Azenith Briones (left) and late husband Eleuterio Reyes
Former beauty queen-turned-actress Azenith Briones said she has already come to terms with the death of her husband, Eleuterio Reyes, who was among the casualties of the 2017 Resorts World Manila attack.
“I’ve already accepted the fact that he is gone,” Azenith told Inquirer Entertainment. “I’ve forced myself to move on because it has already happened and there’s nothing I can do about it anymore. It’s useless if I continue feeling sad. My close friends kept telling me, ‘life has to go on for you.’”
Of course there were times when she would really miss her husband, especially when she’s alone. “But I’m not really the type who’s prone to melancholy. I just maintain a positive disposition. I’m not easily defeated by the problems that I encounter in my life,” Azenith declared.
The actress said she also has to be strong for their four children: Joseph Dante, Preciosa, John Rey and James Matthew.
Azenith said she’s glad she has been be able to spend time with two of her children since the enhanced community quarantine was declared in March. The Reyeses are currently staying at their sprawling 5,000-square meter farm in San Pablo, Laguna province.
“We have no COVID-19 case in our barangay so we are able to roam around, but we’re very protective of each other,” Azenith said, adding that she has stepped out of the house to buy barbecue for dinner at the time of our phone interview.
“While some of my friends get anxiety attacks because of the virus, I don’t think about it much. I always look at the brighter side. I just make sure God is the center of my life. I also see to it that my children and I are healthy, of course,” she emphasized.
Azenith joined show biz when she was 18. From Laguna, she tried her luck in Manila because she said, “I’ve always wanted to become famous.”
She decided to first focus on fashion modeling, as an influence of her fashion designer mentor, Rudy Fuentes. She modeled alongside the likes of Charo Santos-Concio. She also joined Mutya ng Pilipinas in 1975 and ended up as second runner-up and Miss Photogenic.
Her mentor, who was a classmate of the late comedian Dolphy, said the latter was looking for a fresh face to include in a film project. “I kept saying ‘no’ because I was insecure. I didn’t have any acting experience. At that time, acting workshops still wasn’t a thing,” Azenith explained. “Rudy kept prodding me. He said, ‘others kept auditioning and failing, while Dolphy already wanted you to be the leading lady. Aayawan mo pa?’” That project eventually became Dolphy’s hit film “Omeng Satanasia,” released in 1977.
Azenith’s movies were much awaited by her fans, especially the Joey Gosiengfiao cult classic “Temptation Island” (1979), where she played a con artist who plans to rig a beauty contest by using her sexuality to influence the judges to vote for her.
“I realized, ‘malaki pala ang kita!’ I really had a lot of personal plans then. I had wanted to buy my own car and earn enough money to build my own house, even before I got married,” Azenith recalled.
She was also seen in action films like “Dangerous Fist” (with Lito Lapid, 1979), “Totoy Magnum” (with Ace Vergel, 1980), “Boy Negro” (with National Artist for Cinema Fernando Poe Jr., 1980), and “Totoy Scarface” (with Anthony Alonzo, 1981). She worked opposite Panchito in the comedy flick “Johnny Tango” (1982).
“I know that I can’t just be an actor forever. What if I don’t have movies anymore? That’s when I thought of selling jewelry on the side. I had a jeweler aunt whom I helped by selling her stuff; at the same time, I also sold clothes and shoes to my workmates. I was also known for my beef tapa. I was like a rolling store then,” she added, laughing.
Azenith (second from left) in “Temptation Island”
Azenith quit the biz when she got married. Her last project was the sexy film “Paraisong Gubat” in 1986.
These days, Azenith enjoys staying at her farm “to supervise the construction of pavilions. I want to turn the property into a private resort.”
Will she be willing to return to acting when the pandemic ends? Azenith answered in the affirmative. “It will really depend on the role. I’m interested in playing a ‘kontrabida.’ I think going back to acting would be fun. Kumikita ka na, nalilibang ka pa!” she said. “I never really lost touch with my close friends in the business. We would still talk with each other once in a while.”In 2011, Regal Entertainment matriarch Lily Monteverde made an offer that Azenith couldn’t refuse. Along with Deborah Sun, she appeared in the remake of “Temptation Island,” directed by Chris Martinez
The remake is topbilled by Marian Rivera (who played Azenith’s role), Heart Evangelista, Lovi Poe, Solenn Heussaff and Rufa Mae Quinto.
Asked to share her observation on the difference of working in the biz then and now, Azenith said: “These days, actors’ finances are well taken care of because they have managers. I know of former workmates who are now struggling financially because they failed to handle their finances well. Actors of today, even though they don’t make movies, just ‘teleseryes,’ big-time na.”
Despite having appeared in over 40 films, Azenith is still best identified with her character in “Temptation Island.” She is aware that her famous line (“You see, I’m a crook, a damn good crook; and I can tell another crook when I see one—tulad mo”) is still known even to the younger movie-going generation.
“Up to now, people, especially young gays, would come up to me to say that my character is their favorite. Then they’d proceed to mimic me. This always made me laugh,” Azenith said. INQ