo ang story at ang character/kung ano ang hinihingi ng eksena.’ And also, ‘’Don’t act; just be natural’. I always bear that in mind.”
Sandy and Boyet asking for prayer for son Miguel
According to her manager Lolit Solis, even if Sandy Andolong has been regularly undergoing check-up due to a kidney ailment, she and husband Christopher “Boyet” de Leon had to rush to San Francisco to check on their son Miguel (into his late 20s) after they learned that Miguel vomited blood.
Ali Sotto, a family friend, informed Funfare that diagnosis has confirmed that Miguel is suffering from testicular germ cancer.
“The cancer has metastasized to Miguel’s lungs that’s why he vomited blood,” said Ali. “Miguel is a non-smoker. Doctors said that it’s common among men aged 15 to 49. If women are advised to undergo mammogram annually, men should also have their scrotum checked regularly.”
It’s the same cancer that hit controversial cyclist Lance Armstrong who is, according to what Ali learned from a Lance book, in remission after he was treated with an experimental “cocktail” even if his cancer had spread to his vital organs.
“Miguel will soon start his first cycle of chemo,” reported Ali, “that’s why Sandy and Boyet are asking (Funfare readers) to pray for his recovery. Nothing is impossible with prayer.”
Sandy and Boyet’s children are named after angels: Miguel, Raphael, Gabriel, Mariel and Gabrielle.
(E-mail reactions at entphilstar@yahoo.com.)