MANY dream of becoming an actor. Many wait for a long time before they get their big break. While a few are destined to be big stars, a lot of our newcomers work hard to prove themselves worthy to move forward to their next project. So when a big opportunity comes, whether it be for TV, film or commercials, they grab it and take their big leap.
Such is the case of newbie Sean de Guzman, who has just wrapped up filming for what he considers the biggest “surprise” of his life, the titular role in the movie Anak ng Macho Dancer.
“I never expected to be cast as the lead character,” he said in almost a whisper, his modesty obvious. “I went to the auditions with a very realistic goal, just
to be included in the movie. There was also a buzz going around that that there was already someone who had been pre-cast by the producer for the lead role. I knew I had the skills as a dancer because of my years of training as part of Clique V, but I only had one movie credit as an actor, which I did only a few months ago.”
Clique V is a sing-and-dance boy band managed by Len Carillo, proprietress of 3:16 Events & Talents Company where de Guzman is an original, active member. The 20-year-old de Guzman kept his expectations really low even if he had researched and studied the standard choreography used by real life go-go boys when they perform before he went to audition.
De Guzman didn’t have to wait for long for the results. On his way home from the auditions, he received a call to go back to the venue. “Everything happened so fast and just like that, I was told that I was the preferred one of the small group of decision-makers, which included filmmaker Joel Lamangan, to play the lead role.”
Ten days was all it took to finish the principal photography of the project. It helped that Lamangan was also his director in the recent movie he did, titled Lockdown, where de Guzman was given a daring supporting role. “I really prepared and went through the script over and over again. Somehow, I already know how Direk Joel is like on the set, and how strict and uncompromising he can be when it comes to the performance and delivery of his actors. I would always remind myself that my director expects to see my character Ino and not me.”
De Guzman shared that he had to shed off all inhibitions to be able to give life to his character. “I am not the typical boy-next-door, matinee idol type of actor that is usually accorded shrieks and adulation, but that’s not my goal. I want to be known as a competent, good, reliable actor, and I aim for longevity in this business. Just like Alan Paule, the original Macho Dancer in the Lino Brocka film who agreed to play my father in this movie.”
He added that he had a lot of realizations about life, survival and hard work during filming. “Society generally looks down on the flesh trade. But we shouldn’t be quick in passing judgment. Many of these dancers and sex workers are thrown into what they do because they simply want to survive, they simply want to help their families get by day after day after day. If they had more options, they’d be elsewhere. Oftentimes, poverty drives people into directions they do not want to be on in the first place. Besides, we all have our imperfections that we do not divulge in our respective stories.”
For someone who once quietly dreamed of seeing himself on the big screen, de Guzman has taken one big step by bagging this debut lead role on film. Perhaps it’s destiny, and he is aware that the road ahead won’t be easy if he wants to be in the big league. “Hype is not everything for a new actor. In the end, an actor will be evaluated by the quality of work he gives. Not the photos that titillate, not the videos they upload, not the daring gimmicks they think of. It’s how sincere you are as an artist and how serious you are with your craft.”
For now, Sean de Guzman is a reminder to many of us that dreams do come true.