Coco happily back to pure drama

MANILA, Philippines - “I really missed doing pure drama,” said Coco Martin after the presscon last Tuesday night for his upcoming starrer, the ABS-CBN period soap Ikaw Lamang under Dreamscape Entertainment Television which also stars Kim Chiu, Julia Montes and Jake Cuenca. It will air on the Primetime Bida block beginning March 10.

Coco, who was last seen as the sword-wielding young hero in the fantasy-action adventure Juan Dela Cruz, said he is excited to swing back to pure drama “because honestly I prefer this (acting) genre more than anything; it’s one concept that is close to my heart probably because my life has gone through a lot of dramatic episodes that’s why I love to keep on coming back to this type.”

But this doesn’t mean that the actor, who has already won several Best Actor trophies that validated his acting talent, no longer need much focus on every dramatic role he is about to portray. There is still no room for complacency, he said, especially now that he is about to give life to Samuel who belongs to a poor working class of the ‘60s in Ikaw Lamang.

“I find my role more challenging since the setting of the story is in the past era. Kailangan kong pag-aralan kung paano ang galaw ng tao noon at di din ito yung the usual love story.”

Add to that the pressure of having to achieve a perfect onscreen chemistry with leading lady Kim who plays his love interest Isabelle. He admitted to having a tough time adjusting to their scenes together although this is not the first time that the two worked for a TV project. Coco and Kim first worked in Tayong Dalawa years ago (where Coco described his role as “asungot lang”) and then followed by Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo as siblings.

“Actually, it’s a lot difficult on my part, especially now that we have just started taping (for the soap). Kailangan talagang pagtuunan ng panahon at trabahuhin na magkaroon kami ng chemistry. It’s been a long time since we last worked together at nagkikita lang kami ni Kim either in occasions or here in ABS-CBN so I need to know and understand her more as my new partner to be able to develop a good rapport. Meron din iba na they click instantly on cam but in my case, di kasi ako yung tipong nagugustuhan agad.”

However, Coco noticed how Kim has evolved into a fine actress whose effective performance cannot be denied in the many projects that she did on the big and small screens.

“Ako bilang artista nanonood din ako ng mga soap opera and I saw how Kim has grown and matured as an actress. If you notice, napakagaling na n’ya kaya nakaka-pressure din.”

For her part, Kim said that she is honored to be paired with Coco, who is now being tagged as the King of Teleserye, because “I’m sure there are lots of lessons to learn from him when it comes to drama.”

Kim, too, admired how Coco gives his inputs to the project. “He always asks me if there is something I’d like to add, ako naman nahihiya sabi ko susunod na lang ako.”

As much as possible, Coco said, he tries to be involved in doing the concept in order for him to work on his character well, adding, “If there’s no taping, I’d rather attend creative meetings para kahit papaano makapag-bigay ng idea.”

Truth is, he was not able to spend time for some rest and leisure after Juan Dela Cruz ended. He was busy shooting the film Padre de Pamilya with Nora Aunor which he also produced.

“Gusto ko kasi makagawa ng movie or indie kahit isa lang bawat taon so even if there is one month allotted to rest, ang gagawin ko, pipilitin ko makagawa ng isang pelikula na balang araw maipagmamalaki at mapapanood ng mga magiging anak at apo ko.”

Given his tight schedule in Ikaw Lamang, Coco still finds time to shoot a movie with Sarah Geronimo saying, “I try to attend to many things as much as possible for the future. Everybody knows that nothing is permanent, especially here in showbiz so hangga’t meron at kaya naman gawin ayos lang basta nakapagpapasaya tayo ng mga tao.”

(Ikaw Lamang, directed by Malu Sevilla and Avel Sunpongco, also stars Ronaldo Valdez, Tirso Cruz III, Cherry Pie Picache, Cherie Gil, John Estrada, Daria Ramirez, Meryl Soriano, Spanky Manikan and Lester Llansang. Zaijian Jaranilla, Xyriel Manabat, Louise Abuel and Alyanna Angeles will play the young Coco, Kim, Jake and Julia, respectively.)