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The Renaissance of Baron Geisler
As viewers witness the once-controversial actor rise from the ashes in Netflix’s “Doll House,” the message is clear: The old Baron Geisler is dead. Long live Baron Geisler.
Published Oct 21, 2022
“[Redemption was] never lost to begin with. What we have to do is lead by example and really live it. That's what true redemption means… It's the legwork that speaks volumes.”
Scriptures across different faiths often talk about “redemption,” where faults, guilts, or what-have-you are acknowledged, repented, and then, eventually forgiven. If this were Les Misérables or Star Wars, so-called villains will see the light, and all will be well—at least in a perfect, blissful, fictional world.
Baron Geisler would probably know a thing or two about its more biblical version, seeing that just last April, he strode on a platform garbed in a cap and gown with a diploma in hand brandishing his degree in Theology. It’s a fitting chapter on his take on redemption, and soon, renaissance.
If this were a Shakespearean play, the newer Baron is the foil to Baron from the past. Pre-renaissance, his name would often sit side-by-side with the controversy of the week. There were allegations, altercations, drug abuse, and the memes that resulted from it. “Baron Geisler” was synonymous with the darker side of Filipino showbiz, with his “bad boy” moniker even finding its way to the roles he plays.
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But in a room filled with people circa 2022, he’s resolute—the old Baron is dead, and he hopes it stays that way. With his now five-year stay in Cebu, he calls his current home “a very special place,” so much so that he has adapted Cebuano-isms: His whole household speaks Bisaya, he digs into pungko-pungko when he’s not on a diet, and he thinks lechon is as much of a staple as rice. Most importantly, the Visayan province serves as the setting where he “took his recovery seriously.”
Alongside his wife Jamie Geisler, they advocate for recovery and mental health, literally knocking on the doors of drug abuse survivors who, too, are on their way to their own redemptions. When Baron tells me this, he recalls a saying often used by survivors: “You can’t keep it unless it’s given away.” Recovery gets lost if it isn’t shared.
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Baron Geisler for Preview In Focus October 2022
Art Imitating Life
In the pages of praise for his performance in Netflix production Doll House—from both netizens and fellow actors alike—the elephant in the room is, at this point, an unavoidable behemoth. In the Marla Ancheta-helmed film, Baron plays Rustin, a rockstar with a troubled past involving drug abuse who ventures into the Netherlands to make amends with his young estranged daughter. It ticks most boxes of the Baron people know, whose past struggle with addiction has been the subject of countless headlines.
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And sure, he’ll admit it, he relates to Rustin. He was personally suggested for the role by its producers, after all. While some may wonder if a role so close to reality could veer into triggering territory, he viewed it differently as a heaven-sent blessing. “I said yes because what's not to say yes to?” He tells me. “You're working with people who did a lot of successful collaborations with Netflix. Maganda 'yung material, naniwala ako agad sa script at sa mga tao. Kumbaga, feeling ko, regalo [ito] sa akin ng Diyos, eh.”
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ON BARON: Embroidered Phalaenopsis Patched Works Barong, P19,000, KELVIN MORALES
After seeing his long-time friend and Tabing Ilog co-star Paolo Contis in the Netflix film A Faraway Land, he hoped for something similar to fall into his filmography. And then, along came Doll House, a film that has now made its way to the Top 17 spot on Netflix worldwide.
Shot on location in Rotterdam, the Netherlands—which, Baron says, was originally supposed to be in Canada—his performance in the emotionally wrought film was a product of a careful study of the art form, much as any meticulous artist would do. Baron cites a mixture between the Sanford Meisner and Eric Morris acting techniques, the former a more intellectual form, while the latter pulling from feelings and “being” the character. While probably unknown to many, his improvisation skills were also put through their paces.
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“Sabi ko, ‘Direk, pwede ba kayong pumayag na mag-monologue ako? I-cut niyo na lang kung hindi niyo gusto sa editing,’” he recounts, referring to a moment in the movie where he talks to his former wife’s grave. “So that entire scene was just an improvisation of how I've viewed Rustin and all of his mistakes and regrets in life.”
Some moments with his on-screen daughter Yumi (played by Althea Ruedas) were a result of him interacting with her and their environment, like Baron juggling fruits, exclaiming “It’s so sour!”, and inserting fries in his mouth to look like fangs, cue Yumi’s giddy laughter.
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While Doll House portrays the girl as an off-key singer, just like his character, Baron is all praise for his young co-star’s talent. “For me, she’s a child prodigy, because she can sing, dance, play instruments, kulang na lang violin. Sobrang professional niya. It was easy to work with her kasi lovable siya.”
“Ang daming nagsasabi, ‘You deserve an award.’ You know, my biggest award is people embracing me again. I don't need an award. Kumbaga, tagos sa puso, hindi sa ulo.”
It’s interesting to think that some three decades ago, Baron was in a similar spot as Althea. Before Tabing Ilog’s Fonzie came onto audiences’ radar, there was 10-year-old Baron in the early '90s kids comedy show Ang TV, joining a roster filled with soon-to-be Filipino superstars. But to him, that’s where the commonalities of his and Althea’s child acting experiences end.
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“It's very different. Sobrang backwards, masasabi ko. Mas mature na talaga [ang] mga bata ngayon,” Baron says. “Props din sa mommy ni Althea for being there and for sticking with her guns pag-feeling niya na, ‘Wait. Tama na ’to. Parang Althea needs her rest.’ Nirerespeto naman ng production but noon, pag puyatan… Buti na may law na talaga ngayon, so hindi bugbog ang bata.”
Renaissance Man
As an adult actor, things are admittedly different. Doll House feels like a potential outset of “substantial roles” for Baron who has often sought them. The word “renaissance” hangs in the air in our conversation, like almost intrinsically tied to the other re-word, “redemption.” He calls this renaissance something aligned with the stars, a perfect meeting of fate in a time when he settled down and became “mature,” in his own words. Fate is fitting, so it seems, when he reveals that out of his 19 tattoos, his inner arm reads “Renaissance Man.”
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And while he’s pulled into the limelight with the cheers of his colleagues and the internet soundtracking his way, his feet don’t run toward great heights on instinct, but instead, they’re firm on the ground, comfortable in the presence of what he had hoped for during his recovery—acceptance. “Ang daming nagsasabi, ‘You deserve an award,’” he says. “You know, my biggest award is people embracing me again. I don't need an award. Kumbaga, tagos sa puso, hindi sa ulo.”
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The stars may be on his side today, but he knows how fickle even celestial bodies can get. “Everything sa mundo, hindi certain. I understand that everything will die down.”
“I'm really tired of being the typecast go-to guy [for villains]. [Like], ‘If you need a bad guy, go get Baron Geisler. He'll do it for you.’”
The reality pre-Doll House still lingers, for one. “Ang daming nagsasabi ‘Baron Geisler is an underrated actor.’ Truth is, I'm also underpaid,” he confesses. “Whenever I act, whenever I work, I give it my all. So hopefully makita nila 'yung value [ng acting ko] since nakita nga nila 'yung value ng pelikula at saka 'yung pwede kong gawin. Sana bigyan din nila ng halaga 'yung talent ko. Every artist deserves this.”
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In the past few years, Baron’s credits have edged onto a character actor status in a flurry of antagonist roles, with his most recent one as Dante “Bungo” Madarang in the long-running FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano. Now, he’s seeking something else. “I'm really tired of being the typecast go-to guy [for villains]. [Like], ‘If you need a bad guy, go get Baron Geisler. He'll do it for you,’” he says.
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He throws out several elevator pitches, borne from his desire for “more wholesome roles.” There’s a travel show, a hypothetical Doll House spin-off called “Tito Clyde and Yumi’s Adventures,” and maybe a G-rated rom-com with a swoon-worthy love triangle, too. To keep the momentum of Doll House going, he says he and his management will have to be decisive on taking up roles that “align with his beliefs.”
Onwards the Future
The upcoming slate in his hands, at least, looks bright. Baron is eager to talk about his dream role, Juan Luna, which might come to fruition in the nearby future as First Ilustrado: Juan Luna with the story now completed. Once offered to him by the late director Francis Xavier Pasion, Baron recalls his “fixation” for the Spoliarium painter. He paints his fair share of artworks too, for one, and the historical figure has a dark past of his own. Much like Rustin, Baron says he “relates” to him.
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He raves about his next project with esteemed filmmaker Brillante Mendoza, who Baron has previously worked with for 2016’s Cannes-acknowledged Ma’Rosa, led by Jaclyn Jose. The upcoming Bangsamoro comes with a packed cast list, with the likes of Piolo Pascual, Christopher De Leon, Laurice Guillen, Cesar Montano, and Ricky Davao’s names gracing next to his in the credits. According to the actor, his role takes a page from Brad Pitt’s character Tristan in the 1994 Western drama Legends of the Fall.
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Things are taking shape for Baron, at least in my view from afar, as just one of the audience to his well-documented life. Viewers claim his triumphant return as an actor, but redemption is a tricky part in a society with cancel culture looming over like a cloud, where faults and forgiveness are difficult to navigate.
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But like the other re-word called “recovery,” redemption—and maybe even renaissance—doesn’t run in a straight line. It’s messy, it’s difficult, but the key might just lie in “progress rather than perfection,” even in Baron’s words.
At least, according to him, it will always be possible. “[Redemption was] never lost to begin with. It's just not being recognized by people,” he expresses. “What we have to do is lead by example and really live it. That's what true redemption means. It's not all talk, because talk is cheap. It's the legwork that speaks volumes.”
Produced by Katrina Maisie Cabral and Reg Rodriguez
Photography by Jan Mayo
Photographer's Assistant: Aldous Gabriel
Art Direction by Pau Moyano
Fashion Direction and Styling by Steph Sison
Grooming by Jan Edrosolan
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