The latest action drama series “Incognito,” which is set to debut on Netflix today (Jan. 17), aims to elevate the action-drama genre to new heights. The ABS-CBN Star Creatives production is banking on an intriguing plot about private military contractors, high-stakes action scenes shot from Palawan to Italy, and a well-assembled cast.
In the show, Richard Gutierrez, Baron Geisler, Maris Racal, Anthony Jennings, Kaila Estrada, Ian Veneracion and Daniel Padilla are seven individuals going through a lot of challenges in their personal lives, but who find themselves joining forces for special missions.
In an exclusive interview with The STAR, director Lester Pimentel Ong, whose previous action drama was “The Iron Heart,” got to share the casting process for “Incognito.” He said the team focused on gathering the best possible cast members who are not only skilled in acting but also capable of handling the intense physical demands of the series.
In a previous mediacon, the cast had spoken about undergoing a four-month training program on martial arts, muay thai, war games and tactical combat.
“We had a concept that should be portrayed by a group of actors, and we really chose the best possible cast for this in terms of acting skills. No. 1, of course, as you know, sila ang isa sa ilan sa pinakamagaling dito sa Pilipinas that we can showcase to the world (when it comes to) the Filipino talent," said direk Lester.
"Other than great acting skills, kailangan natin ng athleticism and physical abilities," he further told The STAR. "So, we did our homework, nag-research kami, pinanood namin yung mga previous projects nila at pinanood namin yung mga ibang appearances nila sa mga live TV shows."
For Richard, who plays ex-Navy Seal Jose Bonifacio, shooting the action-packed series was both challenging and exhilarating.
"Maraming challenges, especially when you're creating a new action series. There's also a lot of pressure that comes with it. But knowing that you're with a great group of actors, great production, and, you know, kami ni Daniel nagsama na rin kami sa ‘La Luna Sangre,’ so medyo gamay na namin ang isa't isa," he said, referring to his previous collaboration with fellow lead actor.
Richard also found comfort in the camaraderie of the cast. Besides Daniel, he most recently worked with Ian, Baron and Anthony in “The Iron Heart.” "Yung samahan namin, kahit na mahirap yung mga tasks namin sa set, masaya pa rin namin itong ginagawa. May biruan pa rin, you know, so we had a great (work) environment and that helps a lot with all the challenging conditions of the series."
For Daniel, who plays former scout ranger Andres Malvar, "Incognito" marked his first major foray into hard action after starring mostly in romance projects in the past. "Merong pressure. Hindi pwedeng mawala 'yun, ‘di ba? The pressure should be there because if not, you'd become too relaxed or comfortable,” he admitted though stressing the pressure is more on how they could deliver a better show.
Apart from the ensemble cast, the action sequences are expected to be a major draw for audiences. Maris and Kaila, who are both newcomers to action roles, have expressed their excitement about what's to come in “Incognito.”
Maris, who portrays a skilled spy named Gabriela Rivera, said, "I think yung sinasabi lagi ng team namin, we really try to elevate the action, drama, camera work and stunts for this show. So that's what viewers should watch out for.
“It’s very, very, very good quality. It’s like watching a film. They shot it like a film. Even the colors of the scene and the cinematography are very beautiful as well, so I hope they watch out for it,” she added.
Kaila, on the other hand, recalled a particular scene during filming in Italy. "One of my favorite scenes — top of my head — that we shot was the group fight scene in Italy," said the actress whose role is the top hacker Max Alvero.
"I feel like we had several (favorite scenes), but there's one in the bar, I feel like that was really fun to do. It was challenging, and also, it was really nice to work with the group of Italian stuntmen because the way they worked was very different."
Kaila's excitement over their scenes was also shared by Anthony, who takes on the role of “Tomas,” described as “rough but tough” with a “humble background.”
“My favorite scene was the swamp scene in Palawan,” he teased. “Kasi biglaan lang, hindi dapat swamp 'yun. At bigla na siyang naging swamp."
Direk Lester also reminisced about the difficulty of filming the swamp scene: "Waist-deep water kami, whole day of fighting — gun fight, fist fight. It was a fishing village na sa Palawan. We thought it would be low tide, but it was high tide that day, so it was submerging. We used that to our advantage, but it was so hard. Pero mas gumanda siya (the scene)."
Despite the challenges, safety remained a top priority on set. "Aside from the difficulties, physically, when we’re doing action, there is always risk involved," said the filmmaker.
"We can only minimize risk, but we cannot eliminate risk. So I’m very grateful na laging safe naman yung nangyayari. But everyone is alert and everyone is very supportive of each other’s safety."
As "Incognito" premieres, the cast and crew are confident that the series will resonate with audiences on multiple levels.
Ian, who plays the military tactician Greg Baterno in the series, shared why he's “happy to be part of this team.”
"For me, definitely, this is the biggest project I’ve ever been involved in — in terms of cast, in terms of the stunts, in terms of location," he said.
"It’s huge and the coverage of the story is expansive because of the nature of our job as military contractors. So it allows us to branch out, story-wise and location-wise. We can shoot anywhere in the world."
As for Baron, who essays the role of the sniper and medic Miguel Tecson, he pointed out that the depth of the story goes beyond the action.
"It’s not just an action series. The story is very, very well-written by Sir Henry Quitain and directed by, for me, the best action director in the Philippines, and probably in Asia — direk Lester," the actor shared.
"(Audiences) will learn a lot here because each character has something to fight for, stands for something, and is resilient. So many people will be able to relate when they watch this."