So, Coco Martin is the new FPJ (Fernando Poe Jr. to his millions of fans from Aparri to Jolo).
No, I’m not saying the actor the Kapamilya network fondly calls the “king of primetime TV” has equaled the late “king of Philippine movies” in box office and popularity stature.
I am only referring to the actor’s enthusiasm to be a well rounded entertainment personality, something only FPJ was able to accomplish that led to his being esteemed be fellow movie industry workers and being given the royal treatment by the entertainment press as the “king of Philippine movies.”
FPJ, as he is known by millions of local movie loving Filipinos, was not only the actor they love to watch on weekends (at a time when new Tagalog movies were released weekly in movie houses across the archipelago). He was also their favorite storyteller (as director with the nom de plume Ronwaldo Reyes) and to his fellow movie-industry workers the kind producer who made sure everyone around him had work and properly compensated.
Coco Martin has looked upon FPJ for inspiration, especially when he was cast to play the part the “king of Philippine movies” essayed in Ang Probinsyano in 1997 when ABS-CBN acquired the rights to remake it as a series on television and premiered on Sept. 28, 2015 and remains up until today the top-rating series nationwide.
Early this year, rumor mills spun stories Coco was planning to produce a new version of Ang Panday, which turned out to be true as the actor held talks quietly with people that could be involved in the production of the film.
“Mahirap po pala,” Coco said when asked how he felt about directing the movie.
“Honestly, nahirapan ako sa pagiging director pero ‘pag gusto mo ‘yung ginagawa mo, kahit mahirap, hindi ko siya tinitreat na napapagod ka or nahihirapan ka. Ine-enjoy mo ‘yung bawat moment na ginagawa mo.”
That was what he told members of the movie press invited for a press conference sometime last month, which he repeated after the press preview of the movie at a Trinoma screen last Thursday.
“Bago ko gawin ‘yung pelikula, sabi ko sa sarili ko kung gagawa ako ng pelikula, gusto ko ako ang magpro-produce,”he said. “Kasi, siyempre, definitely first movie ko ito. Walang kasiguraduhan kung mababawi ko ‘yung puhunan, kikita ba siya. Sabi ko, ako na ang po-produce para if ever na pangit, hindi magustuhan ng mga viewers, wala akong ibang sisihin kung hindi ako.”
Coco knows movie producing is a risky business – he’s seen how some of the producers of films he was in lost a lot of money. As to whether he will try to produce a movie again, Coco said it could take a while.
When it comes to being a director, he still feels slightly uneasy. “Nahihiya… nakakahiya pero paninindigan.”
Members of the press who swarmed and scrambled for seats in the cinema that showed Ang Panday had nothing but praises for the new director, saying the movie could be the biggest box-office taker in the coming festival.
Coco was exhilarated over the press’ reception of the movie, and feeling, like FPJ, gave away cash in a raffle draw in which several members of the press won from P5 thousand to a hundred thousand, making Coco now the most benevolent of all movie/TV actors, a peculiarity that endeared FPJ to the members of the press.