How Pepe Herrera built chemistry with 'The Iron Heart' cast

While waiting for their scenes to be shot, one of the things that the cast of “The Iron Heart” bonded over was watching documentaries, films, or series together and then dissecting these afterwards.

When we talked to Pepe Herrera during a set visit, they were in the last episode of “American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing” – a three-part documentary streaming on Netflix that takes a closer look at the 2013 domestic terrorist attack and the ensuing search for the two brother perpetrators.

“Habang nag-aantay sa set, nagkukwentuhan kami, what we can learn from it. May assessment, may debriefing,” Herrera said. “Nagkukwentuhan kami about religion, war, mga pang brain exercise.”

The 33-year-old actor – whose claim to fame was Coco Martin’s sidekick in the long-running series “Ang Probinsyano” – shared that “The Iron Heart” stars got into the habit of recommending shows to one another.

“Pagkatapos naming panoorin, pag-uusapan namin kung bakit kami nagandahan, kung sinong favorite character namin, bakit namin favorite yun…,” he said.

Co-star Sue Ramirez put in a good word for the dark comedy series “Beef”, while he himself encouraged his colleagues to check out the Oscar-winning “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” starring Michelle Yeoh.

“Pinag-usapan din namin yun why it’s so beautiful, kailangan kaya namin gumawa ng ganong klaseng pelikula. Syempre masarap din mangarap na balang araw kami din magagawa din namin yun,” he said.

Apart from the activity being a means to unwind and a talking point among them on set, Herrera said that personally, he considers it as preparation for his role as Poseidon, the sidekick and comic foil to Richard Gutierrez’s Apollo.

“I need to be friends with my co-workers because that’s the way you build chemistry. Kapag nakikita mo ‘Ay ang galing! Nag-e-enjoy sila, parang magkaibigan talaga.’ Kasi magkaibigan talaga sa totoong buhay. Yun yung bonus ng trabaho namin – to have new friends. Napapaganda yung trabaho because of that. I am happy to say that we’re all friends because of this show.”

Culminating tomorrow, October 13, after an almost 11-month run, “The Iron Heart” has broken its live viewership record multiple times. According to a press release, it accumulated more than 600 million views on various social media sites and gripped the attention of netizens with its viral action scenes and plot twists.

For its October 6 episode, the action-drama’s creatives received praise from netizens after they were stunned about the orchestrated plan of Apollo and Menandro (Ian Veneracion) to gain the trust of the Tatsulok members and find out the secrets behind Altare.

In the last mission shot in Tokyo, Japan, Apollo strives to put an end to Priam’s (Albert Martinez) and Eros’ (Jake Cuenca) nefarious plans.

Asked if he had feared his character would be killed off as one of the plot twists, Herrera said he’s of the mindset that anything goes these days on television. What an actor can do is just do one’s best every filming day.

“Iisipin ko, ito na yung last ko. Kung magkaroon ako ng another day, bonus na lang yun., “ he said. “Yung sa ‘Probinsyano,’ to be completely honest, it was my request to take a break because that time, I was having difficulties mentally and physically. Gusto kong magpagamot kasama ng mother ko sa Switzerland. Si Coco yung nag-isip na ‘Sige Pe, pagbibigyan kita pero kung pwede, after Christmas bibigyan kita ng heroic ending.’ So kaya naging ganun.”

Herrera recalled that when his character Benny in “Probinsyano” met his demise, fans sent him videos of their kids, nephews and nieces crying their eyes out.

“Pag nakita nila ako, nagugulat sila kasi buhay pa pala ako. Syempre sa TV lang yun. They get so attached with your role. Nakaka-proud. It’s a warm feeling,” said Herrera, once declared by Regal Films matriarch Lily Monteverde as this generation’s Rene Requiestas, the late famous comedian during the late ‘80s.

Herrera surmised that a key to his popularity among casting heads – he was among the rare few who didn’t run out of work during the height of the pandemic – is “prioritizing sincerity and honesty” in everything he does.

And so where to next for Herrera after “The Iron Heart”? Aside from another series, he’s working on a personal project: a documentary on sustainability, in line with his other passion as an environmentalist.

As for the next role he’d like to check off, Herrera hopes to tap into his first love anew. The theater artist has an Arts degree from the UST Conservatory of Music, was a member of UST’s choral group Coro Tomasiño, had been a music teacher briefly, and had moonlighted as a singer while waitering in a cruise ship.

“Since I am a musician, I would love to portray one in a film like ‘La La Land’,” he said.