SA unang araw ng shooting ng “Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story” ni Tikoy Aguiluz, sinabi ng aktor na si Baron Geisler na mayroong inuman sa eksena.
Siya ay nasa ikaapat na buwan ng kanyang rehabilitation program noon, nanatili si Baron at hindi natinag habang inilalabas ang kahon-kahong case ng beer at inilalatag ito sa lamesa.
At naroon siya, nakasuot sa 1950s costume, at inaakit ng alkohol.
“It was no laughing matter,” pag-amin ni Baron. “Ayoko talaga. I just wanted to work.”
Hindi rin kaagad na tinanggap ni Baron ang “Asiong Salonga,” isang entry sa Metro Manila Film Festival sa Disyembre.
GANGSTER FILM
Sa naturang pelikula, ang remake ng gangster flick na nagpasikat kay Joseph Estrada noong 1961—si Baron ay gumaganap sa papel na Erning Toothpick, ang role na ginampanan noon ng namayapang si Paquito Diaz.
Noong una, hindi magamay ni Baron ang working style ni Tikoy. “I wondered why he was taking all those shots of scenes that I didn’t think were important.”
“I understood what Direk Tikoy wanted to achieve. Brilliant. He’s a true artist.”
Na-impress din si Baron sa lead actor at producer ng pelikula na si Laguna Gov. Jeorge “ER” Ejercito.
“He used to play psychotic killers in his old movies,” dagdag pa ni Baron. “In this one, I think he shows class and consistency. We’d all watch as Gov. ER and Tikoy worked. The results were always amazing. Wow! Idol ko sila.”
“They brought in Seng Ka Wee, a fight instructor from Hong Kong who worked on [the Hollywood flicks] ‘Bangkok Dangerous’ and ‘The Scorpion King 2.’ Direk Tikoy aims to screen the film in festivals abroad.”
Nagawa rin ng production design team na gumawa ng itsura ng Quiapo noong 1950s sa kanilang set sa Pagsanjan, Laguna.
Si Baron ay maaari ring makasama sa Aguiluz-Ejercito collaboration na “El Presidente,” ang bio-pic ni Emilio Aguinaldo na ilalabas sa susunod na taon.
“When I brought up his name for ‘Asiong,’ a lot of people objected. He could be a headache daw. But talent prevailed,” ani Tikoy. “Baron has strong screen presence. I’m happy with his performance.” — Inquirer