December 5, 2024 | 12:00am
Daniel Padilla is stepping into a new chapter of his showbiz career, trading in romance for action in his teleserye comeback.
The actor, who belongs to a family of action stars, is part of the lead ensemble cast in Lester Pimentel Ong’s latest action-packed series “Incognito,” set to premiere on Netflix on Jan. 17.
In response to a question from The Philippine STAR during a mediacon, Daniel shared his excitement about finally exploring and embracing the hard action genre, which after all is rooted in his DNA.
“Nakapag-warm-up naman na kami ni direk Lester (Pimentel Ong) sa ‘La Luna Sangre.’ Nakasubok na ng konting action doon. Of course, it’s very different but iba rin ‘to,” he said.
Daniel further shared the thrill of executing stunts and the sense of fulfillment that comes with it.
The cast with director Lester Pimentel Ong (rightmost) and Star Creatives business unit head Des de Guzman (leftmost).
“Simula ng araw mo, adrenaline rush na hanggang gabi. Pagdating mo sa hotel mo, very fulfilling kasi may mga stunts na hindi madadali pero ‘pag nagawa namin ‘yon, very fulfilling. Kahit papano it’s very new for me but masaya (it’s fun),” he said.
Daniel said he intends to do this for a long time.
“Mataga
Daniel with the lead ensemble cast of the Star Creatives series (from left) Anthony Jennings, Maris Racal, Ian Veneracion, Richard Gutierrez, Kaila Estrada and Baron Geisler
l-tagal ko rin gagawin ‘to,” he added.
When asked by this paper about how he’s dealing with the pressure of being part of a family known for its action stars — from his father Rommel Padilla to his uncle, Sen. Robin Padilla — Daniel downplayed any expectations.
“Wala naman silang binibigay na pressure sa akin,” he said.
“Wala naman akong nararamdaman na kaba. Hindi ko alam. I’m just doing my best. Kung ano kalabasan ‘yon, eh ‘di yun na ‘yun (whatever the result is, then that’s it). And I’m proud sa ginagawa naming lahat as a group.”
Daniel also said that he’s looking forward to showing the outcome to his father.
“Excited din akong pakita sa erpat ko ‘to. Parang panis siya sa akin dito. Joke lang,” he said.
The actor acknowledged the unique strengths of his family members while expressing his eagerness to create his own space in the action genre.
“Iba-iba naman ang timpla namin. Magaling si Tito Robin, mahusay. Ang tatay ko nando’n din. Tignan natin kung ano ang mai-o-offer ko. That’s all,” he said.
Besides Daniel, the cast also features Ian Veneracion, Richard Gutierrez, Baron Geisler, Kaila Estrada, Anthony Jennings and Maris Racal.
“It’s a story about seven individuals who are going through a lot of challenges in their lives. They’re at the lowest points in their journey in life. But this is the time where they’re aspiring for a second chance,” teased the director, who previously megged the action-oriented series “Iron Heart.”
In “Incognito,” Daniel plays the character of Andres Malvar. “He is dugong Igorot, he’s makatao and he’s a discharged scout ranger,” he briefly described his character.
To physically prepare for the show’s stunt works, the actor said he did a lot of golf, muay thai and basketball.
Daniel agreed to the project partly through the persuasive powers of co-stars Ian and Richard.
“When the story was first mentioned to me by direk Lester, sobra akong nagkaroon ng interest. (When they said that this is) about this private military contractor, I thought, ayos yun ah,” he shared.
“Then he mentioned, sino-sino mga kasama. Then Tito Ian convinced me to do this (laughs). Tinawagan niya ako, si Richard din, so na-excite ako. Ibang timpla din. And then yung nabanggit nila na elevation in terms of action… where the story was headed for, I really wanted to be part of it.
“I could also see that there was a different fire in direk Lester’s eyes when he was telling this story. That’s why I said, yes, I want to be part of this. Thank you guys. Happy to be part of this,” he concluded.
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