“Ang ganda talaga ng feedback,” he says. “Dahil sa ‘OTWOL’, mas napansin at nakilala ako ng tao so malaking utang na loob ko yun sa OTWOL. When we went to San Francisco ng family ko during the Christmas holidays, maski roon, kilala ako ng mga tao as Tolayts. Ang saya lang. At dahil din kay Tolayts, nagkaroon kami ni Bianca ng TV commercial, ang Mang Inasal. Big blessing talaga yun kasi may pang-tuition fee na ang anak ko hanggang college. Ha ha ha!”
He makes people laugh in “OTWOL”, but in the hard-hitting drama, “Tandem”, that opens in theatres on Wednesday, he will do not only action but drama. He and JM de Guzman play Roman and Rex, brothers and partners in crime, a team of riding-in-tandem robbers who snatch bags and cellphone from unsuspecting people walking in the streets. They later get embroiled in a big time crime syndicate that will complicate their lives.
Since JM is currently back in rehab, didn’t they have any problem with him while shooting the movie? “No, walang naging problema ang sinuman sa set sa kanya. He is very serious with his craft. Sa workshop pa lang namin, nakita ko na kung gaano siya kaseryoso sa trabaho niya. He can be happy go lucky off the set, pero sa shooting mismo, okay na okay siya. Very professional. Walang signs at all na may problema siya or anything. Kaya nagulat kaming lahat ng mga kasama niya rito sa ‘Tandem’ when we learned na naging problema siya doon sa soap niya kasi, wala kaming bad experience with him. Well, we pray na kung anuman ang pinagdaraanan niya ngayon, malampasan niya nang maayos para makabalik agad siya. Hindi pa nga niya nakukuha ang MIFF New Wave best actor award na napanalunan niya para sa role niya rito sa ‘Tandem’.”
“Tandem”, directed by King Palisoc, is Graded A by the Cinema Evaluation Board. It also stars Rochelle Pangilinan as Nico’s pregnant wife, Alan Paule and Paolo O’Hara as the corrupt cops who recruit him and JM to be guns for hire and Elora Espano as JM’s love interest.
