Dennis finds more freedom in indie

MANILA, Philippines - If you think Dennis Trillo has trouble shaking off his gay character Eric in the GMA 7 drama My Husband’s Lover with Tom Rodriguez (where they became popularly known as TomDen), think again. Apparently, Dennis can be a menace — and an effective one at that — in the 10th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival entry The Janitor under the Directors Showcase category.

“Minsan lang din kasi akong mabigyan ng ganitong klaseng project,” says Dennis. “So when direk Mike (Tuviera) told me the story in full detail, I instantly fell in love with it; ‘yung excitement ko sobra-sobra and I said yes right away to the role. This is my first time to kill (in a movie). Imagine the emotional burden na pumatay ka (ng tao).”

In The Janitor, Dennis is police officer Crisanto Espina who is relieved from duty because he was wrongly accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Instead of proving his innocence, he keeps his silence in blind obedience until his superiors assign him to a mission where he can redeem himself.

To prepare for his role, Dennis underwent mixed martial arts training weeks before the actual shooting started. He did grappling, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, Muay Thai and a bit of Kali. Direk Mike revealed during the presscon that Dennis and his co-star Raymond Bagatsing even underwent intensive training outside of the required schedule. “That’s because we really wanted to make sure that our moves are perfect. Our fight scene inside an elevator is packed with intense and brutal moves but no winding shots, puro short distances lang gaya ng siko at tuhod lang ang gumagana.”

Fortunately, Dennis did not suffer any injury during trainings, saying, “I used to do mixed martial arts even before the offer came so mas dinalas-dalasan ko na lang. Direk Mike said that my body should be firm and he showed a picture of a man with toned muscles so I needed to work on my muscles. Besides, people still remember how soft I was in my previous TV show; kakagaling ko lang ng My Husband’s Lover so there should no longer be any trace of my character (Eric) in the film.”

What put pressure on Dennis the most was becoming a hit man in the film. “The killing part was toughest. It was emotionally hard for me (while doing the scene) to kill a man even if it’s just for acting but direk Mike is truly an actor’s director. Before each take, he will explain the scene and even if he has already explained it to you, uulitin n’ya lahat. He will make sure everything is clear to you, and it turned out fine.” 

It also helped that the Kapuso actor had already worked with direk Mike in previous projects “so it’s easy for us to execute the scenes well. For me, direk Mike is like a molder and I am the clay.”

The Janitor is Dennis’ fourth indie film. He says that indie projects allow him to express himself with much freedom compared to mainstream “kaya mas nakakatuwa na makagawa and whenever I get offers to do an indie, I really become interested.”

Having known somehow what it’s like to be a cop, did it make Dennis more respectful toward police officers?

“Perhaps, many people are annoyed with policemen because they think all of them are corrupt. But here in the film, I saw what kind of life a police has; not all of them are well-off. That’s why, you can’t blame them if they receive a small amount in exchange for, example, a license,” he answers.

But this is not to say that Dennis has already tried bribing a police officer in real life. His being an actor has its advantage. He recalls being flagged down by a police officer for a traffic violation. “Pinara ako, masungit ‘yung mukha pero pag-baba ko ng bintana, humingi ako ng dispensa and when he recognized me, he just told me, ‘Sir, kayo pala, ingat lang kayo.’”

Despite the “extraordinary treatment” he gets from being a celebrity, Dennis is not one to abuse it. “It will be a big hassle on your part if you do not follow rules.”

On the personal front, Dennis never fails to spend time with his family, especially with his now seven-year-old son Calix. The two were able to bond while Dennis took a breather from the acting scene after My Husband’s Lover. “I think he has inherited my love for music. Mahilig s’yang kumanta and he’s a smart kid.”

Dennis, too, swears that he is loveless at the moment. “Focused muna sa work.”

(The Janitor also stars Richard Gomez, Derek Ramsay, LJ Reyes, Irma Adlawan, Ricky Davao, Alex medina, Nico Manalo, Dante Rivero and Jerald Napoles. It will be featured during the 10th year celebration of Cinemalaya from Aug. 1 to 10 and will have a Gala Night on Aug. 4, 6:15 p.m. at the CCP Main Theater.)