By Vanessa Cort
ALTHOUGH he had barely been here a day, Silvio Simac said it has been “a very warm experience so far”. The martial arts action star, who arrived in Guyana Monday night, already announced in an interview Wednesday that he wants to return to this country with his family.
His enthusiasm is fuelled by a trip on Tuesday, with Amazon Rainforest Tours Guyana, to the Arrowpoint Nature Resort, nestled in the ancestral lands of the Santa Mission Amerindian community. He was enamored of the lush vegetation along the way and the peace and quiet, “away from the noise”. His pleasure at ‘dipping into’ all things local was apparent as he spoke of his enjoyment of Guyanese food and not backing off of the spicy flavours owing to his familiarity with Indian and Asian cuisine.
Fresh from a meditational retreat in Thailand, with others from around the world, the actor says that even their cell phones were confiscated to reduce contact with the outside world.
The Croatian-born star, who has spent most of his life in England, now wants to repeat the rainforest experience here with his partner, Nikki and nine-year-old son, Skyler. He smilingly refers to their family unit as “a synergy of a trio” and travels with his son whenever he can, exposing the youngster to diverse cultures, terrains and foods.
This personable body- building champion considers his role as a father to be his “biggest and proudest duty” in life, marveling at the discipline of his young son, who has followed in his footsteps.
“He has been practising martial arts since he was three…and got his black belt last December”, says the proud father, who realises that his son has been influenced by his own approach to dietary discipline. Showing a maturity beyond his years, the boy decided on his own to give up all forms of sweet, especially candies and chocolate, on Thursday and Friday of each week.
Simac’s own decision to take up martial arts came when he was 11 years old, after a bloody fight with his 13-year-old brother. It became the “turning point” in his life, as they opted to properly learn this fighting style.
He recalls, “The first time I walked into a dojo I said, ‘ I want to be a black belt’.” He has achieved great things since then.
And while he seeks to be an inspiration to young people, as the iconic martial arts phenom, Bruce Lee, was for him, he credits renowned actors in the discipline, Michael Jai White and Jet Li with providing him with needed mentorship. He recommends sport as a means of combating mental health issues, now being revealed as affecting so many across the globe.
Simac’s foray into acting began with a giant leap of faith, when he packed in a good job in the family business to pursue an invitation from an agent to play the role of a stuntman in a movie.
He later felt, as he put it, “This is my calling” and attended acting school to learn all he could. But his journey to fulfilling his dream was far from easy. “I slept on a friend’s sofa for two years…no one could know.” He recounts, with a rueful smile that he even hid this from his concerned family.
Now, at the pinnacle of his career, the action star refers to martial arts as a way of living, saying, “It’s one of the things you don’t give up (with age) like other sports…it’s physical and spiritual”.
Clearly it is a continuing learning experience too, as the 14-time British Tai-kwan-do champion, admits to being “blown away” by techniques developed by fellow Grand Master, Guyanese Max Massiah, himself a nine-time martial arts Hall of Famer, who runs the Maxido dojo here in Guyana. The two have been communicating for two years, though they only met a year ago.
A friendship, built on mutual respect and a deep-seated love of martial arts, brought these champions in their field together and has led Simac to visit Guyana.
One of the highlights of his stay, with engagements over five days, is a Gala Awards dinner and banquet at the Pegasus Hotel at 19:00 hrs, Saturday June 29. All are invited for an admission fee of G$20,000.
The actor’s final appearance will be at a three-hour training session, along with Soke Max Massiah, at the Pegasus Savannah Room on Sunday June 30 from 15:00 hrs. Admission is G$5,000 and all are welcome.
I’m sure I speak on behalf of all Guyanese when I welcome Silvio Simac to these shores and look forward to his return accompanied by his family.
