'Biruan sa basura, man!': Eric Fructuoso on his Super Soldier 'Darna' character

MANILA, Philippines — Actor-entrepreneur Eric Fructuoso really loved working on "Mars Ravelo's Darna" so much that his antics led to the creation of the character Super Soldier Pineda.

In a virtual press conference for the show yesterday, Eric told Philstar.com that "Darna" was the first show he worked on since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020 as he couldn't accept projects after hearing the production stories that came with it.

"Ito and pinakamasayang [project] na ginawa ko, nakakapag-bond ako with the cast — mas nakaka-excite mag-trabaho kaysa umuwi sa bahay," Eric said smiling.

Eric's character in "Darna" is now the Super Soldier Pineda who has the power to control inanimate objects, particularly garbage and litter, an idea of which actually originated from exchanges of jokes on set.

"Biruan ang simula na naging character. Lahat ng napapanood ay dahil sa biruan, kahit ang dialogue," Eric shared, admitting his gratitude that the production team was open to suggestions and ideas.

As such, Eric told Philstar.com he did not have to prepare much for the new version of his character, so much that his dialogue wasn't even scripted.

"It had to be funny," Eric said as he held his dog Piso up to the camera. "Comedy has to be spontaneous."

But when it comes to what superpower he would like to have, the ability to control garbage is far from his mind. Rather, it has something to do with time.

The first would be the ability to stop time, citing an example where "kung buwisit kausap mo, pwede mo muna sabunutan and sapakin."

The second and more touching is the ability to time travel — to go back to good times — as he noted, "No regrets naman tayo sa buhay, pero that's one way to be close to the real thing [again]."

RELATED: 'Darna' series thank Celeste Cortesi for giving Pinay superheroine a global platform