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The man who would be Superman is a Pinoy of many talents
Having raked in more than $500 million in worldwide box office receipts, "Man Of Steel" has arguably opened the doors for a potential DC movie universe and successfully rebooted the legendary superhero for a new generation.
The film is the latest interpretation of a character who has transcended pop culture to become a symbol of hope that humanity can achieve great and good things.
In that sense, Superman has inspired countless people across the globe to be more like him.
Seeing double: Gerard Sison poses next to Henry Cavill's Man of Steel.
Yet when he survived a heart attack a couple of years ago, his life took on new meaning and purpose. Deciding to “live his life to the fullest,” he looked to his childhood hero and inspiration Superman – specifically the version played and immortalized by the late great Christopher Reeve in the 1978 film “Superman: The Movie.”
So what convinced him to don the suit and cosplay as the Caped Wonder everyone knows? My good friend and fellow Justice PH member has this to say:
Tim: Did you ever imagine yourself playing Superman? Why did you decide to do it now?
Gerard: I’ve been Clark Kent my entire life, and I became Superman at age 47. It takes a certain confidence and gravitas to wear that suit unapologetically and not look silly.
You’ve been a Superman fan all your life. When were you first exposed to the character?
The Filmation Superman cartoons got me started. Every Saturday afternoon I’d watch it, and it fascinated me. This guy with so many powers had to disguise himself as mild-mannered Clark Kent. Soon after, the George Reeve serials were played and I was exposed to them, and in the formative years of high school when “Superman: The Movie” came out, it was the first time he wasn’t a beefy strong guy, but an approachable and attractive hero who inspired others and still had to go through his life as Superman and Clark.
Like many out there who grew up with the character, I’m sure Superman inspired you a great deal.
When you’re young, you have many oddities that, when you become older, become super-powers. In school, my glasses had only one graded lens. And when I wore contact lenses, I only needed one graded lens for one eye. Now that I’m after 40, I don’t need reading glasses because I have built-in bifocals. Literally, you grow into your powers.
My whole life I could do all these amazing things, which my peers would probably find odd, so I didn’t show them: painting, sculpting, singing. Jack-of-all-trades, master of some. It isn’t really cool for people among their peers to show exceptional abilities while they’re young, lest they be labeled freaks. But if you look at my paintings now, which I only started taking seriously two years ago, I never imagined myself to have done these things.
Sison with his Justice PH colleagues, including the author (as Batman). Photo by Tim G. Villasor
So how exactly did you get your start cosplaying as Superman and joining Justice PH?
The first time I cosplayed Superman was at Cosmania 2011 at the SMX Convention Center at the SM Mall Of Asia.
Suiting up and portraying the Christopher Reeve 1978 version of Superman, I joined the “Project Cosplay,” a runway show of cosplayers, as contestant #44.
I didn’t know how to be different from the ones that came before me apart from my costume, so I grabbed a wireless mic and wowed the audience by singing an a capella version of one of the most memorable tracks from the “Superman: The Movie” soundtrack, “Can You Read My Mind?”
My experience from that as a crowd favorite taught me you don’t have to be the big winner when you’re easily recognizable and appreciated by being someone you can relate to – such as Superman.
On the same day, I met my current teammates and fellow superhero cosplayers of Justice PH. I saw them walk up the stage just as I was walking into the auditorium. I had wanted a photo op with them, but they disappeared for a time. But later that evening, I crossed paths with them and finally got to take pictures with them. It took nearly a year of guesting until I officially joined them as the third Superman of the team.
Currently I am among the main roster, and aside from wearing the Reeve costume, I fabricated other Superman suits I use with the team. When we all decided to go as the current “New 52” line-up of the Justice League that saw the heroes sporting new outfits to reflect the relaunch, I constructed my own New 52 Superman suit. I went through seven prototypes until I finally came up with a version I was satisfied with. Now that Man Of Steel is flying to theaters, I am crafting the closest possible replica to the original save for the rubber suit. To date, I’ve been getting a lot of good reviews and encouragement from fellow fans around the world.
Did you start out cosplaying as Superman, or as another character?
I started out cosplaying first as Harry Potter’s own Professor Dumbledore. I realized there and then that people admire the character regardless of the guy under the costume. I thought to myself, “They don’t know who I am, but they’re excited to be with me.”
Just a few days before, at the Green Lantern premiere at Glorietta with so many cosplayers portraying Lanterns, I remarked to myself, “I wish I had the guts to wear spandex like these guys.”
Little did I know, on the night ToyCon 2011, I realized I had to order the Christopher Reeve replica suit. I did, and the rest was history.
Why choose the Christopher Reeve Superman as your cosplay?
As much as I wanted to do the Brandon Routh, I don’t have the same silhouette the actor does, which is a Calvin Klein muscle model guy. And although I lack the height and stature that Reeve had, I still conjure up the same basic image convincingly.
Have you cosplayed as Superman anywhere else?
Odd thing was, during my travels and recently during a visit to Washington D.C, people would call me Superman whether I was in full costume, in a plain Superman T-shirt, or none of the above. I don’t know what tipped them off, but maybe I learned that it isn’t the suit… It really is the man, and sometimes I just project a Superman vibe to total strangers.
Now that “Man of Steel” is here, what do you think of the new man behind the cape, Henry Cavill?
When I saw the Jim Cavezel version of “The Count of Monte Cristo” a decade back, I remarked that a young actor there had a Superman quality to him, and that actor turned out to be Henry Cavill…He had the jaw, the look, and the gravitas…
And now that you’ve seen the film, what do you think of it?
“Superman: The Movie” can be compared to a beautiful vintage masterpiece of a car, whereas “Man Of Steel” is the most hi-tech modern vehicle you can think of. They each stand on their own merit and most people will like one over the other depending on their personalities. One is a nostalgic, magical, lyrical, romantic mechanism and the other is a colder, steely, gritty, speedy machine. Apples and oranges really. — BM, GMA News
Tim G. Villasor is a multimedia artist, writer, gamer, popculture enthusiast, collector, and occasional cosplayer. He is a founding member of cosplay group Justice PH, and suits up as The Dark Knight of the team, Batman.
Photos courtesy of Gerard Sison
The first time I cosplayed Superman was at Cosmania 2011 at the SMX Convention Center at the SM Mall Of Asia.
Suiting up and portraying the Christopher Reeve 1978 version of Superman, I joined the “Project Cosplay,” a runway show of cosplayers, as contestant #44.
I didn’t know how to be different from the ones that came before me apart from my costume, so I grabbed a wireless mic and wowed the audience by singing an a capella version of one of the most memorable tracks from the “Superman: The Movie” soundtrack, “Can You Read My Mind?”
My experience from that as a crowd favorite taught me you don’t have to be the big winner when you’re easily recognizable and appreciated by being someone you can relate to – such as Superman.
On the same day, I met my current teammates and fellow superhero cosplayers of Justice PH. I saw them walk up the stage just as I was walking into the auditorium. I had wanted a photo op with them, but they disappeared for a time. But later that evening, I crossed paths with them and finally got to take pictures with them. It took nearly a year of guesting until I officially joined them as the third Superman of the team.
Currently I am among the main roster, and aside from wearing the Reeve costume, I fabricated other Superman suits I use with the team. When we all decided to go as the current “New 52” line-up of the Justice League that saw the heroes sporting new outfits to reflect the relaunch, I constructed my own New 52 Superman suit. I went through seven prototypes until I finally came up with a version I was satisfied with. Now that Man Of Steel is flying to theaters, I am crafting the closest possible replica to the original save for the rubber suit. To date, I’ve been getting a lot of good reviews and encouragement from fellow fans around the world.
After his heart attack, Sison decided to live life to the fullest and embrace his dream.
I started out cosplaying first as Harry Potter’s own Professor Dumbledore. I realized there and then that people admire the character regardless of the guy under the costume. I thought to myself, “They don’t know who I am, but they’re excited to be with me.”
Just a few days before, at the Green Lantern premiere at Glorietta with so many cosplayers portraying Lanterns, I remarked to myself, “I wish I had the guts to wear spandex like these guys.”
Little did I know, on the night ToyCon 2011, I realized I had to order the Christopher Reeve replica suit. I did, and the rest was history.
Why choose the Christopher Reeve Superman as your cosplay?
As much as I wanted to do the Brandon Routh, I don’t have the same silhouette the actor does, which is a Calvin Klein muscle model guy. And although I lack the height and stature that Reeve had, I still conjure up the same basic image convincingly.
Have you cosplayed as Superman anywhere else?
Odd thing was, during my travels and recently during a visit to Washington D.C, people would call me Superman whether I was in full costume, in a plain Superman T-shirt, or none of the above. I don’t know what tipped them off, but maybe I learned that it isn’t the suit… It really is the man, and sometimes I just project a Superman vibe to total strangers.
Now that “Man of Steel” is here, what do you think of the new man behind the cape, Henry Cavill?
When I saw the Jim Cavezel version of “The Count of Monte Cristo” a decade back, I remarked that a young actor there had a Superman quality to him, and that actor turned out to be Henry Cavill…He had the jaw, the look, and the gravitas…
And now that you’ve seen the film, what do you think of it?
“Superman: The Movie” can be compared to a beautiful vintage masterpiece of a car, whereas “Man Of Steel” is the most hi-tech modern vehicle you can think of. They each stand on their own merit and most people will like one over the other depending on their personalities. One is a nostalgic, magical, lyrical, romantic mechanism and the other is a colder, steely, gritty, speedy machine. Apples and oranges really. — BM, GMA News
Tim G. Villasor is a multimedia artist, writer, gamer, popculture enthusiast, collector, and occasional cosplayer. He is a founding member of cosplay group Justice PH, and suits up as The Dark Knight of the team, Batman.
Photos courtesy of Gerard Sison
