GERALD Santos is back in Manila after doing Thuy in Denmark’s staging of “Miss Saigon.”
All in all, he stayed there for eight months and enjoyed every minute of it. As Thuy, he delivers all his lines and the lyrics of his songs in Danish.
“Five months before I went to Denmark, I already started learning the language,” he says.
“I was so nervous on how I’d fare because I’m the only Filipino in the principal cast. But the reception was so favorable. They said I got it all right but with an Asian twang, which is just fine since I’m playing a Vietnamese character.”
How is the Danish staging different from the one he did in his tour of London and Ireland?
“The Danish version has to be made fit for Danish audiences. Their depiction of my character, Thuy, the Vietnamese soldier, is more straightforward and clearer from the start.
He’s more villainous. In the UK, Thuy is more humane. ”
So what’s in store for him now that he’s back home?
“First I’m doing 10 concerts for the Erase Beauty concert series that will be staged in various cities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao up to November. Then I will release a new song, ‘Ako na Lang’ written by Marion Aunor, an R&B jazz number which is a return for me to pop music. Then after being away for so long, I renewed my contract as brand ambassador of Contura Medica, a top clinic for skin care and rejuvenation at na-miss ko na ang pampering they do on my skin.”
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‘Formal turnover na lang ng aking dream house ang hinihintay namin. — Barbie Forteza’
Barbie Forteza turned 26 on July 31 and she has a lot of reasons to celebrate as her career is truly on a roll with her having so many current projects. She has a new series that reunites him with David Licauco after their hit pairing as Filay (Fidel and Klay) in “Maria Clara at Ibarra.” This is “Maging Sino Ka Man,” a TV series remake of the hit Sharon Cuneta-Robin Padilla movie.
Then she has two new movies no less. First is “That Kind of Love,” which also pairs her with David. This is produced by Pocket Media Films and was partly shot on location in South Korea.
Her second movie is a project produced by GMA Pictures, to be directed by Derrick Cabrido, who’s also directing a true-to-life thriller with Piolo Pascual. Barbie is also very successful as the endorser of Ishin gluta food supplements and her huge billboards are all over the city.
But the biggest project of Barbie that is now to be completed is her own family’s home in an exclusive village in Quezon City, where her boyfriend Jack Roberto and his sister Sanya Lopez also reside. As of now, she and her family are just renting a house in another QC village.
“We’re all excited ng family ko,” she says. “Formal turnover na lang ng aking dream house ang hinihintay namin. I’m super proud of it kasi galing talaga ‘yung house and lot mula sa sariling paghihirap ko. Ang dami kong talagang dapat ipagpasalamat kay Lord for all His blessings in my life and career.”
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He was introduced in “Lagaslas” as VR Relosa, where he impressed viewers with his intense portrayal of a young man who lusts after the young woman living with their neighbor.
Director Roman Perez then got him to be the leading man of Yen Durano in “Litsoneras” where he’s so convincing in his anti-hero role who gets a brutal comeuppance in the end.
Now, he is the busiest among Vivamax young studs and he has changed his name to Victor.
“Kasi dalawa po sa boses sa Viva are called VR, so I had to change my name and use Victor, na real name ko naman po kasi VR stands for Victor Ronald,” he says.
He plays another lead role in “Kamadora,” once again directed by Roman Perez Jr. In “Litsoneras,” he plays Jonas, a dirty litsonero who’s always in shorts and shirtless. This time, he plays David, an executive who is always well dressed in suits and formal wear.
“Magkalayong-magkalayo po talaga ang roles na ginagampanan ko and I like it so viewers can see I’m versatile enough to play different kinds of roles,” he says. “In ‘Kamadora,’ I even get to do action scenes with Tiffany Grey. It’s our most difficult scene as we shot it on the streets of Binondo, may habulan at barilan. Mahirap, as there’s no crowd control and we’re just on our own, but masaya palang gumawa ng ganung action scene. Nag-enjoy ako.”
He is now in the cast of four other new films. In “Kahalili,” directed by Bobby Bonifacio Jr, he is paired with Micaella Raz. In “Sila ay Akin,” he is paired with two of Vivamax top actresses, Angeli Khang and Azi Acosta, directed by Mac Alejandre.
He is also starring in “Secret Campus,” where he plays a delivery rider who gets involved with different women, directed by Jose Javier Reyes. Then Roman Perez Jr. gets to direct him again in “Halo Halo X.”
