I’M so excited this year for the Cinema One Originals Film Festival. The programming committee has pulled out all the stops as it is screening international Asian films.
Heading the list are the 2014 Cannes Film Festival winner from Turkey, Winter’s Sleep, and Coming Home, from director Zhang Yimou and starring Gong Li. Other films exciting films to be screened are Black Coal, Thin Ice, Haemoo, Hill of Freedom and The Golden Era.
Of course, the heart of this festival is made up of the innovative full-length digital films from various Filipino directors and showcasing the hottest celebrities. Competing this year are Di Sila Tatanda (Malay Javier), Seoul Mates (Nash Ang), Red (Jay Abello), Soap Opera (Remton Zuasola), Lorna (Sigrid Bernardo), Bitukang Manok (Alec Figuracion), Abel/Cain (Kanakan Balitangos), That Thing Called Tadhana (Antoinette Jadaone), The Babysitters (Paolo O’Hara) and Violator (Eduardo Dayao).
One of the stars of apocalyptic horror drama Violator is comebacking actor Victor Neri. We spoke to him during the media launch. Victor plays one of the five men holed up in a police precinct wherein their situation is made worse by a raging typhoon and other elements.
As early as now, there are talks about your turn in the thriller Violator, saying you come out as organic and natural. How does it feel?
Wow. It’s good that people haven’t lost interest in what I can offer. I’ve been acting since I was 14 and that was a long time ago.
But even then, you were already considered one of the better actors of your generation. So what made you lie low?
It came to a point that I wanted to go out of the business. I realized that I wanted to improve myself as an actor, and more important as a person. That time, naging mechanical na sa akin eh. I’ll be handed a script, I would deliver. But then I realized that to be a better performer, you have to be a better person. Someone who is more in touch with reality. That’s why I took a break.
Now that you’re back, how would you describe the new Victor Neri?
Someone who’s more mature and more in touch with life.
So what did you do during that break?
I took on odd jobs here and there, like working in a financial institution. Some clerical works. Then I stumbled upon cooking. I took lessons and got my degree and worked in different restaurants in different countries.
So while preparing your recipes, you decided it was time to go back. What made you return to the business?
I woke up. It’s the same way I decided to leave the business. You just come to a realization.
Going back to the business, what were your expectations?
I didn’t want to set any expectations. At this point, I’m way past the showbiz life, meaning wala na ’yung mga intriga or mga gimmick para pag-usapan. It’s now more about what I can deliver as an actor na. What roles I can tackle and what else I can offer this business. Tapos na ako dun! Wala nang interesado dun! (Laughs)
What made you accept this role in Violator?
It’s very different from anything I’ve done. The script is very good, too. You have to watch the whole film.
Besides acting, your other passion is cooking. Talk to me about your upcoming restaurant.
It’s called Saute and it will open soon in Tomas Morato. It’s a fusion of my different experiences and influences living in Hong Kong, Beijing and Thailand for the past seven years. So all those flavors and spices are injected in the food we serve.
So, Victor, if your life is like food, what would it be?
It would be a perfectly cooked duck breast with orange sauce. I love duck breast and I love my life and it’s full of flavor. The orange sauce would be the zing in my life.