Five challenging characters Vic Sotto can effectively play onscreen

Vic Sotto.

It’s not that Vic Sotto has never done drama nor does not excel in it. Every year, he and the rest of the “Eat Bulaga” Dabarkads do the exact opposite of their funny selves and play dramatic roles in the annual Lenten specials of the top-rated noontime show.

Those who’ve seen those Holy Week drama specials can attest that they’re well-produced labors of love, with the first one even directed by the late Lino Brocka according to Joey De Leon. And yes, Bossing does drama pretty well.

But Lourd de Veyra, in a recent and now controversial blog entry for Spot.ph that laments the lack of substance in Vic’s Metro Manila Film Festival entry “My Little Bossings”, may be on to something when he points out that the celebrated actor-comedian and five-time box office king has yet to make a movie that may be included in the “canon” of Philippine cinema.

In short, Bossing has not done a film that will not only earn universal praise from critics and audiences alike but ultimately win for him his first ever Best Actor award.

He probably won’t produce one anytime soon, even at this stage of his career when he has little left to prove. But given that Dolphy himself did not produce his own award-winning “Ang Tatay Kong Nanay” which Lourd cited to drive his point across, Bossing’s willingness to take a chance on doing a quality film may only be possible if it’s produced by someone else.

So we at InterAksyon took Lourd’s “open letter” further and came up with five challenging roles that Bossing just might consider. Granted that we’ve seen these characters in one form or another on the big screen, how any of them will work out for Vic Sotto will depend on the script and direction—yes, it’s all in the execution.

You got better or more ideas? By all means, please share them with us.

GAY SINGLE PARENT

Bossing has always been considered as the leading successor to Dolphy’s comedic legacy. But unlike the late, great comedian, Vic has never been known for gay roles. While Lourd insists that it would be “sacrilege” to remake “Ang Tatay Kong Nanay”, that doesn’t mean Bossing can’t play a gay role anymore.

What if instead of a gay beautician taking care of someone else’s son, Bossing is a gay man in another, less flamboyant profession who discovers late in life that he actually has a teenage daughter who also has no knowledge of her biological father. The fact that they both have to live together after her mother’s death makes for some pretty intriguing scenarios worth exploring.

FADING COMEDIAN

Something closer to home. The late Celso Ad Castillo explored this character partly in “Burlesk Queen” and fully in “Payaso” starring German Moreno. So where does a comedian go when the laughter stops?

Whether he’s an entertainer from a historic period or a funnyman from a more modern time, a film that would make people laugh and cry would be perfect for Bossing. Additional ingredients such as an estranged family or a young protégé that would later become an ungrateful rival may either sweeten this pot or spoil the broth altogether but it’s a gambit that just might pay off.

TERMINALLY ILL PATIENT

Whether it’s Tom Hanks (“Philadelphia”), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“50/50”) or Matthew McConaughey (“Dallas Buyers Club”), actors playing dying patients always get rave reviews.

But in the same way that Arnold Reyes lost a lot of weight playing a similar role in Gil Portes’ “Ang Tag-Araw ni Twinkle”, Bossing may need to make a similar investment in this kind of character to deliver an effective portrayal. Flashback scenes of happier and funnier times can also add more flavor for this project.

LOTTO WINNER

Not a few lottery winners from all over the world have been known to squander their millions within a year of winning them. An extension of Vic’s everyman movie persona, there’s a lot of potential for both drama and comedy in this picture.

It certainly wouldn’t hurt the project if Bossing’s character would also be surrounded by terrible financial advisers, fair weather friends, parasitic relatives and gold-digging love interests—people who would make him regret he ever bought that lotto ticket in the first place.

LONE SURVIVOR

Survival movies like “Cast Away”, “Life of Pi”, “Gravity” and the upcoming “All Is Lost” have all been big with critics and award-giving bodies. Can a local variation be just as acclaimed?

Well, it’s not easy playing a character that would carry a film all by his lonesome for the entire movie or at least more than two thirds of it. But if there’s anyone who could pull this off, it’s probably one with Bossing’s considerable charm. An equally intriguing film would be one where the lead character is depicted as the lone survivor of a calamity (i.e. Yolanda) that claimed the lives of the rest of his family.

Five challenging characters Vic Sotto can effectively play onscreen

Source: InterAksyon.com (January 08, 2014 at 10:01AM)

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