On February 10, American actor Brandon Melo recounted the 9-month process of taking on his character in Take Me to Banaue.
At the Philippine screening of Take Me to Banaue, which LionhearTV covered, Melo highlighted his preparations for his role, including his body and facial transformations.
“Oh, I mean, it was [quite] tedious. It was a nine-month process, and I respect that. Danny [made sure that] I was [right] for the role, and I had a few things going against me [at that time.]
“I was a lot younger than anticipated. So, I took a lot of prep work to study [–you know,] like engineering likes in the media. [And also] I lost 45 pounds in full. And I grew out my beard and everything. It was quite the process [from] auditioning to never forgetting the role and to training.”
He also noted how he bonded with his co-stars for the film.
“And as an actor, I love to transform. So yeah, it was such an exciting prospect. Yeah, this shoot really required me to get to know the cast. You know, step by step, really get to know Maureen and really building the chemistry. Same with Thea, so it required a lot of testing with everyone.”
Aside from his role, he also underscored the uniqueness of their movie.
“Yeah, absolutely. There’s no other movie like this right now, which is so exciting for me [right now.] Honestly, as a consumer, it’s really a watching experience.”
As for their film, Take Me to Banaue stars Brandon Melo, Maureen Wroblewitz, Thea Tolentino, and Dylan Rogers.
The cast also features MJ Lastimosa, Archi Adamos, Megan Guthrie, Glenn Franklin, Norman ‘Boobay’ Balbuena, Hilliard Paul Puguon, Lorian Fausto, and Paul Frohlich.
Under the direction of Danny Aguilar, Take Me to Banaue is available via their website takemetobanauefilm.com.
