MANILA, Philippines?Diether Ocampo has a simple message to ex-wife Kristine Hermosa who is reportedly tying the knot with Oyo Sotto.

?Congratulations na lang to the two of them,? he said, smiling broadly.

He has no ill feelings, he said, and is no hurry to get married again. ?Technically, that would still be my first marriage because the one [with Kristine] wasn?t valid,? he explained.

?It?s best to be prepared before settling down,? Diet noted. ?There are many things I still want to do.?

On top of this to-do list is being a better father to son Dream. Diet?s dad Reynaldo died of colon cancer when the actor was 6 years old?the same age as Dream now.

Close to home

Thus, the script of his latest indie film, Rommel Sales? ?Slow Fade? hit close to home. ?It felt familiar, he said of the script by Paul Sta. Ana.

In the Cinemabuhay film, he plays an aspiring filmmaker who, stricken with brain cancer, makes a documentary on his life for his child. ?My dad was a musician,? Diet recounted. ?Before his death, he made audio recordings of songs and personal messages for me.?

When the Cinemabuhay team showed him a preview of ?Slow Fade,? Diet wept buckets. ?Nag-flashback lahat sa akin.?

On the set of Diet?s second film in 1998, ?Dahil Mahal na Mahal Kita,? director Wenn Deramas played his dad?s tape to motivate him. ?I broke down and smashed a glass table,? Diet related. ?That?s why I have scar on my arm.?

He has high hopes for ?Slow Fade,? which Cinemabuhay and PLDT-Smart Foundation plan to screen here and abroad next month. ?It can inspire a lot of people. It reminds us that life is what we make it. If you pick to be negative, you?d end up miserable all the time. We can find happiness even in the simplest things.?

Speaking of which, Diet finally made a comedy film, Joel Lamangan?s ?Mamarazzi,? opposite Eugene Domingo.

?It was a great experience. I learned so much from Uge,? Diet said. ?She?s so spontaneous and natural kasi.?

The comedian practically ?devoured? Diet in a love scene with a scorching hot kiss. ?Uge calls it kiss-ngab, kiss na may halong ngasab,? Diet said.

?I made it a point to shock her in another scene, to get even,? Diet said, laughing heartily.

Uge said of her partner: ?It?s refreshing to see Diet doing comedy.?

The actor just wrapped up his ABS-CBN soap, ?Rubi.?

He is in the cast of ?Sa ?Yo Lamang,? a Star Cinema film directed by Laurice Guillen.