Ricky Davao: This old dog can still learn new tricks

Ricky Davao

There will always be something to learn with each new experience,” said veteran actor and director Ricky Davao on how it was like to work as a cast member of “Ani” and be directed by first-time filmmakers Kim Zuñiga and Sandro del Rosario.

“Their enthusiasm is contagious. I don’t believe in the saying, ‘You can’t teach old dogs new tricks,’ because you can also learn from your younger coworkers,” Ricky told the Inquirer. “When I observed these young directors at work, I realized that someone like me, who has been in the industry for a long time, tends to stick to what he has been used to doing, even when there are new ways to direct, new techniques to adapt.”

“Ani,” which is set in the year 2050, is the first sci-fi movie to compete in the annual Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.

“You can’t stop learning. It should be continuous because people evolve constantly. I now work with millennials. In fact, most of the members of the cast and production team are fairly new. I’m the only veteran here,” he observed.

Ricky plays Mauricio, the grandfather of lead character Mithi (Zyren dela Cruz). Mauricio falls ill, and as the crops in their farm seem to wither along with him, the boy embarks on a quest with his malfunctioning robot (Miguel Valdes) to search for magical grains that he believes will save Mauricio’s life.

“I’m an actor here so I don’t meddle in the directing, although there were times when I suggested ideas during our blocking,” Ricky recalled. “I remember the first time I directed [the late] Eddie Garcia for an episode of ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya.’ He would call me ’direk’ and I would feel uncomfortable. I explained to him what I had wanted him to do, and he would just watch me work. He never made a comment.”

Ricky said that by Eddie’s example, he learned that “if you’re an actor, just be an actor. Don’t act as if you’re superior by making comments about your director’s work.”

As for his two directors in “Ani,” Ricky said he liked that they had a vision and that they worked hard to translate this to film.

Asked for his advice to aspiring filmmakers, the veteran said, “As cliché as it may sound, I say, just do what you want to do. Stick to your vision, but then, be aware that in the real world, there are limitations—budget, location and technical difficulties. You have to learn how to adjust. You have to innovate.”

Ricky added: “I noticed that some of the best scenes I’ve done as a director were made when I was feeling down because either I was pressed for time or I didn’t have enough budget to execute what I had envisioned, or because I didn’t like the location.”

Of course, there were challenges in making “Ani,” said Ricky, but Kim and Sandro pulled through with their passion. What’s also interesting for Ricky was the use of CGI (computer-generated imagery) and special effects.

“This means ours isn’t exactly a low-budget project. We’ve shot the film between October and November last year, and up to now, they’re still doing postproduction work on the CGI,” he pointed out. “Also, we were locked in on a set in Virac, Catanduanes, for a week and were made to stay in hotels.”

Lastly, Ricky pointed out: “I direct for television, and we would often complain about how small our budget is, even though our budget per day is bigger than the entire budget for one Cinemalaya film. Adjustments are really necessary. You will definitely be limited in some aspects, but you have to take that in a positive way.”