Up close and personal with Darryl Yap

Darryl Yap

Darryl Yap’s movies never fail to cause a commotion. The avant-garde filmmaker has fully embraced his controversial reputation. For him, bash equals cash. Talk about turning negative into positive.

Yap has come a long way since he launched the Facebook page Vincentiments, which now has 6.1 million followers and counting.

It’s such a delight to interview him because he does not give “show biz answers.” Darryl is “Da Real Thing.” Irreverent yet relevant.

Here are quotes from Darryl:

After doing 12 films for Vivamax, I told Boss Vic (del Rosario) na parang I can’t do sexy films anymore. I’m gay and all I see are breasts (laughs). I’m not manly enough, so I don’t exactly know how to satisfy the desires of the male audience.

I’ve been meeting with big stars like Sarah Geronimo who want to do films they have never done before. My formula is to always offer something truly new. Just like what I did with Sharon Cuneta in “Revirginized.” But after presenting the material I have for the superstars, medyo shocked sila. I don’t blame them if they are not ready yet. I am not easy to work with. I chose to be like that because that’s how artistry is extracted.

Imee (Marcos) and I had a clash during the shoot of “Maid in Malacanang.” It almost didn’t push through, but I didn’t want that to happen because my bashers would rejoice. Being the rascal that I am, I didn’t kiss Imee’s ass. I got burned out after doing the two Marcos films. I still have to check my mental health if I can still do “Mabuhay, Aloha, Mabuhay” (MAM), the third installment (laughs).

There are many others out there who are better than me. The only difference is, I was given an opportunity by Viva. I stay true to my truth.

My current film is “Para Kang Papa Mo,” starring the matinee idols back in the day (Guapings) and the current heartthrobs (Hashtags). It’s about a dad with a gay son. In his younger years, the dad had gay benefactors. So it’s quite a dilemma for him.

I never aspired to be liked by anyone in the industry. What matters to me is that I get the attention of the audience. I want to be remembered as “someone in show biz who’s always outside show biz.”

From left: Angela Morena, Vince Rillon and Denise Esteban —photos by VIVAMAX

Film examines plight of OFWs in Japan

Japan is “JaFun” to travelers, but not to OFWs. Just like what happens in “Japino” (streaming on Vivamax). The sexy drama film created by Cannes best director winner Brillante Ma Mendoza is directed by Freidric Cortez and stars Angela Morena, Denise Esteban, Ali Asistio and Vince Rillon.

Angela plays Ayu, a dancer in a bar in Japan. She is searching for her Japanese biological father with the help of her boyfriend Yuki (Ali). Denise is Aki, who’s also a bar dancer. She gets pregnant and wants to abort the baby, but her boyfriend Taka (Vince) is against it.

The lives of Ayu and Aki are intertwined. They are on a journey that seems to have no destination. But their story shows that sometimes, it’s life’s detours that lead us to the right direction.

Here are quotes from Angela (A), Vince (V) and Denise (D):

A: It was freezing cold during our shoot in Sapporo, so it was quite hard to emote in our exterior scenes because I was shivering. It was also a challenge to speak basic Japanese in some scenes.

V: Our film made me realize that OFWs must not be treated like milking cows by their families. Just because they work abroad doesn’t mean they have loads of money.

D: Our movie made me appreciate the sacrifices OFWS make for their families. It’s sad that they take care of other people’s children abroad instead of their own back home.

A: I am open to the idea of falling for a Japanese, whether male or female. I like how honest and respectful they are.

V: After my best actor award at the Asian Film Festival in Rome, even just to get nominated again will be a blessing.

D: I dared to pose wearing a bikini in the snow. I was game to shoot a love scene in the snow, but I guess it’s prohibited in Japan.

A: Our movie is not just about Filipinos in Japan. It’s also about finding one’s self.

V: Just like the character I play, I am against abortion. My parents didn’t have me aborted. If I become a dad, I want to exceed what my parents did.