No retirement yet for Leo Martinez

Photo from manilagenesis.com

Veteran actor Leo Martinez, who plays a retired family man seeking fulfillment after retirement in the black comedy “Tuhog”, said retirement is far from his mind.

Martinez who has been in the business for 45 years now said he’s lucky that “there’s no such thing as ‘retirement’ in show biz.” He quips, “Otherwise, do I just spend the days drinking?”

“I don’t see myself retiring. Acting is my life, and I will continue to do it as long as I can. Look at Eddie Garcia,” he adds.

Aside from “Tuhog”, he is also part of GMA-7’s teleserye “Kakambal ni Eliana”, and he appeared in recent films such as “On the Job”, which was shown in the Director’s Fortnight of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and “Alagwa.”

Martinez, who is the Director-General of the Film Academy of the Philippines, also shared that he has already finished shooting “Ibong Adarna”, which is directed by Jun Urbano.

If there’s something that he enjoys doing, it is sharing his knowledge and experience with young actors. He said, “If I can contribute anything to the industry, it would be teaching. It’s my way of giving back.”

Martinez started as a theater actor, and co-founded the Repertory Philippines in 1967.