While both films deal with a father willing to face danger in order to save their child, acclaimed actor Jericho Rosales underscored that his film Alagwa didn’t copy the plot of the Liam Neeson-starrer Taken. During the recently-concluded promo shoot for his upcoming soap The Legal Wife, Jericho addressed the issue and explained, “Well ‘yun kasi ‘yung element ng human trafficking or kidnapping eh di’ ba? It’s the same as element ng love, element ng hate. Pagdating sa pelikula may kontrabida at bida di ba?”
According to him, his internationally-acclaimed hit can boast of originality in terms of how his and child actor Bugoy Cariño’s characters were written. “Kidnapping and human trafficking ay naha-highlight rin ng Alagwa. But ang pagkakaiba ni Liam Neeson doon sa character ko dito sa pelukulang ito, wala siyang special set of skills. Wala siyang CIA background. Wala siya talaga. He’s a struggling salesman, a Chinese salesman na ano ang gagawin mo kapag na-kidnap ‘yung anak mo di ba?” said he about the Ian Loreños film.
The Kapamilya actor, whose first indie effort became widely successful here and abroad, couldn’t be happier that audiences have started embracing the unconventional treatments and concepts brought forward by independent films. “Oo naman may ginagawa na kami kasi ‘yung kultura natin in-embrace na niya ‘yung indie eh. Hindi siya ‘yung tipong mga kinasanayan nating mga istorya pero very interesting. Nakakabusog sa isip, nakakabusog sa puso, halo halo na eh. Andiyan na lahat eh. Of course may quality rin, andyan na ‘yung quality nung art, ‘yung artistry ng mga director pinapasok nila dito. I think it’s about time na ma-embrace ng mga Pilipino ‘yung mga ganitong pelikula kasi napakaraming magaling na artista at director at producer sa indie scene,” he said.
Moreover, he said he appreciates how the indie film scene provides an even playing field for every performer as it opens doors for so many actors who have long been waiting for their time to shine. “‘Yung mga actor na hindi mo inaakalang mabibigyan ng break dito sa indie. I love it because it’s fair. Parang fair ang labanan. Pakita mo ‘yung galing mo, parang ganon talaga sa indie eh. Pakita mo ‘yung pagmamahal mo sa pelikula,” said the 34-year-old actor.
Not that he’s completely turning his back on mainstream media given that it’s where he has thrived for so many years before Alagwa came along, but he highlights that the indie film scene will forever hold a special place in his heart because “… It gives a lot of people work [and] it’s giving a lot of artists a chance na talaga namang ipakita nila ‘yung talent nila.”
Seeing how Alagwa has made waves in numerous film festivals abroad, will he be more choosy in accepting projects from here on out? “Mapili na ako dati pa,” he started with a laugh and continued, “’Yun lang kasi I respect my viewers especially my avid followers kasi nakita na nila ako na ganito ‘yung ginagawa eh. Ibig sabihin gusto ko paring gumawa ng masaya, malungkot, heavy drama [sa mainstream], gusto ko parin ‘yan basta maganda ‘yung quality at maganda ‘yung mensahe nako game ako diyan.”
Jericho is set to comeback on primetime with a new soap pretty soon more than a year after his last soap Dahil sa Pag-ibig ended. “It feels great. Finally, pagkatapos ng paghihintay namin. Marami narin kasi ang naghihintay, nagtatanong samin, hindi ko narin alam kung anong isasagot ko. Siguro ang the best na sagot lang do’n eh pinapaganda ‘yung script. So with the new addition to the team, JC de Vera, mas maganda and exciting ‘yung cast namin nila Angel [Locsin] at Maja [Salvador],” he said.
While he was ecstatic over his impending return, Echo was a little tight-lipped about his character on the soap. However, he said that “kasing ganda rin naman ‘yung storya nito doon sa Dahil sa Pag-ibig.
“Oo nasabi na nila pero surpresa muna and exciting siya. Medyo maraming mga mga binata na makaka-relate dito sa role na ito… Bale ako ‘yung sisimbolo sa mga kalalakihan dito sa soap na ito,” he quipped teasingly.
He assured his fans that his role in The Legal Wife is something that he has yet to do as an artist. “Medyo buma-boundary siya sa mali eh. So pinapakita ng character ko kung ano ‘yung hindi mo dapat gawin bilang isang lalaki na nasa isang relasyon, parang ganon,” shared the multi-awarded actor.
