Jose Javier Reyes, chairman of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), shared a candid story about a past on-set confrontation with actor-politician Richard Gomez.
During his guesting on ‘Ang Walang Kwentang Channel’ alongside fellow filmmakers Olivia Lamasan and Joel Lamangan, Reyes opened up about the incident, which happened while filming Ikaw ang Lahat sa Akin.
Reyes recounted that tensions arose during a shoot in Ortigas due to a lengthy lighting setup handled by cinematographer Romy Vitug.
“Ang nangyari kasi we are shooting scene sa may Ortigas. Eh ang cinematographer ko si Romy Vitug. Eh alam mo naman si Romy Vitug. Ang eksena namin dito, iilawan niya hanggang Fairview,” Reyes said.
“So ang tagal tagal ng proseso. I cannot do anything kasi ‘di ba nag-iilaw ‘yung cinematographer. ‘Yung artista ko, itatago ko sa initials na Richard Gomez, gusto niyang mag-golf the next morning. So gusto niyang umuwi agad,” he added.
According to Reyes, Gomez grew frustrated over the delay, thinking it was intentional.
“But then, there is nothing I can do. I have to take a big scene. Akala niya, kaartehan ko, nananadya ako na ang tagal ng set-up. E gustong-gusto na niyang umuwi kasi he had an 8 or 7 o’clock golf tournament,” he said.
The director then described the unexpected escalation.
“Sa galit niya, wala akong kamuwang-muwang, katabi ko pa ang yumaong si Douglas Quijano, nagkukuwentuhan kami. Biglang lumapit [si Richard], may hawak na hollow blocks,” Reyes recalled.
“Binato niya sa harap ko [‘yung hollow blocks] tapos mild, hindi naman harmful sapak. ‘Yung sapak lang para mailabas niya [‘yung nararamdaman niya] tapos pinaghiwalay na kami ni Douglas,” he added.
Despite the incident, Reyes said they completed the film, though tension lingered on set.
“Tinapos namin ang pelikula. Tinapos namin pero there was such tensions on the set. It was ‘Ikaw ang Lahat sa Akin’. We finished the movie and later on, nagkausap kami and now we are good friends,” he shared.
Reyes added that experiences like this helped him better understand artists and their emotions.
“May mga artista na maganda ang pagkatao at may mga artista na akala nila sila ay tao,” he said.
