Just months after their big screen reunion in the 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival entry UnMarry, Angelica Panganiban and Zanjoe Marudo are set to share the screen once again, this time in a deeply emotional family crime drama.
The two stars lead the upcoming series The Silent Noise, produced by ABS-CBN Studios, which will also introduce newcomer KD Omalin. In the series, Zanjoe plays the patriarch of the Carpio family, Anton, while Angelica portrays Jackie. They are a married couple raising their deaf son Eli (KD) and their two other children, played by Mutya Orquia and Zaijian Jaranilla.
The drama follows the Carpio family as their quiet town is shaken by the death of Eli's tutor, Teacher Sam (Mylene Dizon). The story explores the tension between truth and reputation, guilt and conscience, and the emotional toll of protecting those you love.
During the grand media conference and special screening of The SIlent Noise, PUSH ABS-CBN asked Zanjoe and Angelica about how their approach to playing parents and a married couple has evolved now that they have families of their own. Though they previously played parents together in past projects like Playhouse, both admitted that the experience feels completely different now that they understand the realities of parenthood firsthand.
For Angelica, who welcomed her daughter Amila Sabine in 2022 then married businessman Gregg Homan in 2023, the emotional stakes of portraying a mother now feel far more personal.
“Yung realness niya kasi nasa ibang level talaga,” said Angelica.
She explained that before becoming a parent, actors often relied heavily on imagination to understand the depth of a mother’s love. But now that she has experienced it herself, that instinct comes naturally, sometimes even leading to passionate discussions about how a parent would realistically react in certain scenes.
“Noon kasi ang kayang mo lang gawin is just imagine [kung] anong level ng love ‘yung meron pag nanay or tatay ka na. Gagawin mo lang ‘yun, ia-apply mo lang ‘yun at sasabihin lang ng director if good take.”
“This time, nagkakaroon pa nga minsan ng debate. ‘Ay nako sandali lang direk, pag ganiyan ang anak ko ito ang mangyayari.’ Kasi ito na ‘yung level ng love na alam mo. Alam mo na kung paano makipag-patayan pala kapag ‘yung anak mo ‘yung inagrabyado or if anak mo ‘yung pwedeng malagay sa kapahamakan,” she said.
She added that portraying a wife has also taken on a deeper meaning for her, especially after exploring similar themes about marriage in UnMarry. The experience, she said, makes her more protective of the idea of family because she now understands what is truly at stake when a marriage begins to break.
Meanwhile, Zanjoe, who married actress Ria Atayde in March 2025 before welcoming their son Sabino later that year, shared that fatherhood has also reshaped how he approaches emotional scenes.
“Dito sa The Silent Noise, mas lumalim. Mas alam ko na kung tama lang or sobra yung binibigay kong emosyon. Mas sigurado na ako dahil hindi lang ako nag-research or nag-base sa kung paano ako inalaagan ng magulang ko or kung paano ko nakikita ‘yung ibang magulang na alagaan ‘yung anak nila.”
Now that he has experienced sleepless nights, exhaustion, and the quiet patience that comes with raising a child, Zanjoe said those real moments have become his biggest reference when portraying a father on screen.
“Ako kasi ngayon, mas naramdaman ko na at na-experience ko na ‘yung puyat, pagod...lahat na hindi ko naman na-experience lahat noong gumaganap ako bilang tatay dati sa mga roles ko. Ngayon, alam ko na ‘yung patience na kailangan mong pahabain. ‘Yung mga totoong experience ‘yung nagturo sa akin kung paanong atake ‘yung gagawin ko sa mga sitwasyon pagdating sa anak ko [sa roles ko].”
Reflecting on their previous film UnMarry, Zanjoe shared that portraying a married couple felt more authentic this time around. He explained that their scenes no longer relied on guesswork, as both he and Angelica now draw from their real-life experiences in marriage, allowing them to approach the role with a deeper sense of truth and understanding.
“Sa UnMarry, sa pagiging asawa, mas nagawa namin nang mas totoo, hindi kami nanghuhula sa mga scenes pagdating sa pagiging asawa dahil alam na namin kung paano.”
Beyond portraying a complex family, both actors also shared that working on The Silent Noise gave them a deeper understanding of the deaf community.
Zanjoe admitted that the project made him more aware and sensitive to experiences outside his own, saying the series opened his eyes to the importance of understanding communities that are often overlooked.
“Dati hindi naman ako masyadong sensitive sa mga community na hindi ako part or hindi ko napupuntahan, ngayon na nagawa ko itong project na ‘to mas lumalim ako. Mas naging sensitive ako, mas naging aware ako sa mga dapat o hindi dapat pagdating sa pakikipag-usap o pakikisama [sa mga deaf].”
For Angelica, the opportunity to represent their struggles and realities through storytelling was something she found deeply meaningful.
“Ang sarap maging part ng isang bagay na ikaw ‘yung nagbibigay ng boses para sa kanila. Ikaw ‘yung nagpapakita ng mga paghihirap nila. ‘Yung minsan they feel na it’s not fair. Minsan may mga bagay na hindi patas ‘yung pakiramdam nila sa society natin. Ang sarap na ma-emphasize ‘yun sa pamamagitan ng art at magamit ‘yung ganitong platform para sa kanila.”
“I’m very very proud to be part of it,” she added.
Directed by Onat Diaz, The Silent Noise will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on March 20 in the Philippines and in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.