There are roles that actors dream of giving life to, and Gerald Anderson feels lucky enough to be playing a character he surely could sink his teeth into.
“First of all, I was excited kasi it’s something na ‘yung character ko bilang Saul is a character I’ve always wanted to play, you know, a business tycoon,” Anderson said during the Nov. 23 online press conference for his latest TV series, “Hello, Heart” with Gigi de Lana, an IQIYI and ABS-CBN partnership.
(First of all, I was excited because it’s something that my character, Saul, is a character I’ve always wanted to play, you know, a business tycoon.)
Anderson could relate to his Saul character, because like him, he is also a businessman in real life. He owns a gym and a resort.
“Since the pandemic, I’ve been venturing into business. Doon sa aspeto na iyon ay naiintindihan ko ‘yung stress ni Saul kapag pumapasok sa office, ‘yung determination niya, ‘yung focus niya kapag nasa meeting, or to close a deal, how important that is. Kumbaga, mas nakaka-relate, mas naiintindihan ko,” he explained.
(In that aspect, I understand the stress Saul faces when he reports to the office, his determination, his focus when he’s in a meeting, or to close deal, how important that is. It’s as if I can relate more, and I understand it better.)
When told that he’d be paired with singer de Lana, Anderson immediately researched about her on YouTube. Although their pairing is relatively new, as De Lana is acting for the first time, and this project is their initial tandem, Anderson is positive that they will click.
“For some reason, it always works kapag ganoon. ‘Pag fresh at ‘pag bago ‘yun [partner], it excited me. It’s another challenge for me bilang artista, bilang actor. It’s exciting for the fans,” he said.
(For some reason, it always works when it’s like that. When the partner is fresh and new, it [excites] me. It’s another challenge for me, as an artist, as an actor.)
Meanwhile, for Anderson, the number one factor he considers when he accepts an assignment is the story.
“Number one po sa akin, alam ng lahat na hindi ako naniniwala na artista ang magdadala or ‘yung love team, hindi. It has to be the story talaga. Kapag maganda ang story, kapag may ibig sabihin siya, merong mapupulot na value at aral ang audience natin, at makaka-relate sila, job done,” he said.
(That’s number one for me. Everybody knows that I do not believe that artists or love teams carry the film. No. It really has to be the story. If the story is good, if it has a message, there’s a lesson and value to be picked up by the audience. They can relate, job done.) JB
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