Coco Martin is the king
The word “adorable” is the first thing that comes to mind when you’re confronted with Coco Martin’s face. Google “Coco Martin adorable” and the top results pretty much agree with this observation: a photo caption reads “Coco Martin <3”, a Pinoy Exchange thread is titled “Coco Martin is Adorable”, and Fashion Pulis comments usually mention his general cuteness.
It isn’t surprising that this apparent cuteness has helped advance his matinee idol status — far from the grit initially associated with him in his earlier roles. To some extent, his good boy looks are a contrast to the grimy underbelly that his characters often inhabit, from the dark corners of a massage parlor to shadier psyches of his teleserye leads. His everyman likability, which exponentially grew as he broadened his teleserye roots, coupled with the contentions he has picked up as a fixture of arthouse films, has given him a distinct duality that enables him to play the opposite ends of the emotional spectrum, much like his characters, Ador and Cardo, in the upcoming teleserye remake of FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.
Part tribute to Fernando Poe Jr. and part high-octane examination of the lives of our policemen — especially the Special Action Force — Ang Probinsyano finds Martin in another dual character role (his previous one was in Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin), Ador and Cardo, identical twins who are both passionate in serving in the country’s police force. Ador is a bemedalled PNP officer driven by an unerring moral compass. Cardo is trained under the SAF and takes up his brother’s mantle after a tragic twist in their lives.
“Si Ador by the book, kung ano yung tama yun ang ginagawa niya,” Martin shares. “Hindi siya lumalagpas sa batas. Si Cardo, ang pananaw niya, ‘Basta alam ko ang tama at may sarili akong batas na dapat sundin.’ Iba yung style ng character ni Cardo kasi ginawa namin siyang mas entertaining, mas maangas, may konting kapilyuhan.”
Ang Probinsyano also finds Martin working again with Susan Roces, FPJ’s widow who wholeheartedly gave Martin the blessing to bring the beloved character into the small screen (“Noong magkasama kami ni Tita Susan sa Walang Hanggan, siya mismo nagsabi sa akin, ‘Alam mo, Co, maraming mga pelikula si FPJ na bagay sa’yo. Ako naman, honestly, nahihiya ako kasi paano ko naman gagawin yon?”). An incredible amount of pressure rests on Martin’s shoulders: not only is he starring opposite Roces — a formidable actress in her own right — but there is also the added onus of depicting the lives of policemen without whitewashing their struggles.
“Si Tita Susan lagi lang niya [sinasabi] sa akin na wag akong ma-pressure. Dahil kilala niya ako, ang sa kanya basta gawin ko kung ano yung tingin kong nararapat, hindi ko kailangan i-pressure yung sarili ko na gayahin si FPJ. Si FPJ may rason kung bakit niya ginagawa ang isang pelikula. Hindi lang para i-entertain ang tao. Alam niya na malaki yung responsibilidad niya sa mga manonood. Na kung gagawa siya ng isang pelikula, sinisigurado niya na makaka-impluwensya ng maganda sa mga tao. ”
Martin frequently reinforces this responsibility of actors. Growing up watching the films of FPJ, Nora Aunor, and the other giants of local cinema, he is aware of how their images on screen evoke a relatable reality to the audience. These characters, though mostly fictional, form our ideas of what heroes and saviors should be, and Martin wants to drive this point home in Ang Probinsyano.
“Dati wala naman akong [pakialam sa] image, wala naman ganon sa indie,” Martin shares. “Ang pinaka-regalo na sa amin nun ay kapag nananalo kami ng award. Dito sa telebisyon may ka-akibat ka na malaking responsibilidad sa mga manonood mo. Kapag sinasabi mong ini-idolo mo ang isang tao, inspired ka sa kanya, at kung ano yung path na pinupuntahan niya, yun ang gusto mong mangyari sa’yo. Ganon kasi ako lumaki, [nung napapanood ko sila FPJ.]”
FPJ is an actor close to Martin’s heart. Growing up, the action king was a Superman figure of sorts for him. Martin would watch local films with his lola, a routine that they still do until today.
“Sa bahay namin never namin pinaguusapan ang trabaho ko. Nahihiya ako eh. Never sila nagtanong na “Maganda ba si Kris Aquino?” “Mabait ba si ganyan?” As in talagang wala. May time na kumain [yung lola ko] sa isang fast food chain, nakita niya sa isang newspaper—hindi ko sinasabi sa kanya ah!—i-re-remake ko yung pelikula ni FPJ na Ang Probinsyano. Hiningi pa niya yung [newspaper] sa gwardya para [tanungin] sa akin “Gagawin mo ba talaga to?” Ganon siya katuwa at first time niyang nagtanong tungkol sa trabaho ko. Pag nasa bahay ako, ako yung apo niya.”
At home, surrounded by his family, basking in the warmth of the TV screen, Coco Martin is nothing but a spectator, held captive by the magic of cinema and the fantasy that it conjures.
“Mas malapit sa puso ko yung mga pelikulang Pilipino,” Coco says. “Dun ako nakaka-relate eh. Ang kultura ng mga Pilipino hindi mababago yan. Yung nakagawian natin, yun ang core natin. Iba ang values ng Pinoy, hindi mo mababali. Kahit sabihin pa ng iba na bakya ako... Oo, bakya ako. Eh ano ngayon? At least naa-appreciate ko yung pinag-ta-trabahuhan natin.”
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Tweet the author @donutjaucian.
Photo by PATRICK DIOKNO
Produced by DAVID MILAN
