This is an article interviewing Cesar Montano, who plays the commander of the Filipino forces that aided the raiders.

Cesar returns from 'war'


By REMY M. UMEREZ



A leaner and head-shaven Cesar Montano sat down with us before proceeding to the presidential table at a function room of the new ABS-CBN building, where the rest of the cast of the TV network’s Bida si Mister, Bida si Misis was nowhere in sight. We must say that we’re getting used to stars arriving two hours late for their own press conferences. Cesar was the first to arrive -- and, well, was also late. Perhaps jet lag was his excuse?


He is sporting the bald look not because it is the trend these days but simply because American director John Dahl asked him to maintain it for his role in The Great Raid, a multimillion-dollar production from Miramax Films.


The Great Raid, which would be shown first in Cannes in May 2003, is Cesar’s first international exposure. He joins the company of Hollywood actors Benjamin Bratt, Joseph Fiennes and James Franco.


Cesar could write a book on his experiences while filming The Great Raid in Gold Coast, Australia, where Cabanatuan City was rebuilt. It has been five months of rigorous shooting for the actor.


“They had these acres of land in Gold Coast that were transformed into Cabanatuan, complete with nipa huts and rice fields. This was a replica of the site where 1,000 soldiers were killed during the World War II, and that, too, is re-enacted in the movie. I play Capt. Juan Patoja, whose methods in rescuing the prisoners of war differ with the tactics used by the American captain played by Benjamin Bratt.”


“We didn’t work overnight. We shot only for 12 hours; I would wake up at 4 am, ready to be brought to the location which was an hour’s drive from our hotel. At home, I do all my cooking and washing of clothes. I can cook steak any way you want it to be done. By 4 am, I would be through shooting. Everything was world-class, and I can’t help but feel bad when it comes to making a movie here. They can create any time of the day. They can produce their own sun. I marvelled at all the huge cranes they use in filming; it was all very high-tech,” said Cesar, who supposedly has signed a three-picture deal with Miramax.


Shooting the period war movie was five months of being away from his family. It was only during the last month of filming that he was joined by his wife Sunshine and their daughter Angelina Isabel. His brother Rommel is also in the cast, although his role is minor. Rommel, according to Cesar, is now in China, where the Manila scenes are being filmed.


Cesar has no idea how he will be billed because more American actors have been added to the cast. The one thing he can assure his local fans of is that he will be sharing equal exposure with Bratt. “We’re always together because we argue all the time on how to attack the enemies,” he said. (Uhm…without meaning to diminish Montano’s accomplishment, that is really no guarantee that he would be sharing equal screen time with Bratt. -- Ed.)