Lucy Torres-Gomez and Wilma Doesnt ask Philippine Star Entertainment columnist Ricky Lo about his celebrity encounters. This time, it’s him on the hot seat!

How man celebrities have you interviewed?
“So far, more than 100, excluding the writers, directors, and talents behind the camera."

How difficult is it to interview a Hollywood star?
“Very easy, because when you leave Manila, your schedule there is programmed already. When they say five minutes, it’s really five minutes. When they say it starts at 10:45, it really starts at 10:45."

But you’re really lucky because you get to do a one on one with them.
“One on one, aside from the TV. Usually, I’m invited for the Philippine Star. The one on one is good for five minutes. Usually there are 50 [reporters] from all over the world. So nakapila-parang yung sa Notting Hill?"

Are you allowed to take pictures?
“Usually, no, bawal ang autographs, bawal ang picture-taking, but if you ask the stars, [they’re usually] okay with it. Yung handler yung medyo strict."

Your top five celebrities are Dwayne, Angelina, Jackie, Jlo and Will. Can you talk about each one?
“Actually, all of them are very nice, pero kung top five talaga, not in order, at random:

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson - He doesn’t want to be called The Rock now because he retired from wrestling three years ago. He’d rather be called Dwayne Johnson."

You’re on a first-name basis na raw, because you’ve encountered each other so many times?
“Siya, I call him Dwayne Johnson. He calls me Ricky. The first time I interviewed him was in Hollywood, at the Four Seasons, for Scorpion King. Then for Rundown, then for Gameplan in Singapore. And last time was in Hongkong for Witch Mountain.

Let’s move on to Angelina Jolie.
“This was before Brad Pitt. At that time, I interviewed her for Tomb Raider. When she showed up, parang fresh from the bathroom, maaamoy mo pa yung sabon, mabasa-basa pa yung buhok nang kaunti. Parang ganoon yung dating niya. Naka-t-shirt lang, yung buhok niya nakalugay lang, walang makeup, at naka-denim [jeans]. Di ba, ang artista, pag walang makeup makikita mo doon talaga yung maganda. At saka yung lips niya talagang natural na natural!
Jackie Chan?
“Jackie Chan is very physical. The first time I interviewed him in 1998 was in New York for Rush Hour. At that time, hindi pa siya magaling mag-English masyado. So whatever he didn’t know in the English language, kino-compensate niya sa gestures. If you ask him about a scene in the movie, ano ginawa mo dito, sasabihin niya, ‘Oh, I ran in that scene.’ Gagawin niya, tatayo siya sa upuan niya, tatakbo naman siya around the table. At one point, tumuntong pa siya on top of the table!"

Next is JLo. Sexy ba talaga siya?
“Yeah, very. In a way na hindi yung flaunting, [ha]? I interviewed her in New York for The Cell, yung sila ni Vince Vaughn. She was very, very warm; ang mga Latino, Latina, parang mga Filipino, e. Very warm, very physically affectionate. The second time I interviewed her was about two years later for [her] album. She sort of remembered the New York interview. Sabi ko, ‘We’ve met before.’ Sabi niya, ‘Oh, yes, in New York.’ So, naalala niya di ba? After the interview, picture-picture taking, umakbay pa sa akin. Tapos bumulong pa, sabi niya, ‘I’m so sleepy!’ Parang uy, naki-chika pa!"

Will Smith?
“He’s very hilarious in person. At saka parang nakikilala na ako. In fact, when I interviewed him in Hawaii, for Hitch, we did it on a beach, may mga tent, I was sitting beside other reporters, he was being interviewed by somebody else, then sumilip siyang ganoon at nag-wave. So tumingin ako sa gilid ko, kasi baka hindi naman ako, then after he waved a third time and pointed at me, [I realized it was for me]. [He told me later on], you know, that guy was asking me not so nice questions.

One of my favorite questions is, ‘How do you feel being a sex symbol?’ [My typical] follow up question [is], ‘What part of your body is your favorite?’ Talagang sinabi niya yung five letter word!"

- Compiled by Jillian Q. Gatcheco from The Sweet Life