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Who would’ve thought that Ian Veneracion’s life is as action-packed as his onscreen portrayals?
Who would’ve thought that Ian Veneracion’s life is as action-packed as his onscreen portrayals? He may not fire guns and jump off buildings beyond the camera, but he sure knows how to race, dive, and fly! Text by Jillian Q. Gatcheco. Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio. It’s fun to be mean! In Carlo J. Caparas’ Joaquin Bordado, Ian plays Jerome Apacible, the middle brother of Joaquin (Robin Padilla) and Jason (Mark Herras). He is introduced as the prudent sibling who is successful as an entrepreneur, but whose real occupation is far from this well-kept façade. In truth, he is an illegal arms dealer who has always loved his older brother’s wife, Sofia (Iza Calzado). This is the reason why he will turn his back on his family and betray Joaquin. As someone with experience in the action genre, Ian says he’s quite comfortable doing stunts. “Ngayon, excited ako kasi for a long time, I did drama, tapos fantasy [na] pambata. Yung character ko, pormal na pormal [sa umpisa], pero marami [akong] scenes na [may kalaban ako].” Ian admits that there came a time when he got tired of doing action movies. “Kasi dati, kukuha ka ng acting workshops, tapos ‘pag dating mo sa movie, parang iisa lang naman yung character mo lagi—kung hindi ka pulis, killer. Tapos may girlfriend na kinidnap, yung ganoon! So may time na nagsawa talaga ako, tapos napunta [ako] sa drama. Tapos recently nga, [for] the past three years, mga fantasy na pambata [ang] nauso sa TV. So at least iba naman. Pero yun nga, comfortable talaga ako sa action.” He has also been given his share of villain roles—something that he enjoyed thoroughly. “[Ang] sarap din, kasi may mga aspects ng sarili ko na nailalabas ko, na you don’t get punished [dahil lang] nailabas mo! Ang sarap lang kasi—you get to be mean but you get paid for doing it! Hahaha! So no complaints!” An action-packed life Ian is a true lover of action even beyond the screen. He prefers extreme sports over the more traditional ones like basketball or golf. In fact, it gets a little bit too extreme sometimes that he ends up in life-threatening situations! He recalls an accident he had in Davao while riding his motorcycle. “Nabali yung clavicle (collarbone) ko, [kaya nagalit yung wife ko!] Sabi ko sa doktor, tali niyo nang mabuti, sa Manila ko ipapagawa yan. Kasi skin na lang [ang intact sa injury ko, bali na mga buto]. Sa airport, tinanggal ko sling ko, para ‘pag nakita ako ng wife ko, wala lang, minor lang! Pero sa totoo, ang sakit! Ginawa ko lang para mabawasan yung sermon [niya sa akin]! Hahaha!” Ian’s extreme sports include scuba diving, cycling, and his favorite—skydiving. He also knows how to fly private jets. For his honeymoon, he actually asked his wife to skydive with him! “Nag-take ako ng course tapos pinipilit ko [wife ko], ‘Sige na!’” When asked if he gets scared before jumping off a plane, Ian replies that skydiving is actually safer than scuba diving. “It’s safer, statistically. Kasi nga, dahil napaka-dangerous ng sport, lahat na ng pwedeng mangyari, kino-cover na. So ‘pag namatay ka sa skydiving, wala kang ibang sisisishin kung hindi ikaw talaga! Unlike sa scuba [diving], pag kinagat ka ng pating, hindi mo naman kasalanan yun, ‘di ba?” He adds jokingly, “At saka sa skydive, at least, walang bali na buto—either patay ka o buhay ka! Hahaha! Walang gitna—ayoko noon!” For Ian, the first ten jumps were the scariest. “After that, okay na. Sobrang sarap. Pero matagal ko nang ginagawa yan, wala pa akong kids. I have three kids now. I used to do motocross also. Kaya lang na-injure ako, so sabi ng wife ko, 'Hay naku, itigil na yan!' So nagmo-motor ako, pero bundok na lang. Hindi kasi ako nagmo-motor sa kalye kasi takot ako sa mga bus at jeep!” If he can race, dive, and fly, what’s one thing he cannot do? “Winter sports!” he answers. Apparently, he has tried ice skating and skiing but ended up having major accidents, one of which resulted in 12 stitches from a life-threatening surgery. But despite his incompatibility with winter sports, Ian would still like to visit the French Alps one day and spend his vacation there. Stunts oncam Onscreen, Ian has also encountered some accidents as well. “Yung mga talon sa tulay,” he cites as an example. “Tapos mayroong tumalon ako mula sa second floor, tapos pag-land ko, tumama ako, tapos lumabas buto ko. Tinahi din!” But even after some of his most dangerous encounters, Ian continues to push his limits. “Buhay pa, eh. Okay lang!” he says with a laugh. He’s all praises for Bordado’s action scenes, saying that it deviated from the traditional “silip-baril-ilag-bang-bang-bang!” “Ang ganda-ganda ng pagka-shoot,” he says, adding that they even did Muay Thai training for the fight scenes. “Kasi gusto ni Robin sana i-incorporate yun. Since lahat naman kami may background sa martial arts, ang dali naming na-adapt. Kahit si Tito Pen Medina—bagets na bagets!” Ian started training in karate at age 5, and eventually got into kickboxing and street fighting as a teen. “Halu-halo na rin,” he explains. “Nag-iiba iba din. Kasi may martial arts na hinahanap ka ‘pag may kulang. Kunwari, nasanay ka sa Taekwondo, gusto mong mag-boxing din para sa kamay naman—para balanse.” Has he gotten into any accidents in Bordado so far? “Wala ito, pangpa-pawis lang!” he remarks with a laugh. More on Joaquin Bordado: Gallery: Press conference iGMA Forum thread