MANILA — Actor Jake Cuenca described his role in the upcoming ABS-CBN series "What Lies Beneath" as his “loneliest” one yet, calling it a deeply challenging portrayal that pushed him to rely solely on his emotions and presence on camera.
Cuenca shared the reflection during a media conference for the series after his co-star JM de Guzman praised his performance, calling him “a gem” for his dedication and craft.
"I would just like to take this opportunity to appreciate Jake dahil sa kanyang work ethic, sa passion sa paggawa ng role na ito. At kung may surprise man, sa tingin ko masu-surprise kayo sa performance. Jake is a gem here," de Guzman said.
Cuenca then expressed his gratitude to de Guzman for recognizing the effort he gave in his newest character.
"In all honesty, that means the world coming from JM because I have all the respect in the world for JM and as an actor. And to me, that's even better than award kasi you know what you're looking at, you know the effort that's being put into it. For you to say that, that really made my day. And honestly, that really makes me cry kasi that means the world to me, that you appreciate that, brother. Thank you," Cuenca said.
Cuenca then shared the challenges giving life to Edong, which is really different from his role as Miguelito in "FPJ's Batang Quiapo."
"I think, for me, I'm just gonna let people watch it. To be honest. I think they will be surprised with the effort that I put into making Miguelito and Edong very different from one another. I want to emphasize, kasi people are saying that they're gonna see me in two shows in primetime and all that. I'd like to think that I earedn that. I'd really like to think that I worked myself to the bone to make it very different for Miguelito, to make it very different for Eddong, and to be quite honest with you, for me, I've just enjoyed the journey," Cuenca said.
"Tulad ng sabi ko kay direk earlier when I came here, sabi ko, 'You know, in this industry or in acting, like, honestly, nothing worthwhile ever came easy. If it's not a challenge, it's not going to be worth it. ' So for me, thank you so much to my directors for challenging me. It's difficult na to be this character, but the way na shinu-shoot kami it really is challenging for an actor kasi one shot. This is my loneliest role, kaeksena ko lang lagi is the camera and it's all my thoughts and that's all that's in play... Sabi nga ni direk parang, it's really challenging also, because I only really have my eyes to communicate. It's not the most talkative role in the world. So it's looks, it feels, it's the energy, it's that atmosphere that you bring to the set," he added.
Another challenge is staying focused on the charactrer, stressing that it's really different from him.
"For me, I just try to stay as focused as I can in this character because it's very different from who I am. Sabi ko nga dahil sa oportunidad na ibinigay ng RCD, it deserved a 10-month immersion in Mandaluyong City Jail. It was worth it. Like, I'll be honest, na pagdating namin sa set and they started to shoot me and they started to see what I was able to do. Sa totoo lang napaka-worth it. As an an actor, there's no better feeling than going into a set confident and prepared. So thank you so much for the opportunity, RCD Narratives," Cuenca said.
"What Lies Beneath" will debut October 17 on Netflix, October 18 on iWant, and October 20 on Kapamilya Online Live, Kapamilya Channel, A2Z and TV5.
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