Dingdong moves on after soap's cancellation

CEBU, Philippines - More than the monetary compensation, it’s any true-blue actor’s joy and fulfillment to see the result of one’s painstaking work finally aired on screen for audiences to appreciate. The shelving of his anticipated television series Haram with Kylie Padilla and veteran actress Lorna Tolentino must have then been a heartbreaking blow for Dingdong Dantes.

Especially that it was one project he was particularly excited about since it had a premise not yet tackled on our soap opera landscape before: that of an elaborate portrayal of a modern Muslim family’s beliefs and way of life.

Haram was supposed to be a part of GMA-7's fourth quarter line-up of new offerings. Below is the network’s official explanation why it had to abandon the idea for now:

“Haram is about the love of a Christian soldier (Dingdong) for a Muslim girl (Kylie). He learns that their love is haram (forbidden) but he wants to prove his honorable intentions by converting to Islam. It is the show’s intention to make viewers understand why the relationship between a Muslim girl and a man from outside Islam is forbidden.

At the same time, it aims to present the dynamics of Muslim family life in contemporary times, and the dynamics of religious and cultural pluralism … to promote better understanding and mutual respect among people of various faith traditions. But because of the current tense atmosphere all over the world, and in solidarity [with] the entire Muslim community, GMA-7 has decided it is best to shelve Haram for now.”

It is understood they are referring to the recent widespread violent backlash towards the anti-Islam film “Innocence of Muslims.”

“Of course, I was sad in the beginning,” said Dingdong of his show. “Habang tumatagal, I now have a wider understanding on why they had to come up with that decision. If it’s for peace and for the betterment of everyone, then I will support it. We don’t want to aggravate the situation on the current tension, no matter how pure our show’s intention was.”

The Protégé Gala Night host led a weekend Kapuso invasion at SM City Consolacion, joined in by fellow GMA-7 talent Michelle Madrigal and Protégé Visayan bets Zandra Summer and Bryan Benedict (now out of contention after his recent vote-off).

After the mall event, Dingdong sat down with entertainment writers at a Zubuchon restaurant in Lapu-Lapu City.

Dingdong said the idea for Haram had been on the drawingboard for quite some time. “I know they have been attempting to do this a long time ago. But since it was a delicate topic, thorough research had to be done. It just so happened na kung kailan nabuo yung research and we were already in production, the issue on the controversial anti-Islam film came out.”

While “shelved for now” is the term used by management, experience has taught Dingdong not to count on the show being greenlit again.

“I had a couple of projects before where they said it was just shelved, but never really pushed through. Sayang, because it was a nice project sana. It did not just focus on the love story between a Catholic man and a Muslim girl. We were gonna show how they are and how they lived, so it was also supposed to be educational.”

Groundbreaking

On the upside, something else is definitely pushing through after years of meticulous production.

The actor is feeling upbeat with the Oct. 17 nationwide release of Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles, his second film as co-producer after Segunda Mano. “We shot this movie about 18 months ago. We collaborated with director Erik Matti years back and he already had this project in mind. I told him I was game! At first, this was just supposed to be an indie film, until it got bigger and bigger, especially when GMA-7 got into the picture.”

Dingdong’s own production company Agostodos is one of five investors for the highly-budgeted horror-adventure movie. The other co-producers are Reality Entertainment, Mothership Studios, PostManila, and GMA Films.

The film, as Dingdong describes it, is an edgy re-imagining of a Philippine folklore, created with the use of world-class technology. Tiktik is part of the Visayan aswang mythology, depicted in the movie as horrific, man-eating creatures with a penchant for fetuses that are still in the womb. “It’s a reinvention of the tiktik. ‘Di ba if we say tiktik, that’s the aswang with the long tongue which victimizes pregnant women. Our artists came up with their own creature, so we have a much more realistic version,” Dingdong explained.

Tiktik marks the first time in Philippine cinema history that a film used full computer-generated imagery (CGI) effects, shot entirely on green screen and with a whole set built from scratch on a studio. Hollywood scenic artist Peter Collias (who worked on the sets of Moulin Rouge, Dark City and The Matrix) managed the construction of the film’s set design.

“If you’ve seen the movie ‘300’, it’s like that. It’s computer-generated and everything was shot inside a studio, but it still looks realistic. I think that would be the film’s edge, aside from it being funny and action-packed. It is truly visually-entertaining. You’ll be proud, kasi kaya pala natin yan,” said Dingdong.

A challenge for him and his co-actors was doing scenes like they were talking to or fighting off creatures that weren’t really there. “Yung ka-eksena mo wala dun, so you’re just going to pretend that he or she is there in front of you. But this is where your imagination will really come to play. While you’re acting, you have to picture that you’re really talking to someone.”

Dingdong also got to explore the unsavory side of him. Here, he is the troublemaker boyfriend of Lovi Poe. He’s forced to summon the responsible man in him when an aswang outbreak endangers his girlfriend’s life and their unborn child. “I have an unconventional character because he’s not your typical good guy-leading man. He’s in fact, an arrogant jerk,” he added.

They had planned to enter Tiktik for last year and even in this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), but Dingdong said they wanted to put the spotlight solely on the film by releasing it this month instead.

Tiktik also stars Joey Marquez, Janice de Belen, Roi Vinzon, Ramon Bautista and LJ Reyes.

Other films

Another upcoming movie of Dingdong that rings closer to home is the indie Dance of the Steel Bars, filmed back in 2010 inside the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), and obviously inspired by Cebu’s famous dancing inmates.

He said it’s taken a long time to release because having internationally-based producers makes the post-production communication process longer than usual. He was certain in announcing though that it will finally be shown by March 2013, with GMA Films partnering with the producers for the local release.

If there are no hitches, he will also topbill his second film with Star Cinema alongside Angel Locsin, Angelica Panganiban and Zanjoe Marudo. Titled One More Try, it will be an entry to this December’s MMFF.

Asked if he feels his own network’s film arm isn’t providing its talents like him good enough material where they can showcase their acting chops on the big screen, and that it had to take offers from the rival network for him to snag meaty film roles (he did win Best Actor for Segunda Mano), Dingdong responded that he doesn’t see it that way.

“I see it as GMA giving me an opportunity because they allow me to work with the other network. Nagkataon na merong offer sa kabila, and they were nice enough to allow me to do it,” he said.

The buff underwear model said he’d love to do a suspense-action film. “I haven’t been given a project in that genre yet, and I think it’s better to explore it in the movies rather than television. TV usually caters to the traditional storylines such as love stories. But when we do movies, we’re able to explore more and create roles we haven’t tackled before. Thank God for independent producers, at least the opportunities are wider.”

Cheating rumors

On the personal front, Dingdong reiterated that the dating gossip between him and Kapuso actress-host Isabelle Daza is complete nonsense.

“Kalokohan yun. The truth is, there are really people who can get so creative in inventing things, that I should give them an award. How can that happen if our relationship [with Marian Rivera] now is very strong. It’s never been this good. So imposibleng mangyari yun,” he affirmed.

He said he has no idea what the motive behind the malicious talk is. “Ever since naman, marami nang ganyan – all sorts of tactics maybe just to prove if matibay ba talaga kami. These are just trials. At the end of the day, we will always prove them wrong, especially when they see how happy we are.”

Of how his girlfriend of almost four years -- known to wage war against girls linked to her man -- has been handling the issue, Dingdong said, “Well, we talked about it. Sanay na rin kasi eh. Surprisingly, she’s not affected because she’s secure about us.” (FREEMAN)