Kyle Echarri and Donny Pangilinan revealed they pushed their limits in their most action-packed roles yet, performing most of their stunts for the upcoming series “Roja” themselves.
“Meron kami double, pero most of the time — kaya naman,” Echarri said in an interview held in Quezon City.
“Nag-aaway nga kami ni ate. Gusto kasi niya safe palag [mag double]. Which is good naman — pero gusto namin stunts,” Pangilinan added.
The actors trained in various martial arts for their fight scenes as well as weapon handling.
Donny and Kyle confront action-packed heist in ABS-CBN’s new series 'Roja'
“We did prepare as much as possible with Coach Erwin Tagle,” Echarri said. “We did a crash course on martial arts — we had jujitsu, arnis. How to properly shoot and walk around with the gun.”
Pangilinan shared the shoots offen ended with bruises.
“Ilang beses [nagkasugatan] kami. Ang joke nga, every time magigising ako at pupunta sa salamin, may bago kong bruise. Parang battle scars,” he said. “It is part of our role. We know it will happen and we will embrace it.”
He emphasized the amount of teamwork that went into the production of every scene.
“Even the way we prepare for scenes, endurance, the way we prepare for the fight scenes, paano ilatag — there is a lot that goes on. It really is a collaborative effort,” Pangilinan explained.
Pangilinan hopes their commitment and effort will reflect on screen and connect with viewers.
First best actor win drives Kyle Echarri to push himself further
“I really hope they give this show a chance. We really worked hard on it,” he said. “We always say this, but this might be the real it will sound— blood, sweat, and tears talaga. Totoo yung blood eh. There is so much to look forward to.”
“Roja” will stream on Netflix and iWant beginning Nov. 21 and 22 respectively. It will meanwhile be shown on Kapamilya platforms beginning Nov. 24.
Several lucky fans got an early look at the first few episodes of the action-drama series during an advance screening attended by lead stars and cast members, including Maymay Entrata, Kai Montinola, Janice de Belen, and Raymond Bagatsing, among others.