Tony Labrusca on being oversexualized and exploitation in showbiz

Matagal-tagal na sa showbiz si Tony Labrusca. Noong 2016 ay napukaw ang pansin ng marami sa isa niyang patalastas.

Nang taon ding iyon ay nag-audition siya sa Pinoy Boyband Superstar.

Hanggang Top 7 lang siya sa nasabing paligsahan. Ang Top 5 ang naging members ng defunct BoybandPH.

Sa tinagal-tagal niya sa entertainment industry, nakaranas ba siya ng sexual harassment, abuse, or exploitation?

Natigilan nang ilang sandali si Tony at mahinay na sumagot, “No… maybe… I think that you know, like… I feel really blessed. I think God has like for the most part protected me throughout my entire career.

“I truly believe that there’s… certain things that I had to go through so that I can learn to take care of my blessings in terms of sexual abuse, harassment in our industry.

“Feeling ko, it must be prevalent like on both ends where… I’m sure there’s a lot of actors who are willing to go through that to get a step higher in their career.

“And that’s something that I completely respect. And I’m sure like in any other industry, there are people who take advantage of those kinds of situations.

“You know, like we don’t live in a perfect world. Things like that are bound to happen.

“With me, I guess… I don’t know, like… I don’t really feel comfortable like talking about my personal experience with that.

“But I’m happy, I’m here, I’m still getting work. I love this industry. So, yeah.”

Nainterbyu si Tony sa mediacon ng pelikulang What You Did noong Agosto 27, 2024, Miyerkules sa Pandan Asian Cafe, Sct. Limbaga St., Quezon City.

TONY, SEXUAL HARASSMENT VICTIM?

Nabiktima ba siya o hindi noong nag-uumpisa siya sa showbiz?

“You know what, I’m still in showbiz now. I’m still amazing projects,” saad ni Tony.

“So I think whether or not that happened to me, it doesn’t matter honestly. I mean like I have very great projects, I’m not starting out anymore.

“So yeah, I’m fine, I’m happy. I’m doing amazing movies.”

So, wala siyang na-experience na sexual harassment?

“Let me clarify, I think in this industry, especially being a guy and maybe my image like… you know, like not really by choice, but like I know that people wanna see me take my clothes off,” lahad ni Tony.

“You know, like ahhh… I think all of us have gone through some sort of like non-necessarily sexual abuse but you know, like…

“Knowing that people fantasize about you sexually, you know. Maybe, yeah, being oversexualized.

“And I think that like… our industry, like let’s just be honest, we need that, you know. We need that because… like ahhhmm…

“There’s a market for it. We glamourize it, you know. Whether we wanna admit it or not, that’s what people want to see, you know.

“And I’m just saying that — it’s not that I’ve never been or ever felt like maybe I was oversexualized, or taken advantage of.

“What I mean is that like, I’m grateful because it has not affected me in a way where I’m not able to do still amazing projects, you know.

“Like me here, as an actor, like this is what’s amazing. Like I’m doing amazing movies, so it hasn’t affected me maybe the way it has affected others.”

TONY GIVES CRYPTIC ANSWER TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT QUESTION

Reading between the lines, tila ipinapahiwatig ni Tony na to a certain extent ay na-feel niyang na-exploit siya?

“My personal… for me personally, I don’t feel comfortable revealing to you guys whether I’ve been sexually harassed or not,” pagmamatwid ni Tony.

“What I mean is like, I’m the kind of actor where I already know people oversexualize me.

“They wanna see me do the sex scenes, you know that, because that’s what I’m known for.

“So what I will say is, whether or not I have experienced some form of sexual harassment, it’s just not important to me.

“And I’m grateful that I don’t put that much weight on it. Because I’m still doing amazing projects.

“So like… I know that there are some people out there who experienced horrible things and they are not able to move forward in life.

“My point is, whether or not I’ve experienced that, it’s not hindering me from being the best version of myself.

“It’s not hindering me from becoming the best that I want to be of my capabilities.

“And that’s why we have this amazing movie. Because whether or not something bad happened to me, I’m not gonna let that slow me down.

“That was my point.”

TONY MOVES ON FROM PAST ISSUES, GRATEFUL FOR SHOWBIZ OPPORTUNITIES

Na-trauma si Tony nang paratangan siya ng kaibigan ng acts of lasciviousness. Na-dismiss ang kaso, at na-vindicate siya.

Naisip ba niya noon na mag-quit sa showbiz?

“You know what, I always just ask God like, ‘What is it that you want from me?’ And so I guess until He stops giving me projects, then I guess I’m still meant to do it,” pananalig ni Tony.

“You know, kasi wala, e. I mean, at this exact moment, I don’t think I’m good at anything else except this.

“Maybe I’m not even good at this, but this is just the only thing that I can do.

“So I don’t know, I always pray about, ‘Thank, God, ano ba talaga ang gusto mo para sa akin?’

“And I guess He still wants me to be in showbiz.”

Kumusta na siya ngayon? Na-overcome niya nang lubos ang trauma?

“You know what, I’m happy that I went through that because that’s what taught me that I don’t have any hate in my heart,” pagtatapat ni Tony.

“Like it’s… that’s when I learned that it’s actually really hard for me to hate somebody like… I just don’t have hate in my heart.”

Ang psychological thriller na What You Did ay isa sa pitong full-length finalists ng Sinag Maynila 2024 filmfest, na gaganapin sa Setyembre 4-10.

Ang anim pa ay Her Locket, Salome, Maple Leaf Dreams, Talahib, Banjo, at The Gospel of the Beast.

P200 ang ticket price ng entries sa 6th edition ng Sinag Maynila, na mapapanood sa Gateway Cineplex 18, Robinsons Galleria, Robinsons Manila, SM Fairview, SM Mall of Asia, SM Manila, SM Megamall, SM North EDSA, SM Southmall, SM Sta. Mesa, at Market Market.