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Nathan Lopez
A ‘regular’ star
By Dennis Ladaw
IN June the Cultural Center of the Philippines hosted a press party to launch the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. On hand at the affair were luminaries like Eddie Garcia and Jaime Wilson, who met the media and discussed the entries they happened to star in.
Among the actors present was a shy and thin boy who was pushing 14. Nobody knew who he was; he just sat quietly in his chair and watched the event unfold. Suddenly, he captured everyone’s attention when the festival official Laurice Guillen took the podium and proudly introduced the boy, Nathan Lopez, the star of the entry Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros.
Nathan stood from his seat and acknowledged the applause. The film he stars in, which was directed by Auraeus Solito, is about an effeminate preteen boy living in the slums with his widowed father and two teen-aged brothers. The dad earns a living by snatching cell phones—the two older sons are his accomplices. Young Maximo stays in the house to cook, clean and do the laundry. This nefarious way of life is offset by the fact that both father and sons coexist harmoniously—it’s a loving, devoted family of thugs and Maximo is the group’s pretty mafia princess.
The media people at the luncheon were intrigued by the film’s contretemps. They gathered around Auraeus Solito and Nathan, who sheepishly said he was initially reluctant to take on the role. “Starring role nga, kaya nga lang bading. Nakakahiya! [It’s a starring role but I’m gay. How embarrassing!],” he exclaimed.
His parents, Arleen and Louie Lopez admit that at first they were also uncomfortable with the film’s premise. The Lopezes are devout Christians and the Mrs. happens to be a pastor in their church. “How would the church mates react to the sight of the pastor’s young son playing a gay boy who falls in love with a handsome policeman?” she told The Sunday Times Magazine. “So it was out of the question. Auraeus then gave me a copy of the script to read.”
Arleen was moved by the screenplay, which was penned by Michiko Yamamoto. Yamamoto’s previous film Magnifico had won most of the major movie awards in 2004. “I discovered that the film doesn’t glorify homosexuality. It’s about a family that has so much love to give, despite the circumstances they’re in. It’s a beautiful story,” said Arlene.
Thus, Nathan’s parents gave in on the condition that at least one parent should be present at the shoot. Both Auraeus Solito and producer Raymond Lee happily agreed. They had been impressed with Nathan’s audition and they wouldn’t settle for anyone else. Nathan had auditioned with his identical twin brother Gammy upon the prodding of a young actor friend.
Nathan gamely played the gay Maximo by wearing a sexy tube and swishing his bottom as he paraded around a depressed neighborhood in Sampaloc, Manila. The location happens to be the stomping grounds of the director. He was coached by his 24-year-old sister Rhea on how to walk like a giggly teen-aged girl. “Actually, I didn’t have to coach him that much. To make us laugh, he would usually do a gay act and walk seductively,” said Rhea.
Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo went on to be the crowd favorite of the festival. It won the Jury Prize and Nathan was given a special citation for his heartwarming performance. At a special screening at the UP Film Center in Quezon City, a bewildered Nathan was mobbed by autograph seekers. As if to confirm his star status, they asked the question that is usually asked of any hot matinee idol: Is he really gay?
Of course, they were delighted when they discovered that Nathan is your typical 14-year-old boy. He hasn’t exactly blossomed into a young man yet—his voice is yet to break and he can’t seem to understand why girls are falling for him.
Maximo Oliveros was chosen to be an entry in the video category of the Focus of World Cinema competition at the ongoing 29th Montreal World Film Festival. Both Solito and Lee are in Montreal. Nathan couldn’t go with them because the team couldn’t afford a third plane ticket. Both director and producer had to pay their own way.
Meanwhile, the film’s cinematographer Nap Jamir told The Sunday Times Magazine they hope Maximo Oliveros would get a wide release this November as soon as a deal is struck with a distributor.
While Maximo Oliveros is the first acting role of Nathan, show business is not new to him. He and his brother had formed a dance group called Street Kids and they’ve displayed their dancing prowess on numerous TV variety shows. Nathan also joined ABS-CBN’s Star Circle Quest talent search and was among the top 25 finalists.
Nathan and his twin Gammy are just two of the six children of Arlene and Louie Lopez. They live in a small condominium in Quezon City. It’s a bit snug for a family of eight but Nathan treats the home like his playground. “I like basketball and computer games and I enjoy dancing!” he said.
He also enjoys watching movies. “The Matrix is my favorite. Basta action movies and Keanu Reeves is my favorite star,” he said.
Asked if he was interested in fantasy adventures like Harry Potter, he frowned and answered a big, “No.”
For his parents, the twins are considered a gift from God. Recalls Arleen: “We had four girls and when I got pregnant for the fifth time, I kept praying for a boy. I decided to consult the Bible and I found this passage from Psalm 127, Verse 3. It read, ‘Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him.’”
Arleen couldn’t find the significance of this passage until an ultra-sound test revealed she was carrying two boys! It was a difficult pregnancy and she gave birth by Caesarian a month too early. Nathan who was born a minute before Gammy, weighed just four pounds and was incubated for a week.
Life wasn’t always rosy for the Lopezes. Due to financial difficulties, they had to enroll the twins in a public school for a year. “We were grade 4 and I didn’t like it,” he said. “The other children were rough—ang lutong magmura [they swore so crudely]! I always wanted to go home. The principal would always call for mommy, because I always begged to go home.”
Happily, things got better for the family and the twins were back at their old school, Take the Nation for Jesus, where they’re now high-school freshmen.
Nathan claims nothing has changed in his life since Maximo Oliveros made waves at the festival. He’s very courteous and bids guests goodbye by saying, “God bless.” His school friends don’t treat him differently. He assumes only his teachers have seen the film. He admits to enjoying the attention he received during the festival and he’s eager to have an acting career.
Raymond Lee offered to manage Nathan’s career. “He doesn’t want Nathan to be a star, but a real actor,” says mother Arleen. “He’s going to look for good roles in good films.”
Her son, however, does have his own list of the downsides of having a show business career. “We stayed up late in the night but we made the movie during vacation. But sometimes I wished I had more time to play basketball, to dance and watch TV.”
He was very coy when he started discussing his life on the set of Maximo Oliveros. Asked how he managed to shed copious tears during the film’s dramatic climax, he replied. “My secret! But I didn’t blink, nakakatulong yon [it helps]!”
He enjoyed working with Soliman Cruz, who played his Fagin-like father in the film. “Tinuturuan niya ko. Pero favorite scene ko nung binaril siya ng pulis. [He would teach me. But my favorite scene was when a police shot him].”
He clarified that he chose the scene not for any morbid reason—he simply explained that the shooting was the closest thing the movie had to an action scene.
Sometime tomorrow, the Lopezes expect to get a call from Auraeus Solito and Raymond Lee in Montreal to deliver the verdict—did their film win or not? Nathan said so far they’ve called only once. “ Wala silang balita. [They don’t have any news yet]. They asked for my shoe size. Bibili nila ako ng sapatos [They’ll buy me shoes]!”
That’s Nathan Lopez, the star with a regular life.* *
INDIE FILM: Pagdadalaga nI Maximo Oliveros woot!
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Originally Posted by MrBiddle
Too much of these "stars are people who need to breath and take a piss too" kind of thing.That’s Nathan Lopez, the star with a regular life.
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