Veteran host and comedian Vic Sotto has been making movies since 1979. Still, his role as the monarch Lakan Makisig in the Metro Manila Film Festival entry "The Kingdom" is extraordinary in his decades-long career.

"I've been in this business for more than half of my life. And this is the first time na namulat ako sa tunay na buhay ng artista. Well, I've done television shows and I've done quite a number of movies. But this is the first time na na-challenge ako. As in, challenge talaga," Vic revealed during the media conference of his MMFF movie, which is jointly produced by APT Entertainment, MQuest Ventures, and his very own M-Zet Productions.

Why he found his role challenging is something that moviegoers and Vic's followers will have to discover on Dec. 25, when MMFF opens. His performance as the brooding Lakan in "The Kingdom" is undoubtedly a far cry from the usual comedy fare, which has won him numerous awards as a "Box Office King" in the past.

Bossing Vic narrated how his older kids "pressured" him to play a character out of the league of his popular character "Enteng Kabisote."

"There was one time we had dinner out and all my kids were there. The older ones. Which means si Danica (Pingris), si Oyo Boy, si Vico (Mayor), si Paulina (his daughter with Angela Luz) and Tali (his second to the youngest) as well," Vic recalled. "Ang sabi nila sa akin, 'Dad, gumawa ka naman ng serious movie. Yung tipong mala-Godfather, yung medyo may pagka-villain  ang dating. Sabi ko, I'll think about it."

Vic's last MMFF movie was "Mission Unstapabol: The Don Identity" in 2019. Director Mike Tuviera thought it was time for another one and presented the concept to Vic, where he would play the ruler of the Kingdom of Kalayaan. Bossing admitted that he felt scared venturing into uncharted territory.

"Natakot ako. Baka hindi ko kaya (I felt scared that I might not be able to do it)," he admitted. At the same time, he thought about his kids' request and trusted his intuition.

"I said to myself, Ito na yun. Ito na hinihingi nung anak ko. (This is it. This is what my children asked.) It's something out of my comfort zone.It is an out of the box concept. That's why I decided I want to do this," he added.

Now that "The Kingdom" is about to be shown to the public, Vic shared Mayor Vico's reaction. "He's very happy. All the more, one of the movie's resource persons works in Pasig City Hall. I'm sure he's going to watch. He's very proud."

Vic narrated that his chief cheerleader is Tali, his seven-year-old daughter with his wife, Pauleen Luna. 

"Tali's so excited about the movie. She's telling her classmates: 'Hey, my dad has a movie this Christmas. You have to watch it. Eh mga Grade One lang yung kausap nya (She's just talking to her Grade 1 classmates)," he laughed.

Vic shared that because of some violent scenes in "The Kingdom," Tali's age group will be restricted from seeing it. "This is the first movie na aware na sya eh. She was only two years old the last time I made a movie. So wala pa syang malay. She's very happy, and she's very excited. Pero sabi ko sa kanya hintayin na lang sa Netflix."

"The Kingdom" pairs together for the first time. Vic and Asia's Drama Superstar Piolo Pascual plays the outcast farmer, Sulo. The two leading actors clicked on the set, and Vic said he wished to see Piolo in a comedy role.

"Kung gusto naman ng fans ko tumawa, manood na lang sila ng Eat Bulaga. But with this movie, sabi ko nga, it's something new and different. Iba naman ito. I wanna challenge myself as an actor and as a producer. So for me, no regrets.I will do it again and again. Basta ang dream movie ko is a comedy film with Piolo Pascual," Vic quipped.

Also comprising the stellar cast of "The Kingdom"  are Cristine Reyes and Sue Ramirez, who play princesses Dayang Matimyas and Dayang Lualhati, and Sid Lucero as Magat Bagwis. Ruby Ruiz shines as the Babaylan,  while last year's MMFF Best Actor Cedrick Juan portrays the young Lakan Makisig.  Zion Cruz, Iza Calzado, Art Acuña, Giovanni Baldisseri, and Nico Antonio support the main cast with their brilliant performances.