Mark Neumann: TV5 discovery welcomes working with Viva

MARK Neumann in “Ang Taba Ko Kasi”

Mark Neumann, who was discovered in the TV5 talent tilt “Artista Academy” in 2012, welcomes the Kapatid network’s ongoing collaboration with Viva Entertainment.

Vic del Rosario, Viva big boss, was recently appointed as TV5’s chief strategist for entertainment. Viva is currently producing shows for TV5—including “Tasya Fantasya,” which features Neumann and Shy Carlos.

Neumann told the Inquirer: “Our bosses explained to us the new setup. It will actually be good for both companies. The collaboration provides a bigger playground for all of us. It will create more work opportunities for the talents of Viva and TV5.”

Case in point, he explained, a show like “Tasya Fantasya,” which is a remake of a Carlo J. Caparas fantasy caper that starred Kris Aquino in 1994, allows him to share the screen with a Viva talent like Carlos. It broadens their horizons, he said.

He enjoys working with Carlos, whom he praised as a consummate pro. “She’s not afraid to look silly or ugly for the role.”

In the series, which debuted yesterday, Carlos plays a homely maid who falls for her employer’s handsome son (Neumann).

For Cignal’s Sari-Sari Channel, Neumann will top bill another Viva-TV5 collaboration, the TV-movie, “My Only Love,” a remake of the 1982 romance flick starring Sharon Cuneta, Gabby Concepcion and Jackie Lou Blanco.

In “My Only Love,” which premieres Feb. 26, Neumann stars with Viva’s Monica Cuenco and Issa Pressman.

He is gung-ho about these new assignments. “There was a time, I was jobless for months,” he admitted. “I got nervous. I felt so helpless… I don’t want to stop growing.”

He looks at every project as a chance to develop as a person and as an actor. Before starting work on “Tasya Fantasya,” he took an acting workshop, a “refresher course,” he noted.

“I try not to take any role for granted,” he said. “Whether it’s easy or challenging, I make it a point to put my own colors on the character—I treat the part like a blank canvas that I should make more interesting. I should disappear and the character should shine, instead.”

That was a tip Neumann picked up from indie director Jason Paul Laxamana, who cast him as the romantic lead in the CineFilipino entry “Ang Taba Ko Kasi.”

“Direk Jason taught me the importance of staying in character,” he recalled.

In the rom-com, he plays a swimming instructor who becomes the crush of a chubby girl (Cai Cortez).

Interestingly, Neumann and Cortez’s roles were reversed on the set.

“I know how to swim, but Cai, who is the better swimmer, shared a lot of tips with me,” he related. “It was fun working with Cai. There’s never a dull moment with her,”

Naturally, Neumann had to be in various states of undress since his scenes were mostly in the pool. “At first, it felt awkward, and I would cover myself with a towel,” he recounted. “But I got used to it after a while. I have to stay true to my character.”

To keep fit, he works out regularly. “I go to the gym. I jog. I recently took up martial arts—Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu. I am into parkour, too. These are skills that can come in handy if I get cast in an action movie.”

But will he fall for a pleasingly plump girl? “If that would happen in real life, I’ll take care of her weight-loss regimen,” he quipped.