Paolo Gumabao stars in ‘Spring in Prague’ before leaving for the US

MANILA, Philippines, February 4 ------ After taking on a string of villain and risque roles, Paolo Gumabao finally debuts as a romantic leading man in “Spring in Prague” under Borracho Film Production. The film outfit is owned by high-profile lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, who, in between controversial cases, has been producing movies with some business partners.

Paolo is grateful for his producer’s vote of confidence, which has allowed him to stretch his acting skills and go beyond roles he’s often associated with. “This ‘Spring in Prague,’ this is one of my dreams. And of course, the ‘Mamasapano’ film that Attorney (Topacio) gave to me,” he said during the recent presscon for “Spring in Prague.” “So, I’m always saying thank you to the attorney. Because all the roles given to me, all the projects entrusted to me, are truly a big deal. They’re always a dream come true for me. “So, Atty. I love you.”

In “Spring in Prague,” Paolo plays Alfonso “Alfie” Mucho, a Pinoy resort owner who falls in love with a Czech tourist, Maruska “Marie” Ruzicka, played by Czech actress Sara Sandeva. (The latter couldn’t make it to the local promotional activities due to her TV and movie career back in her home country.) Partly shot in the capital of the Czech Republic, the film explores cultural differences between the two main characters. “Maybe one of the parts that challenged us in this film was showing the cultural differences between the two characters — Alfonso and Maruska,” he said.

“So, we tried to think of different ways to show that. For example, as Filipinos, we sometimes mix ketchup and soy sauce, right? “It’s about different cultural habits. That’s where we were challenged… how to find specific traits for each character and highlight them in the film. “And you know, despite all these differences in habits or in culture, the two characters still end up together and click.”

The film also marked a shift from the kinds of roles Paolo usually portrays. “All my projects before this film were sexy. If not sexy, kontrabida,” he admitted. “If not kontrabida, may maling binabalak yung character ko.”

According to him, it’s his first time doing a film where he plays an all-out “lover boy” with no ill intentions or hidden agenda toward his partner. “It’s my first time to do a film where my character is a genuinely good person,” he added. His biggest challenge was adjusting to being a leading man in this straightforward love story. “So, I guess, one of the things I’ve learned here, one of the challenges I’ve faced in doing this film is how to work my way around being a leading man,” he said.

“Because I’m not used to smiling in scenes. I’m used to looking serious or frowning. I’m used to that seductive look. That’s the kind of roles I’ve done in my previous films. “Since in this film I’m the lead, I really studied how to be more cinematic. Because no matter what we say — that our acting should be natural — it still can’t lose that quality. Yes, the acting should be natural, but you still have to do it in a cinematic way. “So there’s a cinematic way of acting naturally. So I guess, yun ang naging challenge sa akin, how to act cinematically and naturally while becoming a lover boy. Parang ganun.”

After the film’s release, Paolo plans to leave for the U.S. this March. He clarified that this is not a permanent move, but he will check out some opportunities while staying there momentarily. “Dun kasi nagtatrabaho ang kapatid ko. Maybe I’ll stay there for five or six months,” he shared. “So, yeah, I’ll stay muna in the US. I just want to explore things there. I want to feel how it is to live there. I just want to try and see what’s going on there. I want to see what opportunities are there for me, if there’s something I can do there that I can’t do here.”

Source: philstar.com