On December 18, Primetime actor Dingdong Dantes shared his experience working with award-winning actor John Arcilla during their action sequences.
At the media conference for his Metro Manila Film Festival movie, A Hard Day, Dantes lauded Arcilla’s acting prowess during their shoot.
“Dito talagang Day 1 hanggang dulo talaga eh, talagang hardcore action po siya. Kung ma-eexperience ko man ito, saan pa ba kung hindi kasama si ginoong John Arcilla. It made the experience more worth it dahil talagang pag nag-in character si Heneral, I call him Heneral parati ‘pag nagkikita kami kasi talagang sobrang nakakatakot siya bilang his character.”
He added that the Volpi Cup winner inspires other actors to follow his lead during sequences.
“No wonder eh talagang Volpi Cup winner si ginoong John Arcilla whenever he wear his character talagang kumbaga kung hindi ka napapa-action, mapapa-action ka talaga dahil sa husay niya talaga.”
He also shared his humbling reaction to Arcilla’s commitment to his craft as an actor.
“Kaya nga ‘yung masasabi ko, ‘yung experience ko dito ay kakaiba. It’s really humbling dahil ang dami mong natutunan sa bawat proyekto na ginagawa mo.
“I’m truly grateful na nabigyan ako ng Viva ng pagkakataon na siya ‘yung makasama ko.
“Pumapasok siya sa taping ng puyat dahil tatlong project yata ‘yung tinatapos niya noong time na ‘yun, may probinsyano, mayroon pang dalawang pelikula na kasabay. Pero ni isang katiting na reklamo, ni katiting na ebidensiya na siya ay napapagod ay hinding-hindi mo makikita. So nakaka-inspire ‘yung ganong mga actor.”
Dantes also recalled his brief chance to work with Arcilla in GMA Network’s Encantadia.
“‘Yung Encantadia halos dalawa o tatlong eksena lang kami nagkasama noong pinaglalabanan namin ‘yung mga kingdoms noon. Ako ‘yung flashback, unfortunately very shortlived ‘yung aming working relationship doon.”
He then praised Arcilla’s nuances in his previous projects, noting how he learned from the seasoned actor while on set.
“Napanood ko ‘yung OTJ for the very first time, ‘yung kabuuan at nakita ko talaga ‘yung performance ni Heneral doon at talagang na-impress talaga ako.
“The small nuances of an actor, they really define, and they really paint a picture no matter how–small the nuance is. It paints the big picture of defining kung sino ka bilang character. At ang galing, napakahusay ni John Arcilla doon sa On the Job.”
He admitted being on his toes whenever he works in a scene with the Heneral Luna star.
“Hindi ka pwedeng papetiks-petiks kasi pag nandiyan siya always on your toes. Baka may gawin siya tapos kailangan ready ka mag-react so very, very exciting na ganon ‘yung aming set up.”
He added that he felt intimidated whenever Arcilla dons his character in A Hard Day.
“Definitely, lalo na kung suot na niya ‘yung character sobrang intimidating niya. ‘Yun lang masasabi ko. Pag suot na niya ‘yung pulis character, sobrang intimidating kaya nakakatakot. I think it made the scenes more effective.”
He then expressed his interest in working on Arcilla’s biopic as one of his acting projects in the future.
“I don’t know kung ano ‘yung next. Kung anong role, hindi ko pa rin alam, pero sabi ko baka pwede biopic. Kung sinong gagampanan, baka pwedeng si John Arcilla.”
A Hard Day stars two-time MMFF Best Actor Dingdong Dantes and the 2021 Venice Film Festival’s Volpi Cup Best Actor John Arcilla.
The action-packed film, directed by Lawrence Fajardo, is a Filipino adaptation of a Korean movie of the same title. It serves as Viva Films’ official entry for Metro Manila Film Festival and premieres on December 25.
