John Rendez on what he learned from Nora Aunor
John Rendez. Handout
With his tried-and-tested, decadeslong friendship with Superstar Nora Aunor, singer John Rendez has learned a lot from her when it comes to acting, and the entertainment industry in general.
Rendez rattled off tips that Aunor told him when he faces the camera.
“Slow down. ‘Yung mga mannerisms lang kapag magsalita ako. Cinematic performance, ‘yun ang natutunan ko sa kanya, hindi ‘yung acting method na you have to look good on the screen,” Rendez said during his pictorial recently for his new single “Why Can’t We Ever Get Along” which he wrote and which was arranged by Jonathan Manalo.
Rendez said he takes pride over the fact that his friendship with Aunor has withstood the test of time.
“Ako lang ang tumagal. Lahat ng dumating sumuko sila,” he said. (I am the only one who stayed. All those who came gave up).
He has finished a movie, “Tomacruz… Sa Puso ng Isang Anak,” which is about a Fil-Am soldier who went AWOL (absent without leave) to find his father, who he blamed for his family’s ruin.
“Gusto niya puntahan ang papa niya para patayin niya. (He wants to find his father to kill him). Along the journey, he realizes that he sees the world not as just good and evil. It is what it is, kumbaga. He learns compassion through thepeople that he met and he ends up forgiving his father,” he said about his role.
In the movie, he gets to work with Aunor’s children, Ian and Matet de Leon. He’s worked with Ian in the movie “Inay,” and the latter in “Hello Soldier.” Rendez said he feels comfortable working with the two as “we speak the same language.”
“They’re also jokers, too. Ian is a joker. We speak the same language. It makes me feel more comfortable.
As for the recording of his single, Rendez noticed that it was a very fast process since the song was his composition.
“When we got to the studio, it was a very fast process kasi it’s my song. One, two, three takes, uwi na. Wala pang thirty minutes (and it’s done),” he said. He planned to distribute his song on Spotify and other digital platforms.
“As an artist, as a creator, who really owns the song, this should be clarified, this should be in black and white. You know, you’re just throwing away the talent if you don’t get paid. In you’re on the level that is international, you usually get paid,” he said about the state of recording nowadays.
Being in showbiz long enough, both as a singer and as an actor, Rendez said he had picked up a think or two while performing.
“Actually, ang mga natutunan ko is how to swim under water na hindi ka mababasa. Don’t swim along sharks. It’s about learning to survive. Be a Christian. It’s hard to be a good Christian. Sometimes you have to do things that are un-Christian-ly. If you’re a professional, God will understand. There should not be any reason why you should not do any role if there’s challenges,” he said.
Rendez said that in the future, he would like to try being a director, and direct a project that has to do with relationships. “Basta it’s something cute but artistic,” he mused, as he counts “Ligalig” with Aunor, Allen Dizon and Snooky Serna as something to be proud of.
In October, Rendez is about to receive his World Class Alternative Pop Musician of the Year award from the World Class Excellence Japan. EDV
