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HELLO PHILIPPINES
www.hello-philippines.com
Showbiz & Entertainment
July/August 2011 – Monthly Issue • UK Edition
Coco Martin’s Rise to Stardom – Prince of Pinoy Indie Movies crosses over to Mainstream Star Esther T. Misa
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urrent Philippine matinee sensation and serious actor Coco Martin has definitely made his imprint felt in local showbiz. Just recently, the dramatic actor received the coveted “Natatanging Aktor ng Dekada” (Actor of the Decade) (20002009) Award from the 34th Gawad Urian Awards, along with seasoned veteran actresses Cherry Pie Picache and Gina Pareño, whom he shared stellar billing with in a primetime teleserye aired last 2009. Needless to say, the Urian Award is such a feat for a young actor who is barely a decade old in the industry. It recognized Martin’s acting “excellence in a decade-long body of work in Philippine cinema”. The lead star of ABS-CBN’s
latest top rating teleserye “Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin” slowly rose to stardom after starring in an independent movie where he played as a doe-eyed masseur, the critically acclaimed “Masahista”. His superb acting performance in his debut film earned him the Best Actor Award in 2006 from the Young Critics Circle. After “Masahista”, Martin continued to do acting jobs for more independent film makers, at the same time enacting more daring characters. These include “Kaledo”, “Foster Child”, “Tirador”, “Tambolista”, “Daybreak”, “Serbis”, “Kinatay”, “Noy”, and “Sa’yo Lamang” and the award-winning and criticallyacclaimed “Jay” in 2008. In the latter, Martin played the ex-boyfriend of a murdered gay teacher, and later on, to a gay producer who happens to share the same name as his former gay lover (Jay). Martin won the Golden Screen Awards for
Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “Jay”. The string of independent films under his name earned Martin the title “The Indie Prince of the Philippine Independent Cinema”. In fact, Martin is the only Filipino actor whose independent movies have been included in three major festivals: Cannes (“Serbis”), Berlin (“Tirador”) and Venice (“Jay”). While still doing indie movies, Martin entered mainstream television in 2008. He did “Ligaw na Bulaklak” (with Roxanne Guinoo) and “Tiny Tony” (with John Prats), all with ABS-CBN. Come 2009, Martin played a homosexual opposite Derek Ramsay in “Maalaala Mo Kaya: Boarding House”. But it was in “Tayong Dalawa”, his second soap with ABS-CBN, that Martin finally conquered the pulse of the nation. Playing antagonist to the Gerald Anderson – Kim Chiu love team, Martin received
Coco Martin’s Rise to Stardom
the Best Drama Actor from the Star Awards for Television for “Tayong Dalawa”. In his late 20s, Martin is one of the youngest and most awarded actors in the Philippines. Aside from the Young Critics Circle and Star Awards for Television, the moreno actor had collected more than a dozen awards and recognitions from other prestigious award-giving bodies such as Golden Screen Awards, Anak TV Seal Awards, Gawad TANGLAW, KBP Golden Dove Awards and PMPC Star Awards for Movies, among others. The latest award from Gawad Urian not only further raises his star’s shining power, but also seals Martin’s place in Philippine showbiz history. Born Rodel Nacianceno, a native of Pampanga, started out in showbiz in 2001 as one of the members of ABS-CBN’s Star Circle Batch 9, which also included Rafael Rosell and Heart Evangelista. However, his desire to finish first his education stalled his showbiz career. Martin is a graduate of NCBA (National College of Business and Arts) with a degree in HRM (Hotel & Management). Martin appeared in several TV commercials (BPI, Globe
and Smart) before breaking into showbiz with his debut film “Masahista”. In 2007, Martin transferred and became an exclusive artist of GMA Network. He appeared in several GMA TV shows such as Daisy Siete Season 15. He is also part of the boy-group The Studs. He was also seen in the independent gay-oriented film “Daybreak” with Paolo Rivero. In 2008, he returned to ABSCBN as an exclusive artist and became a prominent celebrity appearing in major TV drama programs. Although Martin had successfully conquered mainstream television, it could not be said the same yet for mainstream commercial movies. In his eight years in Philippine entertainment, Martin did only two movies – “Luv Txt” shown in 2001 (cameo role, credited under his real name, Rodel Nacianceno) and “Sa’yo Lamang” under Star Cinema, shown in 2010. Martin would have been seen in a movie opposite Judy Ann Santos supposedly intended for the 2011 Metro Manila Film Festival in December, but it failed to be included in the final line-up of films to be showcased in the festival. ■