The Last Pinoy Action King (2015) interviews with Andrew Leavold

"Remembering Daboy" interview with Andrew Leavold by Bayani San Diego Jr [originally published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, 29th October 2015, and republished on their website]

Australian filmmaker Andrew Leavold admits that his latest documentary, “The Last Pinoy Action King,” is a “companion piece” to his 2013 work “The Search for Weng Weng.”

The two docus, he explains, “tell completely different stories … [but] thematically, they fit together—mixing the historical and the personal, an intimate saga of a real-life hero and a celebration of a bygone era of Philippine cinema” at the same time.

Both feature action stars who became huge sensations during the 20-year Marcos regime—but the similarity ends there.

While “The Search” tells the forgotten story of pint-sized Filipino James Bond, Weng Weng, “The Last Pinoy” recounts the much-chronicled life and death of action superstar Rudy Fernandez, fondly known as Daboy in the biz.

Another distinct difference was that, while Weng Weng proved difficult to research, there were tons of material on Daboy, recalls Leavold who codirected the new docu with “The Search” scriptwriter Daniel Palisa.

The Fernandez family’s personal archives are a docu filmmaker’s dream come true, Leavold says.

Leavold and Palisa had access to “film prints, family photos, home movies, posters—all digitized and ready to be woven into the film. That’s why the Weng Weng film took seven years to complete, and this latest one took less than seven months.”

Leavold and Palisa started working on the docu last March after receiving a phone call from Daboy’s son, Raphael, who is in charge of digitizing the family’s collections.

Seventh anniversary

The docu commemorates the seventh year of Daboy’s passing, Leavold says.

Apart from the usual indie budget constraints, another challenge was setting interview dates with Daboy’s colleagues who are some of the biggest stars in Philippine movies: Nora Aunor, Christopher de Leon, Phillip Salvador, Robin Padilla, Sharon Cuneta, among others.

“It was a Herculean task,” he owns up.

But for the love of Daboy, these “busy” stars cleared their calendars and related “deeply personal tales about their friend.”

“The closer the interviewee was to Daboy, the more profound the answers were,” he recalls. “Talking to [Daboy’s wife] Lorna [Tolentino] and her sons was particularly affecting.”

The result is a fitting tribute to Daboy, whose untimely passing due to cancer was mourned by the entertainment industry in 2008.

“I found it incredible just how universally loved Daboy was, and still is. Everyone we interviewed had nothing but praise for him,” he says.

Daboy was a true son of Philippine show business; his father was acclaimed filmmaker Gregorio Fernandez, one of the stalwarts in the first Golden Age of Philippine cinema.

As a child, Daboy acted in his father’s film, “Luksang Tagumpay,” which top-billed LVN stars Jaime de la Rosa and Delia Razon, in 1956.

“Rudy’s life story is the stuff of fairy tales,” the filmmaker says.

Passing the torch

Leavold clarifies the reason behind the docu’s title. “It makes sense when you consider that the late Fernando Poe Jr. was the one and only King of Philippine movies. When FPJ died in 2004, the torch should have been passed on to Daboy. Sadly, the action genre was also dying by then, and Daboy never got to wear the crown. So there’s a poignancy to the title, a melancholic yearning for a time now past.”

Premiering at the QCinema International Film Festival was a homecoming for the Daboy docu.

“When you think about it, Daboy lived in Quezon City for most of his life,” Leavold points out. “His archives are in this city as well. He ran [unsuccessfully] as QC mayor in 2001.”

The docu, which is QCinema’s opening film, will have additional screenings Wednesday (6 p.m., TriNoma) and on Friday (1 p.m., Robinsons Galleria).

“QC is most certainly Daboy’s town, as well as home to his family and friends, costars and colleagues,” Leavold says. nHe describes the premiere last week, in front of a “hometown crowd,” as a “phenomenal experience.”

He hopes to take the Daboy docu around the world, like the Weng Weng movie which made the rounds of the international film fest circuit. “Foreign audiences have never heard these stories before. Hopefully, they will fall in love with the Philippines and its incredible people and culture the same way I did,” he remarks.

Next project for Leavold and Palisa is another film about the Philippines.

“It is now in the funding stage and I can’t reveal much about it,” he quips. “Suffice it to say, we’re going even deeper into the Marcos-era film culture. It will be a real eye-opener.”

"Tunay Na Buhay" Rudy 'Daboy' Fernandez episode - interview with Andrew Leavold [originally broadcast on GMA-7 TV on 9th June 2015]

"The Last Pinoy Action King" interview with Andrew Leavold by Miguel Rodriguez [for the Horrible Imaginings Film Festival catalogue, September 2016]

Miguel: I know we have talked about this on the podcast, but since this is a new venue for your second Filipino film doc in the same number of years, talk about your love affair with Pinoy cinema.

Andrew: Jesus, Miguel, where do we begin? I suspect it started way back in the late Seventies, when Betamax started throwing up some of the weirder, more obscure genre titles, and without me knowing it at the time, many of them happened to be filmed in the Philippines by Filipinos. Later came Apocalypse Now and Platoon, and a conscious notion of watching a film actually shot in this (for me) almost mythical landscape of the Philippines – and then For Y’ur Height Only, starring a two foot nine Filipino James Bond, and suddenly the dots started to join together! After seeing Weng Weng in action, I started to to recognize his co-stars in other kung fu movies, and the names Bobby A. Suarez and Eddie Romero and Cirio H. Santiago appeared everywhere on my peripheral vision. Twenty years later and I’m watching everything from Filipino arthouse, indies, vintage musicals, lowbrow comedies, costume classics, Mad Max ripoffs, parodies, superhero movies...it just doesn’t stop. The obsession is well and truly out of control. And not only do I make movies about their film history and write about it (The Search For Weng Weng book is only months away from release), I’m also teaching that history to Filipino kids at universities. It all started with Weng Weng, and I can’t imagine the journey ever ending!

Anecdotally, I know more than a few people know who Weng Weng is specifically because of your documentary The Search for Weng Weng. Do you think the same thing will happen for Rudy “Daboy” Fernandez? What made you choose him as your next subject?

It was more a case of Rudy finding us! Dani (Palisa, The Search For Weng Weng’s co-writer/co-producer) and I were busy pitching a different project altogether in Manila at the time, a documentary on erotic cinema under the Marcos family. As Imelda’s son BongBong was beginning his campaign for Vice President, we were told quietly that now was not a good time to be talking porn and dictators, and I suspect they were right. Instead I received a Facebook message from Rudy’s son Rap - “If you’re not busy, can you make a film about my dad?” - and so began a manic seven months from that message to an opening night at Q-Cinema film festival premiere in Manila, complete with an actual Red Carpet, celebrities and paparazzi! Rap wanted a tribute during the seventh year of Rudy’s passing, and because Rudy is still adored – I mean, really worshipped, like the Philippines’ King of Action before him, Fernando Poe Jr – the film hits a chord with its Filipino audience. Rudy is very much a part of the nation’s DNA, and there’s a sadness over his untimely death that seems will never go away. It’s impossible for those layers of meaning to be transferred to an audience outside the Philippines, which probably makes this film more for a local audience than an international one. But I do think the story of Rudy’s personal trials and tribulations, as well as the history of action films in the Philippines, and the need for an action hero in the lives of those who have no voice, is a universal one. There’s no irresistible hook of a two foot nine James Bond, so you have to be realistic - I can’t imagine the film travelling as far as Weng Weng, but hopefully it will find its audience. 

The Last Pinoy Action King is quite different in tone and structure from your last doc. What did you know going into making this documentary after your previous experiences? Was there anything specific that dictated the feel of this documentary?

Last Pinoy… is most definitely a more conventional talking-heads documentary, much more linear and chronologically structured. First and foremost I wanted the film to be about Rudy, his family, his extended clan of co-workers, and the film culture from which they sprang. It couldn’t be another “personal journey” film, so Dani and I immediately took back seats and let the subjects do the narrating. And because Rudy had obsessively archived his and his wife Lorna’s careers in a four storey building in Quezon City, we literally had a mountain of material to piece the film together with – home movies, photos, posters, clippings, and more than a hundred feature films and TV shows. Once the fifty interviews were filmed, our editing team under Lawrence Ang pieced the film together as if it were an archaeological dig! The other factor to keep in mind was its Filipino audience. Rap wanted to sell the project to local TV, and you really can’t be too experimental for a TV audience in the Philippines. So we tried to tell Rudy’s story along with the bigger picture concepts in an uncomplicated fashion. I have a feeling that the next doco will be radically different again, and yet thematically will form a perfect trilogy on Philippine cinema history.

Do you think it is an inevitability that the exploitative nature of film industries (Hollywood just being on such industry) will lead to sad endings for many of our film heroes?

For the little guys like Weng Weng, definitely. And in a Philippines context, the yawning chasm between the haves and the have-nots is immense. Rudy’s story, however, is markedly different to Weng Weng’s. He was born into film royalty and a political dynasty, and despite his father’s failing fortunes towards the end of his life, he was able to become a superstar and remain so until his early passing from cancer. One of the incredible things about Rudy’s life, I think, is that he gave so much of himself and his wealth to those less fortunate around him, in stark contrast to the majority of local producers who DID exploit the little guys – figuratively or literally, in the case of Weng Weng. Ultimately, Rudy’s story is one of a real-life hero, much like his own hero and mentor, Fernando Poe Jr. Hence the title The Last Pinoy Action King – if FPJ was the Action King, then Rudy would have been his logical heir if he’d survived and the action genre hadn’t died with him.

Do you think there is still some push back from the Filipino community about bringing attention to the genre cinema of the Philippines? How do you overcome the perception that people enjoy these films sincerely, rather than pejoratively?

In the Philippines, “genre” will always be a dirty word in certain circles. It’s changing slowly – when I started delivering university lectures on Pinoy B films in 2008, you could hear the snorts of derision! Last year the crowds were bigger and the snorting less obvious. It’s the KIDS who are embracing their past glories and action heroes, and to them, “genre” - specifically, action, horror and exploitation - means a world of opportunity (see Erik Matti’s global success with On The Job [2014]). Sadly the Cool Kids haven’t embraced Rudy as a cultural hero in the same way they did Weng Weng. I guess Rudy is less of an underdog, more representative to them of the Superstar Machine, and I can see where they’re coming from. As an outsider I don’t have the same cultural baggage, and can appreciate Rudy’s films for what they are – well-acted, well-crafted if at times formulaic actioners.

Do you firmly see yourself as a documentarian now? Would you ever attempt narrative film? Name some other topics you'd like to shine a light on.

Andrew: I think of myself first and foremost as a film obsessive; I watch them, write about them, research them, and filmmaking is a logical extension of that obsession, and documentaries are just one form of the filmmaking process. I’m happy to say Dani and I are finally prepping for that Marcos/porn doco, and we’re also shooting one on iconic Melbourne punk rocker/cartoonist Fred Negro (real name). But there’s an Aussie horror script I’m attached to right now as director, a gory throwback to early Eighties slashers, and Dani and I are writing a black, black horror-action-comedy called Parables Of Piss And Blood, to be directed by us in the Deeeeep South of the Philippines. Ideally I’d like to make one documentary, then one narrative feature. Narratives are fun to make and have greater audience appeal, but documentaries are like jazz – there’s a free form to them, trying to capture lightning in a bottle, which I find exhilarating. 

Give readers a quick watch list for Daboy.

Given the state of film preservation in the Philippines, general lack of subtitling and distribution on DVD, and Filipino cinema’s abysmal export record, it’s hard to see any of Daboy’s films, let alone be able to understand their Tagalog dialogue, outside of the Philippines. Back in the Eighties, when randomly selected Pinoy action films were being dubbed into English for overseas territories, several Rudy titles appeared on VHS - Operation Get Victor Corpus (1987), Raging Vendetta (1983), The Day They Robbed America (1985), all good solid gun actioners – and can be found on Ebay or torrent sites if you look hard enough. Some Tagalog ones pop up on Youtube from time to time, and if you can bribe a Filipino friend into translating for you, I’d recommend Somewhere (1984) with his wife Lorna Tolentino, the Hong Kong-inspired, hyper-violent Palaban (2000), the Shakespearian revenge thriller Pepeng Shotgun (1981), Danny Ziacita’s thinking man’s goon masterpiece Pretty Boy Segovia (1978), and the real-life gangster biopic that kickstarted his career, Baby Ama (1976). Rudy’s films exist in a whole other universe which takes a while getting used to, but once you do...watch out, the obsession could last a lifetime.

The Last Pinoy Action King (2015)

2015 - The Last Pinoy Action King (Death Rides A Red Horse/Quiapost Productions/Reflection Films)

[Documentary feature about the late Rudy Fernandez, premiered at the Q Cinema Film Festival 2015]

Directors/Writers/Producers Andrew Leavold, Daniel Palisa Executive Producer Raphael Fernandez Line Producer Kristine Kintana Cinematography Jet Leyco, Rommel Ruiz Additional Cinematography Daniel Palisa Music The Screaming Meanies Editors Lawrence Ang, Dezza Rodriguez, Pao Dalisay Makeup Artist Barbie Capacio

Cast [as themselves] Rudy Fernandez (file footage), Gina Alajar, Nora Aunor, Amy Austria, Cecille Baun, Vicky Belo, Jose N. Carreon, Gabby Concepcion, Rez Cortez, Tirso Cruz III, Sharon Cuneta, Dingdong Dantes, Ricky Davao, Domy de Guzman, Christopher de Leon, Lav Diaz, Sunshine Dizon, Gabby Eigenmann, Jinggoy Estrada, Mark Anthony Fernandez, Merle Fernandez, Raphael Fernandez, Renz Fernandez, Mario Hernando, Winnie Hollis-Reyes, Jose F. Lacaba, Ronnie Lazaro, Marichu Maceda, Edu Manzano, Baldo Marro, Leo Martinez, Robert Miller, Lily Y. Monteverde, Bibeth Orteza, Gene Padilla, Joey Padilla, Robin Padilla, George Paje, Conrado Peru, Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr (voice only), Efren Reyes Jr, Chanda Romero, Gloria Romero, Phillip Salvador, Lolit Solis, Ali Sotto, Henry Strzalkowski, Lorna Tolentino, Edgardo "Boy" Vinarao

DOCUMENTARY

Rudy Fernandez timeline and filmography (coming soon)

The Last Pinoy Action King shooting diary and production photos (coming soon)

Todd Stadtman's review on his Die, Danger, Die, Die, Kill! blog:

Weng Weng is a hard act to follow. I suspect no one knows that better than Andrew Leavold, who directed 2013’s The Search For Weng Weng, an at once fascinating, touching, and hilarious documentary about the Philippines' notorious three-foot-tall action star. Yet follow Weng Weng Leavold has, co-directing--with his Search For Weng Weng co-writer Daniel Palisa--The Last Pinoy Action King, a documentary about the beloved Filipino action star Rudy Fernandez. Now, Fernandez is a star about whom I know little to nothing (I haven’t even seen one of his films), but I chose not to do any preliminary research in order that I might better judge how well the film makes a case for his importance. Also, I’m lazy as fuck.

I should say first off that King is a much more conventional documentary than its predecessor. Telling the story of Fernandez, a superstar whose life story was amply documented in the media of his day, requires far less excavation than Weng Weng’s—with the result that, as opposed to Search’s labyrinthine detective yarn, King is much more of a straightforward tribute, told through numerous talking head interviews with family, friends and colleagues. Consequently, Leavold contents himself with remaining a behind-the-scenes presence here and does not appear on screen. This diminution of the “hero’s journey” aspect seen in Search (let us pause while Joseph Campbell spins in his grave), of course, renders less likely the occurrence of those happy flukes—like Leavold being granted a sit-down interview with Imelda Marcos—that gave Search a lot of its unexpected charm.

By all this, I’m not trying to say that Leavold’s absence from the screen is a strike against The Last Pinoy Action King; no one is expecting him to become the Michael Moore of Filipino cult movie documentaries, after all. It’s just something that I think fans of The Search for Weng Weng would want to know going in. I think it’s also salient that what Leavold and Palisa do bring over from the previous film is a tendency to use their subject as a jumping off point from which to paint a much broader picture of Filipino popular cinema as a whole, which makes this film every bit as essential for world pop cinema fans as Search was. (I should also mention here that Andrew and I are longtime internet friends, though I have repeatedly missed out on opportunities to meet him in person.)

Using the aforementioned interviews, along with plentiful film and television clips, Leavold and Palisa reconstruct Fernandez’s rise to fame. Coming from an entertainment industry family (his father was prolific golden age director Gregorio Fernandez), Fernandez, who is known to family and fans alike as “Daboy”, signed with Sampaguita Pictures in 1970. After an unfulfilling run as a romantic lead, he finally made his mark as an action star with 1976’s Bitayin si… Baby Ama!, in which he portrayed real life criminal Marcial “Baby” Ama. From there, he went on to star in a string of successful features that made him, at his peak, second only to Fernando Poe Jr. as the Philippines greatest action star.

Indeed, FPJ casts a long, generously muttonchopped shadow over The Last Pinoy Action King, on account of him being both a towering figure in Filipino popular cinema and a pioneer of the then prevalent turn toward independent film production (Sampaguita, at the time of signing Fernandez, was the last surviving of the Philippine’s “Big Four” major studios). At the same time, it is easy to see Fernandez as a departure from the cinematic archetype that Poe had established. With his delicate features and quiet demeanor (interviewee after interviewee describes him as “shy”), Fernandez stood in stark contrast to Poe’s brute masculinity, and as such became something of a teen idol in addition to a scrappy hero of the people.

When considering Rudy Fernandez’s career, it’s difficult for me not to compare him to Indian superstar Amitabh Bachchan. Both men reached their peak of fame at a time when their countries were under martial law, and thus allowed their audiences, suffering under the constraints of despotic rule, to rebel vicariously through them. Like Bachchan, who embodied the archetype of the “angry young man”, Fernandez was consistently cast as an enraged everyman fighting against corrupt authorities and venal fat cats. Also like Bachchan, he capitalized on his populist appeal by entering politics in middle age, making an unsuccessful bid to become the mayor of Quezon City in 2001.

Though Fernandez stirred up a minor tabloid scandal with his live-in relationship with teenage “Bomba” actress Alma Moreno, his off-screen life appears to have been pretty tame—and no interviewee in The Last Pinoy Action King will describe him as anything but exemplary. Indeed, if the film could be said to have one major flaw, it is the fault of Rudy Fernandez himself and not of the creatives behind it: He was just too nice. One person after another tells us that, as a friend, he was loyal to a fault, as the president of the Actors Guild, a fierce champion of workers’ rights, and to his longtime spouse, actress Lorna Tolentino, an ideal husband. You might think that this would make it easy to dismiss the film as a hagiography--but, given that Leavold, with The Search for Weng Weng, managed the mean feat of being both affectionate and relentlessly probing, I find it highly unlikely that he would skew his narrative in such a fashion. Nonetheless, I wonder if it is terrible to wish that the actor had at least one unseemly flaw so that the story of his life might have a little more spice. Probably.

On the positive side, it is this ubiquitous adoration that makes the account of Fernandez’s premature death, from a particularly aggressive cancer in June of 2008, all the more moving. It is clear that he is still deeply missed by most who knew him and that his death was a cruel blow from which many of them are still recovering (superstar Sharon Cuneta’s stricken recounting of his painful last days is especially heartbreaking.) This section of the film is exemplary of how Leavold and Palisa commendably let the story be told by the participants themselves, without the aid of cinematic device. It is in this way that The Last Pinoy Action King, while perhaps a less “gonzo” film than The Search for Weng Weng, is arguably a more mature one. Whether you prefer that or not is up to you. To me, it’s a symptom of versatility that bodes well for the future of both men as filmmakers worth watching.

Robert Monell's review on Cinemadrome: “...another highly entertaining, informative, ultimately moving chronicle of a kind of cinema which existed at a certain time and in a specific culture which is now long gone, but not forgotten…. This is the rare film which leaves you wanting more, you don't want it to end.”

Noel Vera's review on his Critic After Dark blog: "...an affectionate portrait of a basically decent man; if the end result is unadventurous it's also surprisingly moving..."

Emilie Black's review on the Cinema Crazed blog: "Documentary co-directors Andrew Leavold and Daniel Palisa, who previously made the Filipino cinema documentary The Search for Weng Weng put together a very informative piece on a beloved actor."

Armando dela Cruz's review on his Film Police Reviews blog: "The result is in the whole effective - insights from colleagues, relatives and friends (Chanda Romero, Robin Padilla, and Phillip Salvador among others) almost make for an entire oral history of studio filmmaking in the Philippines..."

Review on the Team PCheng blog: "An unexpected treat...a rare gem..."

Reviews on Letterboxd

Rudy Fernandez (file footage)

Gina Alajar

Nora Aunor

Amy Austria

Cecille Baun

Vicky Belo

Jose N. Carreon

Gabby Concepcion

Rez Cortez

Tirso Cruz III

Sharon Cuneta

Dingdong Dantes

Ricky Davao

Domy de Guzman

Christopher de Leon

Lav Diaz

Sunshine Dizon

Gabby Eigenmann

Jinggoy Estrada

Mark Anthony Fernandez

Merle Fernandez

Rap Fernandez

Renz Fernandez

Mario Hernando

Winnie Hollis-Reyes

Jose F. Lacaba

Ronnie Lazaro

Marichu Maceda

Edu Manzano

Baldo Marro

Leo Martinez

Robert Miller

Lily Y. Monteverde

Bibeth Orteza

Gene Padilla

Joey Padilla

Robin Padilla

George Paje

Conrado Peru

Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr (voice only)

Efren Reyes Jr

Chanda Romero

Gloria Romero

Phillip Salvador

Lolit Solis

Ali Sotto

Henry Strzalkowski

Lorna Tolentino

Edgardo "Boy" Vinarao

FESTIVALS ETC

PHILIPPINES - Opening Night Film at Q Cinema International Film Festival, Quezon City, on 22nd October 2015 [Andrew Leavold and Daniel Palisa in attendance]. Additional Q Cinema screenings on 28th and 30th October 2015.

UPFI (University of the Philippines Film Institute), 2023 [Andrew Leavold in attendance]

SPAIN - Festival NITS de Cinema Oriental de Vic, 15th July 2016

USA - Horrible Imaginings Film Festival, San Diego, 8th September 2016

MEXICO - STUFF, Mexico City, 18th October 2016

AUSTRALIA - Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival, Palace Barracks Cinemas, 2nd December 2016 [Andrew Leavold and Daniel Palisa in attendance]

THEATRICAL

PHILIPPINES - screened 8th to 15th April 2016 at Cinema '76, San Juan, Metro Manila, as part of "The Films Of Rudy Fernandez" retrospective. 

Baldo Marro interview (2015)

For decades, Baldo Marro - born Teodoro Galan Baldomaro on January 1st, 1948 - was one of the toughest guys in Philippine cinema. He’d done it all from the ground up – stuntman, bit player, fight routine and stunt instructor for the country’s top group SOS Daredevils, and later leading man and director. He was also personal trainer for some of the Philippines’ greatest action stars including Rudy “Daboy” Fernandez, which is why in 2015 I came to interview the great man at the Fernandez Family Archives in Quezon City for our documentary feature The Last Pinoy Action King (you can watch it on Youtube in its entirety HERE). Baldo preferred to converse in Tagalog and was straight to the point, but he also spoke from his heart. Then our business was over and he was back in his car for the long drive back to his province. I never saw him again, but was deeply saddened to hear of his passing in 2017.

For the record, if I ever get a Last Pinoy Action Hero tattoo, it will be of Baldo’s face.

Baldo Marro: My name is Baldo Marro. A stuntman, in SOS Daredevils. I knew Rudy in my movies, as a stunt or fight instructor.

Andrew Leavold: What year was it that you took on Rudy?

I knew Rudy around 1976, when we did Baby Ama. Before that we were in one film, three episodes [Nahirit!... Nasipol!... Ang Biyaheng Bikol, 1976] starring Rudy. He’s a good actor, not yet an action star. The producer, Dr Martinez, and Baby Martinez, asked me could I help him do some action - he’d be good for Baby Ama, handsome, looks like him. After the first film we went to an apartment in Little Baguio and started to train in a small garage. I taught him how to punch, shoot, look like an action star, for two to three weeks. The producer, Dr Martinez, told me to [???] him as lead star. After training I went to Dr Martinez, told him Rudy is ready to take Baby Ama (1976). “OK, tomorrow we start the script conference.” We started shooting in Muntinglupa, the national penitentiary is the set. After filming, two months later, it was a hit. People lining up. Derby was still driving a jeep, which was handed down to him by his grandfather. After the film he was given a Toyota as a bonus. After that all his films are hits. One day he said “I’ll buy you a car.” “Really?” “Tomorrow. Go to my house.” He saw I’m still driving an old jeep. Gave me a key. Orange, two door Mazda sports car. When I drove it back to my house, people couldn’t believe Rudy Fernandez gave me a car! He’s really kind. Before he would not shoot an action film without me. “Let’s wait for Baldo.” He knew how I move, my hands and my feet. He has a fear of heights, so he always waits for me to help him. He’s also like a son to me. And I am his trainer from the start. 

We did a film, Pader At Rehas, with Rudy and Eddie Fernandez, it was filmed in Escolta. He was supposed to jump. Although it’s not that high, he didn’t want to jump. I usually double him, but there’s so many people around. I went up and told him that you’re crazy if you don’t jump, you can’t earn millions if you don’t jump, so jump! I was so angry. I told him if the director said “action” I will push you! There was a close-up shot, then he jumped. After that he continued to do more work. Rudy is a nice boss. Whenever he saw me and the other stuntmen looking tired after the shoot he would normally ask us, “Do you want to drink?” Then he’ll give us money to buy beer. He’d say, “Two crates only, because tomorrow we have shooting!” Rudy had a drinking problem. Sometimes if he had a problem I’d tell him not to… “Don’t do anything foolish, because there are so many people depending on you - stuntmen, your siblings, will go hungry if you’re not working, and if you make a problem.” Whenever I saw him angry and his eyes were red, he would hug me, call me, “I don’t want any more.” Then I would hug him and he’d stop. I’m like a father to him. He’d listen. Because of him I was able to provide for my children, and them finish high school. I have one orthodontist, one ophthalmologist, because of him. Because of the films that we made, I was paid handsomely because of him, and I became so busy because I trained him. Other actors like Phillip Salvador, Bong Revilla, Tony Ferrer, Erap [Joseph Estrada], Ramon Zamora. One time, because I’m so busy, “Who’s available?” Because sometimes I’m shooting a film and it’s far. I recommended Val Iglesias. Until the end, he’s been using Val Iglesias. But before it’s just the two of us.

Val Iglesias with Andrew Leavold, UPFI in Quezon City, 2023

You were mentioning Val Iglesias because you did work as a team together for a long time.

Yes, we were friends together in SOS, batch mates. So our styles are the same. I told Val that Daboy has thin legs, and didn’t know how to run like an action star, doesn’t look good on film. You do the double. So do only close-ups.

Other stuntmen have said that Rudy wouldn't move unless you are there. Do you think that's a fair comment because you guys have worked for more than 15 years.

No, his stuntmen were really good, and the enemies should also be good. You’d see that they were performing well. Most of the stuntmen have been with him, including Robert Miller and others. He’s the only one with so many films at the same time. We’re together in the Seventies and Eighties. Nineties, we’re no longer together.

Back in the 70s and 80s, the period you were talking about, there were so many action films. How many films were you doing in maybe one month?

During the Seventies, sometimes we would do two or three films all at once, so maybe in a year we could do thirty films, almost showing simultaneously every week as we did not have TV. All of us in the films, we had so many films, and we’re all earning handsomely. And Rudy, he was so kind. That’s why he’s blessed.

When you went to the film industry in the late 60s, the action stars were Tony Ferrer, Jun Aristorenas, later on Ramon Zamora as you said, Jess Lapid Sr, and of course FPJ and Erap… Then in the mid 70s there was a new generation. And it was actors like Rudy Fernandez, Anthony Alonzo, Bembol Roco, Ace Vergel. So you got to see this change from one generation to the new generation. What made the new generation stars like Rudy different from the older guys like FPJ and Erap?

In the older generation, of course it’s FPJ, but the new generation, only Rudy Fernandez is the new FPJ of his generation. Because, of all the young actors then, the producer would say, “You need to get Baldo because he helped Rudy…” If you get Phillip, “You get Baldo.” And Bong Revilla, same thing. So all would say that they have to tow the line, Rudy’s the first. So Ace Vergel, Bong Revilla, Phillip, they all followed in Rudy’s footsteps, for the generation of the action stars. That’s the way I would describe him.

Out of all the stunt groups in the Philippines, and there were a lot of stuntmen, SOS Daredevils was always the king of stuntmen. What made SOS Daredevils so respected?

Before there’s only two groups of stuntmen. TNT [Boys]. Rick Bustamante, the president of SOS, and Totoy Torrente [of TNT Boys], their stuntmen were like extras, so they didn’t train regularly. But Manong Carding, head of SOS, he concentrated on stunts. He went to Hollywood before to learn the stunts and train. Then he’d do them here, he’d train us three times a week, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday. So SOS stuntmen are well trained in high pole, tumbling, acrobatics, boxing, fencing, arenas - we studied all of it. That’s why before, the main actor would always say, “Get someone from SOS,” including their nemesis. “We don’t like other groups.” So SOS worked with all of the lead stars, from Erap to the new generation. Because SOS were considered experts. Until our president died. The members of the group started their own stunt groups. So before there were only two. But now, including me, I have my own called Apache Stunt Group, Val Iglesias has his own group of stuntmen, and Rudy Blanco. So everything we learned from our president, from SOS, we’re doing that. That’s why until Manong, the president of SOS died, I’d say SOS were Number One.

When you were first training, who were your trainers? The guys who trained you up to become a stuntman?

In SOS there are so many instructors then, they have their own gym. [Charles Bronson???] and Jess Lapid were also there. Jess Lapid was my inspiration. He used to be “matador” in Pampanga. Then he became rich doing stunts, and had a mansion in New Manila. I was a taxi driver then. There were so many people training at the SOS gym. I saw a guard breaking there, he was also a stuntman. I asked him, can I also train there? He said sure, watch them first. I saw that it was really difficult, with high pole, and they jump without a mat. They’re so good. He then asked me, can you do it? I said I’d try. After that I became a member. I tried with them until I learned all the stunts. After two years I was promoted as an instructor, until I became an instructor to the stars.

Who were your instructors?

There are no particular instructors. SOS is a gym, with membership. So if you’re a member and they saw you’re good, you’d be promoted to instructor, so there’s a promotion. For example you made a film and you jump, and it’s good, you’ll be commended in SOS. If they’ve seen you leaping from a car, you’d be commended. Because of that, at the end of the year, usually December, they will promote you to become instructor, because you’ve done a lot. So you have to do all those things to become an instructor.

Rudy was very close to Bong [Ramon Revilla Jr]. And Jinggoy, and Philip, and they were like a barkada. Do you remember them being close team, those guys.

Yes. All of them are close because they’re all lead stars. And I handled them before. Whenever Rudy Fernandez has a film, somebody would go and visit, and then they became close, especially if they’re not shooting they’d usually meet, drink or eat together, until they became very close. Although when I left and was no longer handling them, they all had their own instructors. Although they continued to meet, and because they’re all kind or good-natured, that’s why they hit it off. In this industry you can’t be arrogant, otherwise people will avoid you. 

Let's talk about the directors. There was Jun Gallardo, Bebong Osorio, Joe Carreon, later Boy Vinarao, Romy Suzara. Who were the good directors of action films during the 70s and 80s?

I can’t compare them. They’re all the same, they’re good. And you know that, because they’d been doing a lot of films; if no-one’s getting you, you’re not good. But all the directors during that time you mentioned, Boy Vinarao is director and editor, Joe Carreon is director and scriptwriter. Jun Gallardo, although young, is good, as his father Chat Gallardo is also good. I’m with the group of Jun Gallardo with Daboy, and with Daboy we started together. So for all of them are very good. You can’t choose.

Back in the 70s and 80s there was always the henchmen, you know, the goons. Just even ringing at this poster people like Vic Diaz, Fred Esplana, Jay Grama, Eddie Nicart… The henchmen. The goons. And it's almost like the same group of guys each film. Like you become really recognizable, kind of stars in yourself, you remember being recognized as being goons.

Yes, we are always recognized as goons because we are always, Eddie Nicart and those you mentioned, were always requested by the lead stars themselves. They say they liked Eddie Nicart because he is a good nemesis. And the same with me. So if you’re always requested, then you are recognized. And even if the lead stars are not that good, even if the lead star didn’t know what to do, they could carry them. So I would say that the lead stars are very good because they ARE good in action. And that’s why we are recognized, and get a lot of work.

I mentioned before people like Paquito Diaz, Max Alvarado, Romy Diaz... Who were the great kontrabidas?

For me it’s Paquito Diaz because he’s everywhere. Sometimes they’ll get others if Paquito is unavailable but in every FPJ film he’s always there. The same with Daboy, he’s always there. We’d get fed up with his face! So if Paquito is busy they’ll get others. They’d say, “Paquito is not available, we’ll just get you.”

What was it about FPJ that made FPJ the King?
 

FPJ is not only a good actor, he’s also blessed, because he helped so many people. For example, I got sick when we went to Bohol. And because, as a stuntman we don’t usually have money to pay for our hospital bill, our pay is so meagre, especially in the Philippines. When he heard I was sick, around 1976, and the hospital bill came to 14,000 [pesos], he gave a cheque for around 17,000. We were always together, and our work is hard. We’re the ones being pushed, dropped and shot! So he’s the King because he’s not only a good actor, he’s also a good person. He helped a lot of people, sent people to school, gave money for hospital bills, paid for medicines etc. So every time he has a film showing it’s a blockbuster.

Then of the new generation, it seems like Rudy Fernandez was the "King" of that generation. What was it about Rudy that audiences connect with?

First, because he’s like FPJ. Aside from being a good actor, he has a heart. Remember, he bought me a car. And he helped a lot of them. He gave both a business. And he helped a lot of them. All of those people asking for his help. So Rudy Fernandez, like FPJ, is helpful, he’s kind. He’s not stingy. Even though we’re not asking, whenever he saw us, he’d give us money. Five thousand, three thousand. He’d say it’s for gas money. Even to some other stuntmen. He’d give money and say, “For your fare.” But he’s not vulgar about it, because he’d fold the banknote and give it to you. So I guess he’s blessed, because many people would like him to become a superstar, and he became one.

At some point in the 1990s, action films and motion pictures start to decline and the use of television start to you know. Why do you think there was that decline in the 90s?

During that time, the Nineties, we scarcely made any films. Many were sad, especially when FPJ died, because they were the ones doing that kind of film. So when stuntmen went back to their provinces, others went into TV like me and Val Iglesias. We were able to penetrate TV. Others died, got sick from stress perhaps. And then, especially when Rudy is gone. During the Nineties we were asking ourselves, Why? Where are we now?” We had no more work. Before, I’m popular in Manila, especially in Paco, during drinking sprees. But now they would say, “Don’t talk to him, he doesn’t have any films now.” So I was thinking, “Idiot! You forgot there’s TV.” So before, all of us were in films, now, me, my people, and Val, his people, and other members of other groups, are now in TV. Because we have no films after the Nineties. That’s why TV is very good now. It’s like the films, because the actors who came from films are now in TV. But really, the Nineties, the decline, many of us got depressed, died, got sick, went to the provinces. Pitiful. Then FPJ died, then Rudy.

You started as a stuntman, then you became actor, you became fight instructor, and then you became leading man, then you became director. So you've seen more than 40 years of action films. What are the elements to make a good action film? What do you need in the story, what do you need in the forms, what makes a good action film?

The elements? For Filipino viewers they like drama. They like underdogs. Especially the leading man. And then action. That’s what Filipino moviegoers want. Should be an underdog. Especially if you’re poor. And when they see you fighting, people will clap their hands, especially poor people or poor moviegoers. That’s the secret of the action films from before until now. Although it’s different, because it’s hi-tech now.

For Filipino audiences, they love the hero but they also love the antihero. The gangster, the NPA commander, the Moro from Mindanao... They love the bad boy. And Rudy can play the bad boy. Why do Filipino audiences like the bad boy?

For example, Muslims are often labelled. For example, if Rudy has a role as a Muslim, they would say that he’d be good at it, because he can carry any character, like a man from Tondo, a Muslim or a soldier. Because he’s a good actor. So whenever he talks to the scriptwriter, he always talks to him and tells him, “This is what I want,” He gives him his piece of mind. “I can do this, and this is what people want. And people will not get angry with me. If I’m a Muslim in that film, show them the Muslim traits, the culture.” If it’s from Tondo, show a simple bad boy who’s pro-poor. And don’t ever swear, because Muslims will get mad with them. So Rudy is like that in his roles.

For, especially Filipino audiences, it seems like they need a hero for their lives. Someone they can idolize. An idol, and Rudy is an idol, same as FPJ. Someone they can look up to. Why do the common person, the audience, need a hero especially here in the Philippines?

Because the audience wants someone who could reach them, reach their heart. And they would say, “We’re like that. We’re the same.” So if the hero is poor, and he’s depicting their lives, the audience will say, “It’s me, that’s right.” So the audience, most of them are poor, because many of the moviegoers are poor. Rich people don’t watch Tagalog movies. Hence Rudy is an idol in Tondo. Whenever he showed his fighting with those rich people, answered back, made them squat, poor audiences like it. That’s why he was idolized. That’s the secret. If you’re going to make a movie, say for example with FPJ, FPJ should be the underdog, the one that doesn’t talk, and is being slapped on the head, the poor audience don’t like that. That’s why whenever he would fight back, the audience would clap. That’s the secret of FPJ. While Daboy, on the other hand, is like a Robin Hood, protector of the poor. It’s always been his role, and the audience loves that. That’s the Filipino audience.

At some point in the late 80s, you started working with Bong Revilla more than Daboy. It seems as if you became Bong Revilla's fight instructor. What were the differences between Bong as an action star and Rudy as an action star?

Even before, I made sure that Rudy’s action is different from Bong. For example, with Ace Vergel, Rudy’s way of punching, I created only for him. Whereas with Ace Vergel, it’s wallop, wallop. So whenever I’m coaching them, I’d say I’ve already seen that with Ace, or if I’m working with Bong, I’d say I’ve already seen that with Daboy. Because I’m the one training them, actions that are appropriate for them, you cannot copy Rudy’s action. Of course he’d get mad at me - “You already did that with Rudy!” So if you’re talking about action, there’s no comparison. Sometimes I see that in films, but basically it’s the story. It depends on the fight director’s discretion. If they want to use many cars, or if the producer would try to cut costs… But then if Bong or Rudy would give me the script for me to study, and then I tell Daboy what to do, then Daboy would tell them to support me. So we make changes. That’s why, in terms of action, there are always differences.

What about those SOS guys that became leading men, the stuntmen who became bida like Dante Varona, Lito Lapid... What were they like as action heroes?

In SOS gym, Manong would always tell us that for us to become famous, we’d have to sow miracles. If you show them what you’ve got, they’ll see you. So if you’re a director or producer, and you’ve seen Lito doing the double. and he looks like Ace Vergel… If you’ve seen Lito Lapid doing the work of the leading man, and he really jumps without a mat from the rooftop down to the ground, ride a horse, then the director and producer would say, “Let’s make him the leading man.” And then workshop him. So it’s the same thing with Dante Varona, Bernard Bonnin, Bernard Belleza, and Fernando Poe. But Dante Varona used to double. You’d see that he was really good, especially in gymnastics. He’s very good in tumbling. We’re together before. So when Artemio Marquez made him the leading man, that gave him a break. The title of the film, Siete Bandidas, although the main actors are seven women, he is the leading man. Remember his running along Quezon, not the San Juanico Bridge… after that he was given another film as the leading man, The Magnificent Stuntman. I would say it’s not impossible, anyone can be a lead actor if you have talent and your heart is in it as a stuntman, you’ll become a leading man and their action hero.

If you read the book Break Of The Stuntmen, in the end, when he left, I’m the only one left. I did all the stunts, so many people tried to copy me, but they all ended up in hospital. Because it’s not only about having a heart, you need to know those techniques. That’s it. That’s why, until now, I’m the only one who can do these stunts, even at my age. I tried to train them but nobody could do it all. It’s a waste. So I tried to train Eddie [Manalac?], especially the speed, but he’s taking it for granted, and it’s money, this work is money making. I told him it’s a profession, it’s not about money. Those who do it for money, they’re not here anymore. So if someone asks you to make a car flip, and he would say, “I’ll do it cheap, but after the stunt I’ll get the car…” Of course the director, the producer is expecting you to really flip the car. When you say that, then the producer and director couldn’t get anything from you. So you have to do what they want. You have to make the director and producer happy. For me that’s it.

Do you remember the time when Rudy start to become ill? Do you remember that time leading up to him passing away?

Until he’s about to die I have so many memories. I could never forget Rudy. Like I said before, because of him I was able to provide for my children, because of the films we made together. And he’s done so many favours for me. That’s why when he is in Heritage Park about to be buried, nobody knows that my tears are falling for him. LT [Rudy's wife Lorna Tolentino] knows that. They know I’m like a father to him until he died. That’s why I can never forget Rudy. Because if there’s no Rudy, there’s no Baldo Marro. Because of him I learned how to direct a fight. Because there’s no stunt director - the director then would just get the right angles. But we’re doing all the fight sequences, how to jump, although we’re not the one handling the film. But with Daboy, because he trusted me so much, we’d been together for a long time, he’d always tell the director, “Direk, let Baldo do it, because he knows how to angle the fight scenes.” That’s how I learned. They gave me a break and started to work on the action sequences. So it’s really Rudy who brought me into this. So when they edit it, the product is commendable. From then on it’s always been me. In all of Rudy’s films, the director would always say to me, “Baldo, take over the fight scenes.” From then on, stars including Bong would do the same thing, let me take over the fight scenes. Those were the things I cannot forget about Rudy until he died.

How do you think Rudy will be remembered in years to come? What will be the memory of Rudy as a person, as an actor, as an idol?

I would say there’s nothing I could say about Rudy as a person or as an actor, I’ve said it all. There’s no more. I really would say that Rudy’s the best for me, and I’m not the only one who’d say that. All of my friends, people from the industry, would say he’s really the best, because he’s not only really good in acting, as an actor in movies, but he’s also very good as a human being, as a humanitarian. That’s the real Rudy Fernandez. He’s really the best.