Matteo reinvents Pedro Penduko

MANILA,Philippines — Matteo Guidicelli is Pedro Penduko. He continues the narrative of the Pinoy folk superhero to remind the young and the young-at-heart of how rich Filipino culture is.

“I’d always want to represent the Filipino culture, the Filipino condition, the Filipino ways,” said Matteo of his latest big screen role with a cultural advocacy in an interview with The STAR, “and (I’d like) to give talaga authentic credibility and authentic showcase to the audience kumbaga. I’m very blessed to get Pedro Penduko.”

He considers the movie project a “very nice” opportunity for the actor to explore the Filipino “ways, cultural values and traditions.” As one may put it, the Pinoy values embedded in films compete with foreign values presented in Western movies in holding the public’s engagement and imagination. “The ways of fighting (here) are Filipino, sana we can show that to the world that we have this,” he added.

Since this retelling of Pedro Penduko takes its roots in Philippine folklore, based heavily on Visayan ancient history, the movie, set for release in 2020, is replete with themes “about religion, about family, about love, (about) resilience, all of that, (how) passionate (a Filipino is), (it’s) all about a Filipino kumbaga,” he said. Matteo is somehow paying homage to the Pinoy in him, which is one of the reasons why he joined the army and embarked on a 45-day training.

“I feel like the army is the straightest and most honest way in being one with the country,” he shared. Matteo is the perfect choice for he possesses the right physique and psyche in handling the demands of the role.

“I’m so honored to play Pedro Penduko,” he said. “This is a dream come true, to play a Filipino hero.” This childhood thing goes with every child, who dreams of acquiring special powers to save the day. Matteo is no exception.

“I have to be honest, (it’s) the action that excites me very much, the fighting, the flying,” he shared, looking forward to the possibility of his film to reach international audiences.

“Yes, of course, it makes you feel like young again,” he said. “I’m 29 but it makes you feel like a teenager again. So it’s gonna be exciting.”

In Penduko, the movie title, Matteo will collaborate with two directors, Jason Paul Laxamana and Sonny Sison. Jason is in charge of the film and the screenplay, while Sonny is responsible for the authentic, cinematic stunts.

The film will veer away from the narratives told in the versions starred by Efren Reyes Sr., Ramon Zamora, Janno Gibbs (for movies) and Matt Evans (for TV). It will be action filled with a tinge of comedy. Penduko has no love interest but will be joined by a motley of interesting characters. The action-adventure-fantasy film is presented by Viva Films and Epik Studios.

“I think we have a great team,” he said. “Direk Sonny Sison is a Hollywood stunt director, stuntman. He has something very fresh to put on the plate and plus he imbibes Filipino martial arts, different kinds of martial arts. So we really talked and sabi namin ‘We want to really show this and (present) this to the Filipino youth.’ The youth is a very, very big part of our society. So sana we can really give justice to Pedro Penduko, and showcase something fresh and memorable.” Matteo is in good hands.

There is Jason, who has had box-office romance dramas and was a cultural worker with stints at the Center for Kapampangan Studies and NCCA’s cinema committee. He knows the importance of preserving and promoting Pinoy culture through video or film. During the round-table interview, Jason said he believes that Pedro Penduko, the creation of National Artist for Visual Arts Francisco Coching, is a platform to serve that purpose.

As for acting, Matteo said: “That will see in the future because direk (Jason) is finishing up the script, etc., but we’re preparing. I think the production is very, very important. hindi basta-basta sasabak agad. We have to prepare. We’ve been preparing for three months in different aspects, physical conditioning, emotional, values, all of these things, so that when we start, we can get everything in tact kumbaga.” This is Matteo’s biggest project and he is ready to flex his muscles and mind to it. His training is every other day to get comfortable in “using kicks and making it (the execution) seem natural,” and to utilize his arms and elbows.

Penduko is visualized to engage in intense street and hand-to-hand fighting using the Bisaya arnis (martial arts), wearing solid Visayan tattoos with a (bamboo) spear instead of a bow as among physical cultural references. His dialogues are (mostly) in Tagalog, while some in Bisaya. Matteo is continuously reading up literature about his character. “It’s gonna be a new, modern take,” he shared with the media. “We had a photo shoot to represent Pedro Penduko, his vibe and his look.” Although this is another reincarnation of Pedro Penduko, something about him remains the same that he is a Filipino character who will be thrown into the supernatural world, said direk Jason.

“When I joined the military, I realized so much about our culture. I met a lot of datu leaders, a lot of baganis,” Matteo concluded, “a lot of indigenous people and these people are the source of our Filipino culture.”