Time to take a break

AQUINO. Now focusing on personal matters and other interests.

SHOW BIZ’S stellar roller-coaster ride is such a tiring trip that performers can’t be blamed for periodically opting to ease or slam the brakes, and taking a much-needed break to recharge their batteries.

Indeed, actors who are constantly going from role to role and production to production need to take a leave of absence, because they eventually use up their “thespic capital.”

They end up being tapped to play the same type of character most of the time, because producers think that viewers want to see them in their “signature” role, over and over again.

This happened years ago to a popular movie leading man who went from one romantic-comedy film to the next without pausing to take a breath.
He was really good at it, but the sheer repetition eventually made his portrayals predictable and boring.

Since we believed in his uncommon talent, we advised him to take a long break from acting—and, for a change, focus completely on living!

We explained to him that, in acting, a performer uses his own experiences, insights and emotions—an outward flow of energy that results in his eventually getting “low-batt,” until he has nothing left to expend.

That’s why he has to temporarily forget that he’s a performer, and focus once more on being a person—living, interacting with people, learning from new personal experiences, etc.

Happily, the star followed our advice, put his acting career on hold for a while—and, when he finally resumed performing, his portrayals were rich and reinvigorated once again!

Thespic leave

So, we encourage other busy performers whose performances have become predictable to also go on thespic leave, and just—smell the roses, go on a long trip, start a new relationship, work on a new, non-show biz sideline, savor other artists’ performances, etc.!

In this regard, we’re glad that Willie Revillame recently opted to take a two-week break from his “Wowowin” game show— which is now back on GMA 7, bigger and hopefully better.

Ditto for Kris Aquino, who’s similarly hit the “pause” button in her TV career, concluded her daily show and is now focusing on family, friends and other personal concerns and interests.

Likewise, Korina Sanchez took a long time out for further studies and to support husband Mar Roxas in his presidential campaign.

Now that the elections are over, she should give herself more time to rest and recharge, before she figures out her next career move.

Everybody can benefit a lot from a short or prolonged breather, not just due to its refocusing and reenergizing bounties, but also because public figures need to see themselves without the trappings of fame, fortune and power—because that’s who they really are.