From being on the same team in the previous ABS-CBN Studios action-drama series they starred in, Maris Racal and Baron Geisler went on to see themselves on opposite sides of the story as they joined “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” as the policewoman Paula “Ponggay” Garcia and corrupt project contractor Rockyboy Mondragon.
And in the November 5 episode of the long-running primetime series, we’d witnessed their characters’ riveting hotel room altercation, as Rockyboy attempted to assault Ponggay just like what he did to her stepsister, Dimples (Criza Taa), who had initially fallen victim to his sadistic sexual fantasy. Fortunately, Tanggol (Coco Martin) was there to save her and help her escape from her predator and his minions.
Just in case you’re wondering how those mind-blowing and heart-stopping sequences were pulled off, CCM Film Productions had provided this behind-the-scenes sneak peek, as well as an exclusive interview with Maris and Baron.
As we watched with bated breaths how Ponggay dangled herself from the balcony after she attempted to jump off and suddenly had second thoughts, it was revealed in this video that although she was wearing wings then, Maris was able to pull off that particular scene with the help of a harness connected to her sexy angel suit. She may have looked fierce, but Maris revealed that she was actually nervous and scared while doing it.
“Nanginginig ako, natakot ako, to be honest. Pero maganda naman ‘yong mga nakuha naming shot. Worth it naman ‘yong takot,” she conveyed as she hid her jitters behind her glowing smile.
Aside from her nerve-wracking balcony scene, the behind-the-scenes clips of her astonishing moment on top of the jeepney were also shown, wherein she continued firing at the enemies while above the moving vehicle.
Maris and Baron then went on to share their experience while filming their intense fight scene at Hotel Mondragon in a separate video, wherein they shared how she accidentally hit him on the face during their squabble and how both of them felt completely awkward since they consider one another as siblings. Thus, they couldn’t believe that they were doing it.
Rockyboy may have looked silly in his wrestler costume, but Baron claimed that he took the scene seriously, which he believed would be fun to watch for everyone.
“Dito makikita ‘yong lakas din ng karakter ni Ponggay. Isipin mo, ang laki-laki ko, ‘di ba? Kaya niya akong upakan. So ‘yon, doon din makikita ‘yong pagiging parang sablay ng karakter ni Rocky,” he commented.
Baron went on to impart that it was indeed an advantage that they already knew each other, as well as had previously worked together in the now-defunct Kapamilya action drama “Incognito.” The only difference, according to Maris, is that they didn’t have that kind of scene there.
“But it’s okay, ganoon naman ‘yong buhay ng aktor. Kailangan mong tanggalin ‘yong awkwardness sa air, or else magiging half-baked ‘yong scene,” she remarked, to which Baron agreed.
Then he added, “Ang kagandahan naman, kapag may mga request naman kami, pinagbibigyan kami ni Direk Richard Somes. And it’s such a blast to work with Direk Richard. Inalagaan niya naman kami sa eksena kasi noong umpisa hindi ko talaga alam kung papaano ko gagawin ‘tong wrestler na ‘to. Paano ‘yong atake nito? It’s my first time to do something like this, so sabi niya, ‘Isipin mo lang na nasa WWE ka.’ So, naisip ko, ‘O sige, ako si Macho Man Randy Savage.”
They may have done that scene with utmost passion and seriousness, but Baron disclosed that they couldn’t help but laugh whenever each take ended. Thus, they quipped, asking themselves if they were still doing action or if it was already a comedy. Maris then teased Baron for being very committed to his role since he was still wearing his wrestler mask even during that interview.
As the video comes to an end, Maris can be seen sharing with the production crew how she experienced being thrown and tossed by her male cousins during their childhood as they played with them. While that hurt her for sure, she finally realized that that experience had already made sense to her now since she’s able to use it in the scene.
What will be Ponggay’s next step now that she’s able to confirm that Rockyboy is indeed the culprit behind what happened to Dimples? Let’s all find out by not missing an episode of “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo,” weeknights at 8 PM, on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, TV5, iWant, and Kapamilya Online Live (KOL).