ELIJAH CANLAS feels so fortunate to be working with Aga Muhlach in the movie serye, “Suntok sa Buwan”, which they are now shooting on location in Baguio. So how is it acting with Aga?
“At first, sobrang pressure kasi Aga Muhlach yan, e,” he says.
“And I was a bit nervous. But as soon as I met Kuya Aga in person, smooth sailing na kami agad.
"On our first shooting day, he even texted me, ‘Good morning, anak. Happy first shooting day. Kitakits mamaya. Enjoy ka lang. Kayang-kaya mo yan.’”
Considering Aga’s stature in showbiz, he was so down to earth.
“Wala siyang ere. I never felt like an outcast with him. His small gestures, yung mga kuwentuhan namin, he makes you feel light and comfortable.
"I ask advice from him and super generous siya in sharing his wisdom. I really feel so lucky to get the chance to work with him.
"It’s always fun to do scenes with him.”
In the story, he plays Dos, the son of Aga as Jimmy Boy, a retired boxer who now works as a taxi driver in Baguio.
He wants to follow in his father’s footsteps as a boxer, but his dad is against it.
Of course, he insists on fighting on the ring on his own.
“Even before the shooting started, I already trained in boxing for a month in Manila.
"Sobrang nakakapagod, lalo sa boxing scenes, medyo totoo ang mga suntok, but it’s worth it.
"Mahirap yung boxing scenes namin where Kuya Aga’s training me how to be a better boxer.”
Aga is so supportive to him.
“Kahit hindi na siya kailangan sa ibang boxing scenes, he would stay on to show yung suporta niya sa akin.
"He even invited me sa bahay nila so we could train boxing together under his own coach.
"Then we had lunch with his wife, Ate Charlene Gonzales. They’re both very nice and accommodating.”
Before he started work on “Suntok sa Buwan”, Elijah got to finish shooting two new movies.
First is a movie for Cinemalaya that starts showing on August 5. This is “Blue Room”, where he co-stars with Juan Karlos Labajo and Harvey Bautista.
Then there’s the horror thriller, “Live Scream”, directed by his “Game Boys” mentor, Perci Intalan.
