Daniel Padilla chooses action over romance in TV comeback
Daniel Padilla is turning a new page in his showbiz career, trading his signature romantic roles for action in his teleserye comeback.
The actor, who as everyone knows comes from a family of action stars, has joined the ensemble main cast in Lester Pimentel Ong's latest action-packed series “Incognito” under ABS-CBN's Star Creatives. It will premiere via streaming platform Netflix on Jan. 17, 2025.
In response to a question from The Philippine STAR during a mediacon, Daniel spoke about the challenges and rewards of exploring and finally embracing the hard action genre, which after all is rooted in his DNA.
“Nakapag-warm up naman na kami ni direk Lester (Pimentel Ong) sa ‘La Luna Sangre.’ Nakasubok na ng konting action doon,” he said, referring to the 2018 drama. “Of course, it’s very different but iba rin ‘to.”
Daniel further shared the thrill and sense of fulfillment that especially came with executing complicated stunt work.
“Simula ng araw mo, adrenaline rush na hanggang gabi. Pagdating mo sa hotel mo, very fulfilling kasi may mga stunts na hindi madadali pero ‘pag nagawa namin ‘yon, very fulfilling. Kahit papano it’s very new for me but masaya (it's fun),” he said.
Daniel said he intends to do the action genre for a long time. “Matagal-tagal ko rin gagawin ‘to,” he added.
When asked by this paper about how he's dealing with the pressure of being part of a family known for action stars — from his father Rommel Padilla to his uncle, Sen. Robin Padilla — Daniel downplayed any expectations.
“Wala naman silang binibigay na pressure sa akin,” he said.
“Wala naman akong nararamdaman na kaba. Hindi ko alam. I’m just doing my best. Kung ano kalabasan, eh ‘di yun na ‘yun (whatever the result is, then that's it). And I’m proud sa ginagawa naming lahat as a group.”
Daniel admitted that he's looking forward to showing the outcome to his father.
“Excited din akong pakita sa erpat ko ‘to. Parang panis siya sa akin dito,” he quipped. “Joke lang.”
While recognizing the individual strengths of his family members, it’s not hard to tell that the 29-year-old is looking to establish his own identity and create his space in the action genre.
“Iba-iba naman ang timpla namin. Magaling si Tito Robin, mahusay. Ang tatay ko nando’n din. Tignan natin kung ano ang mai-o-offer ko. That’s all,” he said.
Besides Daniel, “Incognito” also features Ian Veneracion, Richard Gutierrez, Baron Geisler, Kaila Estrada, Anthony Jennings and Maris Racal.
“It's a story about seven individuals who are going through a lot of challenges in their lives. They're at the lowest points of their journey in life. But this is also the time where they're aspiring for a second chance,” the director, who previously megged the action-oriented series “Iron Heart,” teased about the show's plot.
In “Incognito,” Daniel takes on the role of Andres Malvar. “He is dugong Igorot, makatao and discharged scout ranger,” he briefly described his character.
To physically prepare for the action sequences and stunts, the actor said he did a lot of sports — golf, muay thai and basketball.
Daniel, whose last TV drama was “2 Good 2 Be True” in 2022, agreed to the project partly through the persuasive powers of co-stars Ian and Richard.
“When the story was first mentioned to me by direk Lester, sobra akong nagkaroon ng interest. (When they said that this is) about this private military contractor, I thought, ayos yun ah,” he shared.
“Then he mentioned sino-sino mga kasama. Then Tito Ian convinced me to do this (laughs). Tinawagan niya ako, si Richard din, so na-excite ako para ibang timpla na din. And then yung nabanggit nila na elevation (in terms of action), I really wanted to be part of it.
“I could also see that there was a different fire in direk Lester’s eyes when he was telling this story and the direction of the show. That's why I said, yes… Thank you guys. Happy to be part of this,” he concluded.
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