Trial viral
On his upcoming series, Tom Rodriguez channels his inner geek and enters a world surreal that has him running for dear life
On his upcoming series, Tom Rodriguez channels his inner geek and enters a world surreal that has him running for dear life
Tom Rodriguez’s dream to be an action star is about to come true through his drama-thriller series “The Cure.” In a recent interview with Bulletin Entertainment, the actor admitted he still can’t believe he’s part of such a teleserye. “It’s really one of my wish projects or passion projects na hinihiling ko na sana magkaron ako.”
“The Cure” sees him play Gregory Salvador, a Clinical Research Associate in an International Pharmaceutical Laboratory, out to find a treatment for his mom Agnes, played by Irma Adlawan, who has cancer.
Agnes will get infected with the Monkey Virus Disease (MVD) from the Pharmaceutical Laboratory Gregory stole for her. Eventually, it becomes an epidemic.
On trying his hand at the genre, Tom aims to use no stunt double even for intense and deemed dangerous scenes, like, explosives going off all around him.
“Isang buong take lang siya na we’re running doing routine while it was exploding all around. So masaya ako kasi it’s not something na dinagdag lang sa post-production. Live lahat ’yung mga sumasabog,” he said.
Tom later enthused: “Ang sarap eh. Kahit ganito na kakatanggal ko lang ng mga band-aid, kahit may konting galos-galos, ito ’yung tipo ng galos, the adrenaline rush na so much fun to do. I feel so new.”
He compared doing drama to action projects.
“When I do dramatic scenes sometimes you can be the opposite, it can be draining pero dito sa ‘The Cure,’ wala. The hurt, even the bruises in any part of my body, ay okay pa rin.” He believes it’s because he really enjoys the role and he loves the sci-fi genre. And even though the show is yet to air, Tom is already hoping to work on a similar soap.
Blessed
A decade ago, Tom was just a contestant on a reality television show. His career blossomed after he transferred to GMA Network in 2013 and became one of the lead actors in the controversial and groundbreaking LGBT-themed television drama series “My Husband’s Lover.” Since then the actor has never rested on his laurels. “Every role that was given to me in one way or another has always made me scared pero in a positive way. Alam mo ’yung takot na you don’t know if you can live up to the role that they give you but at the same time it excites me,” he said. He doesn’t consider work as if it’s a job. “I mean I’m at work but I get to do fun stuff,” he explained.
Every role that was given to me in one way or another has always made me scared pero in a positive way. Alam mo ’yung takot na you don’t know if you can live up to the role that they give you but at the same time it excites me.
Geek
Tom grew up watching sciencefiction like the series “Star Wars” and all of the Stephen King works.
During his younger days he used to pretend to be the fictional character Indiana Jones.
The genre excites him so much that he sketches things from his favorite movies or TV shows the way he sees it in his head. Note that Tom took up Digital Animation after his family migrated to San Francisco.
“It’s really fun to play in someone else’s world. That’s how I see my work, I feel like I’m jumping into that world and playing with other people,” he said.
Leading lady
It is Tom’s first time to work with Jennylyn Mercado on a soap. She plays Gregory’s wife, a nurse.
He finds her sweet and caring. “Ang sarap niyang katrabaho. I pick up so much just by watching her work,” Tom said.
“Tsaka ang dami na niyang na impluwensiya sa akin. Oil-bularyo na rin ako ngayon,” he added in jest. “Sobrang effective especially I have allergies like rhinitis and skin asthma. So kung dati kung ano-ano ’yung medicine na kailangan kong i-take at least ngayon kahit papaano its started to really help.”
“The Cure” directed by Mark A. Reyes is set for release this year. The other cast members are Jaclyn Jose, LJ Reyes, Jay Manalo, Mark Herras, Ken Chan, and Arra San Agustin, to name a few.