Ruru Madrid and Miguel Tanfelix: Future directors?

CEBU, Philippines —  GMA Network lead actors Ruru Madrid and Miguel Tanfelix revealed their aspirations of stepping behind the camera as directors.

At the press conference of “Mga Batang Riles” on January 18, Tanfelix discussed how the collaborative nature of the show’s production sparked his interest in directing.

“During our brainstorming sessions with the creative team, we’d talk about how we’d execute the fight scenes. I am so grateful for those sessions because I might venture into directing,” said Tanfelix.

“It’s such a collaborative set, which is a huge blessing for me as an actor. I feel deeply connected to my character, Kidlat, and wanted to give it my all.”

The 26-year-old actor has long been fascinated by behind-the-scenes work. “As someone who’s always in front of the camera, I have always been intrigued by what goes on behind it. When I was around 18 years old, I started asking directors and cameramen about how they operate the cameras,” he recalled.

It was during the pandemic, however, when he began considering directing more seriously. “We couldn’t shoot on sets because of quarantine. So, I had to decide how my branded content would be shot and work with the scripts given to me. That’s when I realized I might have some potential,” he explained.

Tanfelix envisions his directorial debut as a short psychological thriller film. “Many of my favorite films are psychological thrillers, so I have a lot of inspiration to draw from,” he told The FREEMAN.

Fresh off his Best Supporting Actor win at the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival last December, Madrid shared his desire to direct a project as impactful as “Green Bones.” If it was up to him, he’d love to helm an “inspiring” action film.

“It’s hard to follow up something like’ Green Bones’ because it’s such a good movie. But it made me realize that I want to direct and produce stories in the future that can inspire people,” Madrid shared during the Jan. 19 press conference for the second season of “Lolong: Bayani ng Bayan.”

Madrid hopes the second season of “Lolong” will encourage viewers to embrace arnis as the national martial art.

“Hollywood productions like ‘John Wick’ and ‘Arrow’ use arnis in their fight scenes. So why don’t we use arnis to promote Filipino martial arts to the youth?” Madrid suggested. “Action scenes are often inspired by Muay Thai or boxing, which is great, but I personally believe we should highlight our own martial arts.”

Madrid reprises the titular role in “Lolong: Bayani ng Bayan” at 8 p.m. weekdays after “24 Oras”, while Tanfelix as Kidlat leads the “Mga Batang Riles” at 8:50 p.m. on GMA Prime with same-night replays on GTV.