Donny Pangilinan and Kyle Echarri are all set to play onscreen rivals Liam and Olsen in Roja.
During an intimate media roundtable for the series, the two admitted they didn’t speak to each other before filming some of the intense action scenes.
“May codename kami, Method. Pag sinabi ng isa, Method, the whole day, hindi na kami mag-uusap. And we've done that a lot of times. Hours before a scene, during the scene. And it's really weird kasi we're friends, di ba? But it's needed for the character. And I think it really helps us during the scene kasi mas nagiging in-character kami. So yes, maraming beses. It happens more often than you would think,” Donny revealed.
Kyle added that this naturally happened, especially since they were locked in for taping the series, and he shared how they managed this approach on set.
“Tama naman yung sinabi niya. I guess there's also this one time where sabay kami sa service, papunta sa set. Pagbukas yun ang pinto. Uy, tol! Ay, method ka ba? Intense yung eksena. Okay lang, Tol. May ganun kami. Parang, uy, method ka ba ngayon? (We’re like) Okay, okay,” he recalled.
Donny also shared that he saw Kyle truly furious for the first time while filming for this project.
“May isang eksena na sobrang tagal namin di nakita sa araw na yun. Eh, yung dulong eksena, gabi, yun yung magkasama kami na galit kami sa isa't isa. So, in the port, bro, ginanon mo ako. First time ko nakita si Kyle na galit na galit talaga. Especially sa akin. Na parang kaya niyang pumatay ng tao. At yun yung kailangan. So, it really does help for some scenes,” Donny said.
Meanwhile, just like their characters Liam and Olsen, whose strong brotherhood eventually ended in a friendship breakup, both Donny and Kyle admitted to experiencing similar situations in their own lives.
“Friendship breakup, sometimes those hurt more than real breakup especially if you're really close with the person. Kasi, turing mo na yung pamilya eh. At one point in time, siguro you've trusted each other with your whole life. So, honestly, I would say meron actually,” Donny shared.
The next gen leading man admitted to growing apart from a close friend.
“Meron akong sobrang close na kaibigan dati. Tapos may mga nangyari na nag-drift kayo. I think it's part of life. And it kind of sucks, but there are some people who are really meant to stay for that specific time. And as hard as it is, you really have to understand why things happen the way they are when you're already there or in the future. So, yeah, it has happened. And to be honest, minsan nga ginagamit ko dito. Parang yung feeling na yun na mahal mo pa rin yung tao pero alam mo na hindi na siya katulad ng dati,” Donny shared.
Kyle agreed, noting that growing apart from friends is a common experience and emphasizing that he harbors no bitterness toward those he drifted from.
“Ako din, same din naman. I think we all go through it one time in our life. Pero, you know, it's part of life. Some people, they just grow differently. We all grow differently. Kailangan mo lang tanggapin. Ako naman, wala na akong pait dun sa tao na wala sa buhay ko. Pero I wish them the best but I guess we're just not meant to be friends anymore,” he shared.
Catch Donny and Kyle’s onscreen rivalry as Roja’s Liam and Olsen on weeknights starting November 24 on TV5, A2Z, and Kapamilya Channel. Global viewers can watch via TFC, while the series is also available for streaming on iWantTFC and Kapamilya Online Live on YouTube. Advanced release of epsiodes of the series is available on Netflix.