THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM FOR DINGDONG AND DENNIS
you’re cast in roles that test your acting mettle—so, minsan, depende talaga ‘yan sa character.
“When you’re young, your choices are limited. But as you mature, your range widens, and you’re given better material and more opportunities for growth.
“Another key factor for me are the actors I work with, because you realize you don’t act alone and perform only for yourself.”
Physical requirements
In “Cain at Abel’s” case, how challenging are the physical requirements? “The series presents a different kind of challenge for us,” Dong replied. “But, while we need to be agile—since there are more kicks, jumps and punches to expect from us here—it’s still the story that truly matters.”
Do they discuss their scenes together before a take? “When we need to, yes,” Dennis replied. “But in terms of how we ‘create’ our characters, we keep it to ourselves… because in acting, spontaneity and the element of surprise are also important. You deliver genuine reactions ’ pag nagugulat ka— that way, the scenes don’t look manufactured.”
And, no, the series isn’t a TV adaptation of Lino Brocka’s 1982 classic drama starring Christopher de Leon and Phillip Salvador.
Who gets the final word when Dingdong and Dennis fight with their own siblings?
“We lead different lives now, because we already have families of our own. We don’t fight anymore,” Dong enthused. “Since I’m the eldest of five siblings, I discuss the problem with them and try to be as fair as possible. Kung puwede mong hindi problemahin ang isang bagay, huwag mo nang problemahin.”
And Dennis? “There are three of us,” he said. “But, I’m also the kuya in my family. We have long settled our differences when we were younger, so ngayon, wala na kaming issues. But if there’s any, we fix the problem immediately. Or, kung meron man, ako na ang nagbibigay para wala nang problema.”
Being their network’s most exciting dramatic actors, how does it feel to be working with each other?
“‘Cain at Abel’ is actually our third project together,” Dennis answered. “The first time we worked with each other was in ‘Twin Hearts,’ with Tanya Garcia—and that was 15 years ago. This was followed by the drama series ‘ Endless Love,’ in 2010.”
Dingdong added, “The cast also included Rudy Fernandez [ and Pops Fernandez]—and our theme song was sung by Sarah Geronimo, when she was still with GMA 7.”