“Nakakatuwa kasi reunion namin ito ni Jillian,” he says. “I was the one who directed her when she was launched in ‘Trudis Liit’ noong 5 years old pa lang siya. The challenge for me then was how to make a precocious 5-year old girl into a star and we’re so glad when ‘Trudis Liit’ became a huge success making Jillian television’s biggest little sensation.”
After that, he was assigned to do “Bantatay”, about a talking dog. “It was another challenge, how to turn a dog into an actor. I think nagawa naman namin as ‘Bantatay’ became of GMA’s biggest hits on primetime. Dito sa ‘Daldalita’, Jillian interacts not only with human actors but also with singing, talking and dancing animals like a duck, a pig and a rat. And I think we’re succeeding again, judging sa warm reception ng viewers sa kanila.” Isn’t it also a big challenge to turn comedian-singer Ogie Alcasid into a dramatic actor? “Wala kaming naging problema,” he says. “Ogie is a real pro and he handled all his dramatic scenes well. Walang daya pati ang pagluha niya. This week, pipilitin siya ng girlfriend niyang si Rufa Mae Quinto na pakasal na sila. Aapihin ni Rufa Mae si Daldalita later on kapag hindi nila kaharap si Ogie.”
