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RICKY DAVAO IS EVIL DAD IN ‘AZUCENA'

Quezon City, May 25, 2000 - Dramatic actor Ricky Davao once more plays a bad man very convincingly in his latest movie, Carlitos Siguion-Reyna's ''Azucena.''

Many are predicting that Ricky's performance in the movie may win for him yet another acting award. The actor, the son of veteran actor Charlie Davao, has won several Best Supporting Actor trophies as well as Best Actor awards from almost all of the award-giving organizations.

In "Azucena," Ricky plays a suspended policeman, husband of Glydel Mercado and father of Alessandra de Rossi who plays a 12-year old dog lover.

Ricky is a wife-beater as well as a daughter-rapist in "Azucena," a really wicked character that he has never played in his entire career.

He has played a variety of villain roles before, and he has portrayed a rapist several times (raping the likes of Nora Aunor, Sharon Cuneta, Dina Bonnevie and Snooky Serna among others) but nothing can beat his part in "Azucena," Ricky himself admits.

And when he saw the movie, Ricky was disturbed, he adds. Because his character is really evil. "Masamang masama. What else can someone who rape his own flesh and blood? Never had I been this bad and ruthless. Evil to the bone talaga."

When we saw "Azucena," we

thought Dante Rivero, the dogbutcher, who is a loner and who doesn’t smile, is the bad man. But as the movie progresses, the character Ricky plays becomes worse, when he brutalizes his pregnant wife and worst, when he starts raping his own daughter. Dante earns the respect and becomes the friend of Lily (Alessandra) when the former returns her ageing dog, instead of butchering and cooking it into “azucena” for her father’s friends to make as “pulutan” on his birthday.Dante’s facade is that of a tough man, but is actually a kindhearted man.

Anyway, everyone in the major cast of the movie displays credible performances, all pang-award. Ricky and Dante are both stage actors of note too, and they have both played the role of Tony Javier in "Larawan," an adaptation from National Artist Nick Joaquin’s classic play, "A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino.” Incidentally, “Larawan” is being filmed by ReynaFilms, with Carlitos as director of course, and being eyed to play Tony Javier, is who else but Ricky (did you know that he started out as dancersinger on TV?). Dante might also be in the cast of "Larawan, the Movie."

Ricky played the male lead role in "Larawan" when it was staged at the CCP a few years back. He co-starred with Celeste Legaspi and Zsa Zsa Padilla, among others. Dante, on the other hand, played Tony Javier, in the late ’70s. He played the role opposite the late Rita Gomez and Lolita Rodriguez. The play was staged at the Raha Sulayman Open Theater in Fort Santiago, then the venue of important plays. Dante started out as a matinee idol, a dramatic actor who played leading man to the biggest actresses of the ’70s. He won as Best Actor for his remarkable performances in the much-awarded "Wanted: Perfect Mother," in "Kung Bakit May Tinik ang Mga Rosas" and in the TV shows "Kadenang Rosas" and "Esperanza."

Ricky won his acting trophies from the movies "Sukdulan," "Ipaglaban Mo" and "Saranggola." Glydel, as everyone knows, scored a grandslam this year for the movie "Sidhi."