Angel takes on more challenging mission after The General’s Daughter
MANILA, Philippines — Angel Locsin had so much fun and fulfillment doing The General’s Daughter that she’d be more than willing to work with the same cast and crew for free.
After airing on ABS-CBN’s primetime block for nine months, the series is coming to a close on Oct. 4. And the lead star has nothing but gratitude for its run, which saw Angel still the reigning queen of the Pinoy action genre.
“This is my first teleserye with (the production unit) Dreamscape. They really took care of me, gave me high-calibre co-workers, good people. Kumbaga ang galing nila humanap ng tao kung sino ang mag-swa-swak kung kanino, even with the staff, so maraming, maraming salamat!” she said during a presscon at Dolphy Theater last Sept. 26. “This is very memorable for me, one of the shows that I truly loved, iilan lang po yun. Kung meron pa pong pagkakataon na pagsama-samahin kaming lahat dito para magkatrabaho (again), I will do it for free. That’s how much I love them.”
“For one week lang po hahaha,” she quipped. “Pero malaking bagay po yun.”
Asked what’s next for her after the series, now that it’s down to its finale week, she laid out her plans — do movies, improve her health and more importantly, focus on preparations for her upcoming wedding.
“I have four pending movies with Star Cinema that I need to do before my contract ends. But I don’t want to talk about it yet because not until the project is right in front of me, it’s not a go yet,” Angel said. “So after The General’s Daughter, I will work on my health again, sa dami ng binagsak ko and also papagaling muna ulit ako.”
Nevertheless, a more challenging mission she’s taking on after the series is her wedding. “Aayusin ko po ‘yung kasal ko. I think that’s the bigger challenge, a tougher challenge that I’m about to enter. Good luck to me!”
One thing is for sure, amidst wedding preps and all, Angel will continue working. After all, she went on a five-year hiatus prior to The General’s Daughter due to health issues, particularly a spinal injury.
“Five years ‘yung break ko kaya gusto ko magtrabaho ulit. But I think for a few months, I will attend to personal matters then back to work again before the wedding,” the actress said.
Meanwhile, the cast and directors were asked what they would miss the most from working with each other. They’ve been together for nine months after the show enjoyed several extensions.
Emmanuel “Manny” Palo, who directed the series with Mervyn Brondial, said, “We were together much longer than that. Although The General’s Daughter aired from January until Oct. 4, we started shooting May of last year. Just the pilot alone took us months to finish, the actual shoot, the effects, everything.”
“It’s the first action-oriented teleserye I’ve done with ABS. I did mostly dramas. It was my first time to do this much action every single week. It’s not easy. There’s a lot of risks involved, and the mounting has to be somehow different and unique in terms of using lenses and angles. That’s why it’s so difficult. And being on the set three times a week with these actors is already quite a challenge. Can you imagine? Hahaha!” he added.
One of the more memorable scenes he had to helm was filmed in a cemetery. It took them a whole day to shoot it, involving almost all cast members and an intense confrontation where characters found themselves pointing guns at each other. On top of that, an earthquake happened.
“Naghahabol ako ng araw, we were under the sun, tapos ang dami-dami nilang opinions and questions na gusto ko rin silang tutukan ng baril, sa totoo lang, hahaha! But it turned out to be a very good scene because of all of their inputs,” direk Manny recalled.
“Working with these artists, you have to be focused, thorough and prepared because they are focused, thorough and prepared when they come on set. So, I must admit, it was a challenge at the same time, nalulungkot nga ako because the two-year journey is almost going to end, where on our last few days of taping. It’s been an honor to be assigned to this project and I’m so thankful to Dreamscape, Sir Deo (Endrinal, Dreamscape boss) and ABS-CBN for entrusting this project (to me).”
As for Tirso Cruz III, who plays the teleserye’s resident villain Tiago, he learned a lot from working with the younger cast, which also includes Paulo Avelino, JC de Vera, Ryza Cenon, Loisa Andalio and Ronnie Alonte, among others.
“They say you learn from the veterans, but that’s not true because you learn from the young people. Sa amin kasi, tulungan eh. Give and take. When you work, you’re only as good as the person who works with you, the one who helps you, who uplifts you, who enhances your character, and with whom you talk about scenes,” Tirso said.
“These are the things you will miss if you work with this kind of team, from the director up to the utility who serves the coffee, we joke around with them, especially during breakfast. With Angel, di niyo alam na kahit under the weather siya, trabaho pa rin ito… She still puts her best foot forward.”
“Truth to the matter is, this is my family. The General’s Daughter will always be my family even after the show winds up,” added Tirso.
Meanwhile, Albert Martinez, another seasoned actor in the series, cited his most unforgettable scenes.
“For me, the most memorable you haven’t seen them yet. The most difficult fight scenes I’ve experienced in my life as an actor, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., nakikipag-suntukan kami, and next week, you will watch it and find out why it is the most unforgettable for me.”
In a media release, the finale week promises “a rollercoaster of action scenes, thrilling stunts and moving moments” as Rhian (Angel) is deadset on completing her last mission. Along with Franco (Paulo) and her father Marcial (Albert), she will exhaust all means to stop Tiago (Tirso), who intends to resort to violence to fulfill his long-time dream of destroying the government and leading the country.
Meanwhile, Corazon (Eula Valdez) fears for the safety of her husband and daughter. Amelia (Janice de Belen) decides to leave Tiago to begin a new life with their son.
With time running out, will the mission succeed? Also part of the show’s star-studded cast are Maricel Soriano and Arjo Atayde, whose mother-and-son characters provided some of series’ most dramatic moments.
Despite being the No. 2 show next to FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, based on Kantar Media’s Sept. 20 national TV ratings, the “right time” has come for the series to end, said Dreamscape boss Deo Endrinal. “Iyong kuwento po kasi hindi naman nating gusto palaylayin. Mas gusto po ng team and management na let’s end this at the right time, na magtatapos siya sa length nung kuwento na nararapat para sa kanya.”
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