MANILA, Philippines ? Actor Richard Gomez makes his first full-length digital movie in Mel Chionglo?s ?Bente,? the sixth and last offering from the Sine Direk series.

Goma, as the actor is known in show biz circles, said it was the screenplay by Ricky Lee that spelled the difference for him.

In the political thriller, Goma plays a conflicted hit man who discovers that his wife (Iza Calzado) is cheating on him.

?Direk Mel made me read the script,? he recalls. ?It was such a well-crafted material that it would be a mistake to refuse it.?

He explains that tackling gritty roles (like in Chito Roño?s ?Dahas? and Ishmael Bernal?s ?Wating?) have yielded positive results for him in the past. ?I prefer playing dark characters.?

He relates that an indie movie is worlds away from a mainstream production.

?The working environment is totally different,? he says. ?You don?t have the grandeur of a mainstream movie. The food, location and expenses are scaled down. You?re working on a budget.?

Goma waived his talent fee for this film.

?I didn?t charge anything,? he notes. ?I really wanted to experience doing an indie film and it?s my way of helping the sinking movie industry. If we don?t do anything, nothing will happen.?

Goma, who?s now preparing for his second run as host of GMA 7?s ?Family Feud,? hopes to direct a digital movie someday.

?Considering our country?s political situation, it will be significant to tell the story of two soldiers: One idealistic and another one corrupt.?

?Bente,? which opens July 8, will face stiff competition from Hollywood blockbusters like ?Transformers 2? and ?Ice Age 3? in cineplexes.

?It?s difficult to come close to these giant productions,? he owns up. ?But on a positive note it will be the only Tagalog movie showing at the same time. Getting the spill-over crowd, the avid Filipino moviegoers, from these movies should be sufficient for now. What is important is that ?Bente? promises to give the audience their money?s worth.?

Goma got his late manager Douglas Quijano?s blessing in going indie for the first time. (He guested in Peque Gallaga?s ?Pinoy Blonde? in 2005.)

?I told Tito Dougs that I really wanted to do this film,? he recounts.

He says that he and wife Lucy have yet to find a replacement for Quijano who died last month.

?Anjo Yllana is now with Tita Malou Choa-Fagar; Gelli de Belen, with Boy Abunda; and Wendell Ramos, with Wyngard Tracy,? he relates. ?But Joey Marquez, Antonio Aquitania, John Estrada and I haven?t found a manager yet. We are just letting the days pass. Maybe after Tito Dougs? 40th day (end of July), we?ll start thinking about it.?

Former ?Palibhasa Lalake? director Johnny Manahan was mentioned as possible manager for Goma.

?Mr. M is a good choice. We hope that he could handle all of us who haven?t found a manager yet ? especially the newer ones like Jay Aquitania, Ryan Yllana and Tyrone Perez ... So that we can request for them to be included in our projects as well.?

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