DENNIS TRILLO has played various kinds of roles but his role as Ismael Makadatu, the man with three wives in GMA-7’s “Legal Wives”, is surely the most challenging so far.
“Mahirap yung role as I have to study the Muslim religion and culture first to make sure I can portray my role credibly,” he says.
How does he feel that GMA execs put their trust in him to lead in such a significant project?
“I honestly feel important with this role. Masarap sa pakiramdam na lahat ng sakripisyo mo, nabibigyan ng ganitong reward na magandang programa, so thank you to GMA for their continued trust in me.
"But to be honest, at the start, may pag-aalinlangan ako as I really want to do something light sana, like a romcom. Kasi napagod ako sa last na pinanggalingan kong show na action-drama, ‘Cain at Abel’.
"Baka hindi ko kayanin kung mabigat na naman ang show na gagawin ko. But after reading the script, i realized walang dahilan para tanggihan ko ang ganitong kuwento na maganda ang mensahe at may mga aral na mapupulot.
"So sabi ko, yes, I want to be part of this show kasi it’s not the usual kabit series but a different kind of family drama showing the culture of our Muslim brothers.”
So how did he prepare for his role?
“Physically, I have to stay healthy kasi sasabak kami sa series of lock in tapings sa panahon ng pandemya. All in all, naka-five lock in tapings kami for this show.
"Nagpatubo rin ako ng facial hair para angkop sa character niya kasi marami sa kanila, napansin ko, hindi nag-aahit ng bigote at balbas.
"I also attended many briefings with our Muslim consultants para alam namin yung ibig sabihin ng lines namin.
"I also have to learn the right pronunciation of Muslim terms and words, lalo yung galing sa Quran kasi kailangang tama ang tono at syllabication when we enunciate it.
"My character kasi follows their religion by the book at mahahaba yung lines ko, kaya gabi-gabi, I memorize the script para hindi ako magkamali during the take which is told from my character’s perspective.”
“Legal Wives” starts airing this Monday on GMA-7 right after “The World Between Us”. We won't be surprised if Dennis would win another acting award for his performance in this ground-breaking drama series.
