“I think I wanna finish off anybody.”
As relayed to this writer by a colleague-friend many years ago, these half-serious yet threatening words once came out from an actor he’s friends with. For the record, their friendship goes a long way.
That actor happened to be Baron Geisler.
It was a night-out at a popular hub somewhere in Quezon City with just the two of them.
At first, everything seemed normal until an already inebriated Baron mouthed those words. Gripped with fear, my colleague-friend signaled to the waiter to prepare the check.
After footing the bill, my friend politely excused himself and left in a jiffy.
This must have been the period within which Baron was struggling with alcoholism. I just couldn’t ascertain if with excessive booze came use of drugs, or which one came first.
Whatever.
The important thing is, Baron–thankfully–is a totally changed man now.
He has likewise rekindled his passion for what he does and loves best: acting.
Of late, the 42-year-old actor of German-American descent takes pride in what can be the “first” ever milestone spanning his how many years in the biz.
Not one to brag about his mundane possessions (unlike most celebrities whose assets are splashed all over social media), Baron cannot contain his excitement over a (long overdue) house he’s having built in Cebu where he currently stays.
“It’s 85% finished,” he shares. Instead of squandering the money he was blessed with, “Inilagay ko ‘yon lahat sa ipinagagawa kong bahay!”
Not only does Baron need to have one for himself and wife Jamie (Evangelista) but: “That house is primarily for our daughter Talitha. At least, when the time comes na wala na ako, kaming mag-asawa, we got something we can bequeath to her.”
Baron can only look back how his life had miserably been.
Back then, he would confess that profligacy got the better of him.
“When I had so much money before, I wouldn’t think twice if I wanted to get myself a brand-new motorcycle. Siyempre, I wanted to look smart!” he gushed.
In the vernacular, the actor would consider himself as “galit sa pera.” Worse, his “one-day millionaire” extravagance was consistent with his predilection for illegal substance.
“Noon, when I had P1 million on hand, I’d spend it on cocaine up to the last centavo! But look where it got me?” came his realization.
Aside from seeing his Cebu house brought to fruition, Baron also intends to have an apartment built for steady income most especially if acting assignments become scarce.
To pamper himself, he swears that also in his agenda is owning and maintaining a ranch somewhere in Mindanao. His equine love very well explains it.
Why all these build-and-own plans, is Baron contemplating slipping into early retirement?
Taking from where he stumbled for messing up with his life himself: “Maganda ‘yung nilalagay ko na sa tama ang lahat!” (It’s good I’m now getting things done right)
Who are we to deny Baron that “one chance” he rightfully deserves?
