Big shoes to fill

CEBU, Philippines - Alden Richards embarks on his most complex role to date, as no less than the country’s revered national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.

The 22-year-old prized Kapuso talent was considered for the part in “Ilustrado,” an upcoming GMA News and Public Affairs historical drama series that is in the tradition of previous critical hits “Bayan Ko,” “Titser” and “Katipunan.” Alden’s name came up, when the top two names on the list – Tom Rodriguez and Dingdong Dantes – couldn’t make it due to their currently-airing soap operas.

Not a few eyebrows might be raised on the choice of Alden, owing to his mestizo and still boyish looks. Yet Alden assures viewers that the show’s production is  currently leaving no stone unturned to transform him into Rizal.

“There would be a series of look tests when it comes to how I look,” Alden shares. “I’m going to dye my hair black, and they’ll give me moustache implants. I’ve already had a series of look tests with the leading ladies…lucky ones chosen were Solenn Heussaff and Kylie Padilla, and they are still looking for another leading lady. Ang dami kasing chicks ni Rizal eh!”

According to Alden, Solenn will be Josephine Bracken, while Kylie is set to portray

Leonor Rivera. Pegged for a September playdate, “Ilustrado” will be aired daily on primetime and might run for a good 10-12 weeks.

Like any Filipino high-schooler, Alden had to go through readings of Rizal’s famed novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, but he admits not paying much mind to these subjects back then. “I didn’t really pay much attention to Noli Me Tangere. By the time we had to learn El Filibusterismo, tinamad na ako. My impression of him then was someone noble, very prim and proper – a real hero. Now, I’ve been slowly introduced to his human side. Here, we will show how Rizal really was when he was just starting, and what the trigger points were for him to decide to go against the Spaniards.”

Since the project was introduced to him, Alden says his impression of Rizal has changed. “All along, I thought he was just this poetic person who went against the Spaniards, but turns out, Rizal had this bit of arrogance about him when he was young. And I learned he’s not that rich, at sobrang mahilig sa chicks. When we were doing a screen test with the girls, and when I was reading a few lines from the script, our director told me that his cockiness is similar to that of Robert Downey Jr. ‘Ah ganun pala talaga si Rizal. I never knew.’”

“Ilustrado” will cover Rizal’s childhood and education abroad. The series ends when he returns from Europe, and won’t include his assassination in Luneta. It will also introduce a fictional villain, Alden says.

Alden has yet to watch Cesar Montano’s big-screen portrayal of Rizal, but has heard the Boholano actor was “fantastic” in it.

“I have big shoes to fill, because I’m portraying no less than a national hero. So I have to be cautious. This is no joke. Baka maraming tumira or many will question why some things are portrayed this way or that, so all of us in the cast have to be conscious of how we play our parts.”

What traits of Rizal does he wish to emulate? “I think it’s how he doesn’t allow other people to step on his dignity. He fights for what he knows is right; hindi siya nagpapa-bully. I learned to appreciate him more when our director told me what he went through, and mahirap talaga ang pinagdaanan ni Rizal.”

“Our main focus now is my appearance, and how to transform my looks into that of Jose Rizal. Then there’s also how Rizal speaks, the way he stands, his gestures and mannerisms. This is my first serious history-based project, so I’m being hands-on as much as possible. I’m very excited,” he adds.

Keeping the heartthrob more occupied than ever are two upcoming films (the indie film “Remembering Ada” where he plays a writer, and “Cain at Abel” opposite Aljur Abrenica), and an upcoming singing reality show with Regine Velasquez.

“I’m still doing “Cain at Abel” with Aljur. It’s an indie film by Adolf Alix Jr., but we’re aiming it for mainstream showing. There is a Filipino film of the same title done before starred in by Philip Salvador and Christopher de Leon. This is far different. Unlike the original film, Aljur and I are not brothers here. It’s about revenge and betrayal. This is a very dark story. I’ve had a few shooting days, and my take on my character will be very different. It’s such a pleasure to play around dark characters. The good thing about director Adolf – the dynamic on set is, we share our thoughts, and we work on that. He’s not the kind of director who is ‘This is what I want.’ He’s more on, ‘Let’s work on what you have, and let’s try to make it work.’ It’s a very nice experience,” the actor reveals.

When asked to comment on observations that he’s a better actor than Aljur, Alden quipped, “Sus maryosep! On my part, I’m very hands-on when it comes to my acting, because I love the craft so much. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else now, aside from acting. Maybe that passion manifests in my work. I don’t take anything for granted, no matter what role is given to me. Hands-on in the sense that, I don’t settle for what I can do; I push myself most of the time, and it’s very hard because the characters I embody sometimes it sinks into my system.” –VAB (FREEMAN)