CARLO Aquino says he enjoyed working with Julia Barretto for the first time in Viva’s romantic-drama, “Expensive Candy,” that will be shown in theaters on September 14. He plays Toto, a high school teacher who is a male virgin, so he hires a hooker to experience sex for the first time. He gets Julia as Candy, a beautiful streetwalker who would change his life.
He says he found it hard to interact with Julia as he first saw her as a child actress. Carlo is actually 11 years older than Julia as he is 36 and Julia is only 25.
“Noong una ko siyang makilala, bata pa lang siya,” he says. “Who knows na darating ang panahon na magiging magkapareha pala kami. So in the movie, I have to look at her in a different light. Sabi nga ng director naming si JP Laxamana, dapat, ang tingin ko sa kanya, yung may desire, may malisya, ganun.”
But he takes her hat off to Julia as she’s so good in her role as a brazen hooker who names her price everytime he goes out with her. “Pataas nang pataas ang presyo niya tuwing kukunin ko siya, kaya nga ‘Expensive Candy’ ang title ng movie. She’s also good in drama.
Meron kaming mahabang confrontation scene and she’s very convincing.”
So what is the message that “Expensive Candy” will leave to the audience? “Dapat, ang love, hindi judgmental. Ako, teacher dito na nagmahal sa isang pokpok and siempre, our society looks down on that kind of relationship. Kung mahal mo talaga ang isang tao, dapat, ipaglaban mo.
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‘It was at this point that her voice broke, obviously unhappy that she’s doing nothing but films that require her to disrobe in front of the camera.’
Photo from Rhen Escaño’s Instagram account
Rhen Escaño became emotional when asked at the Zoom press con of “Secrets of a Nympho,” an 8-episode series, as to why she seldom appears in Vivamax releases, unlike some of the other Viva sexpots who seem to have a new movie every other week.
“Pinipili ko talaga kasi ang projects na ginagawa ko,” she says. “Ayoko ng umuulit, doing the same material. I want viewers to see na iba-iba ang ginagawa ko.”
It was at this point that her voice broke, obviously unhappy that she’s doing nothing but films that require her to disrobe in front of the camera.
“Sana mabigyan naman ako ng chance na makita ng tao na may iba akong talent na puede kong gawin,” she adds. “My career is so important for me. I really want to prove myself as an actress. Kaya tinanggap ko itong series na ito, ‘Secrets of a Nympho,’ kasi ganitong type ang gusto kong gawin. I really want to grow as an actor.”
The story is set in the fictional town of San Lucas and its prominent law school, Potenciana University. A heinous crime happens inside the campus during their annual bonfire. While the students are drinking and partying, the top campus jock, Brian (Arron Villaflor), falls from the rooftop of a tall building. Cops also discover the unconscious body of the campus crush, Hannah (Ayanna Misola). Cops say Brian raped and attempted to kill Hannah, then ended his own life out of guilt. However, a student of Potenciana believes that something is not right in the narrative because she knows Brian cannot do evil things like this. This is Gab, played by Rhen, an outcast student who will conduct her own investigation to find the real culprit. The series is slated for showing on the last quarter of 2022.
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Former Hashtag dancer Wilbert Ross is no doubt now the king of Vivamax sex comedies.
After he did “Shoot Shoot Di Kita Titigilan,” “Crush Kong Curly,” “Boy Bastos” and “High on Sex,” he now stars in another naughty comedy, “5 in 1,” directed by GB Sampedro who just helmed him in “High on Sex.”
In “5 in 1,” he plays John Jordi or Dick, a successful entrepreneur who gets rich with his own popular coffee brand, 5-in-1 Coffee. And just like the coffee brand he sells, Dick has five sexy girlfriends in his life: Rose Van Ginkel as Lexie, Ava Mendez as Maria, Debbie Garcia as Mia, Angela Morena as Riley Red and Jela Cuenca as Lana Rose.
In the movies he does, it’s always the women who are running after him. Did he really dream to be a heartthrob like this in real life? “No, I never dreamt that nung bata ako,” he says. “Like other guys, I want girls to like me, pero not naman pinagkakaguluhan ako. Sa internet nga, may nagsasabing naiinggit sila sa akin kasi lahat daw ng pinagnanasaan nilang chicks sa Vivamax, dumaan na raw lahat sa akin, kaya ako raw ang idol nila.”
The catchphrase of “5 in 1” is “Patay Kang Manyak Ka,” so isn’t he afraid that people might look at him as a maniac? “Hindi, sabi nga nung iba, ang bait daw ng mukha ko. Mukha raw akong virgin, parang wala pa raw akong nagawang kasalanan sa mundo.”
So he accepts his image as a naughty sexy actor? “Yes, sanay na ako sa sexy comedy. Dito ako tinanggap ng tao. Sa ngayon, sino ba ang nagko-comedy rito sa atin na naghuhubad at nagpapakita ng puwet? Wala naman, ako lang. Baka kung gumawa ako ng drama, hindi naman magustuhan ng tao.”
What can he say when one beauty queen said he is her crush among today’s local actors?
“Well, nakakatuwa, kasi wow, andaming ibang celebrities like Piolo, Sam Milby, bakit ako?
First time ko lang na narinig ‘yun, pero siempre, masaya ako that someone admires me.”
“5-in-1” streams exclusively on Vivamax starting September 23.
