NEWSFLASH

Special to the Philippine Headline News Online
by Alex Jimenez
Newsflash Entertainment Columnist

---

MARK ANTHONY FERNANDEZ: LITTLE BOY LOST?

Manila, July 24, 1998 - He sits at the lonely end of a long table, puffing away at his Marlboros, staring off into space. His head and eyes are masked by a red baseball cap pulled low. Up close, Mark Anthony Fernandez is a vulnerable young man -- distant and aloof, seemingly unaffected by the carnival of local showbiz that has surrounded him since he was born some twenty years ago.

He inherited the playful boy next door looks of his father, Rudy Fernandez and the seductive innocent charm of his mother, Alma Moreno.

His great looks attracted the attention of people everywhere, so it was inevitable that he would one day make a name for himself in showbiz. With Douglas Quijano's other fair haired young wards, he sailed off into the turbulent world of local entertainment as one of the "Gwapings."

Mark takes off his glasses and flashes the playful smile of a young man out for a good time. He has been portrayed sometimes as a prankster, sometimes as a troublemaker -- a youth unable to rein in his raging passions, rebelling against established order. Voyeurs among the local paparazzi feasted on his foibles, eager to find out some hidden romance, some illicit affair behind the incidents that had gotten him into headlline- making brushes with the law.

He took it all in stride, not caring what others might think. He was sure of what to do, where to go, and how to extricate himself from whatever mess came out of his misadventures. Mark Anthony Fernandez is no pushover.

Some have dismissed him as another young troublemaker with a mean temper. While he has never denied this, Mark Anthony now thinks it better to think first everytime someone provokes him. Playful when in the mood, he also possesses a dark and brooding side, a trait no doubt encouraged by a troubled childhood. Manager Douglas Quijano thinks that is the hallmark of a potentially great actor. But this early, playing enfant terrible would get Mark Anthony nowhere in a moribund film industry.

"Ayaw kong laging pinagpapapansin ang mga intriga sa buhay ko. Gusto kong isulat nila tungkol sa mga ginagawa ko sa palabas ko sa TV. Lalo na ngayon, naisip ko na sa takbo ng industriya, kailangan maiba ang image ko sa TV at the pelikula. Marami akong natutuhan kay Rory Quintos, kung paano hawakan ang ipakita ang mga damdamin ko sa pagtalakay ng mga papel na hindi ko ma-kontrol noon. I think I prefer to do action pictures for the big screen, while sticking to comedy on TV. Who knows, maybe that is the right formula," he says. "I really don't have all the answers. Like everyone else, I just want to survive."

More than anything else, Mark looks up to his father. His favorite movie is MATIMBANG PA SA DUGO, which he did with dad Rudy.

"My father loves me, that's why sometimes he has to reprimand me. Okay lang yun. But I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go."

Mark has his hands full these days. He also has to deal with half brothers and with mom, Alma Moreno, Paranaque's first lady who's also very much involved with Mayor Joey Marquez's community projects and political career.

Mark has changed though, and having movies to shoot helps. He's got a co-starring role with Richard Gomez in "Matimbang Pa sa Dugo." Looking neat and fit he's showing keen interest in his life and career.

"It's a contract," he says. Something he promised himself. "I'm trying my darndest to get all those things that messed me up bad behind me. Believe me, I will." He's hell bent on cleaning up his act.

"I'm just like anyone else who needs some space," he insists. And for the time being, he's searching. And he's moving on with the flow.

Where is Mark Anthony Fernandez going? The little boy's no longer lost, at least for now. (AJ)

---