Following the highly commended finale of “What Lies Beneath,” the marvelous Kapamilya veteran actor Jake Cuenca proudly speaks about the tremendous efforts he put forth to convincingly portray his character as the unpredictably terrific Edong Santiago.
READ: Part 1 The road to revenge: The Edong Santiago’s story in “What Lies Beneath”
When discussing how Edong involved innocent characters among his casualties, from Dolores Candelaria (played by Malou de Guzman), Yuri (Mike Liwag), Argie (Benedix Ramos), and more, Jake admitted to being taken aback by his unpredictable nature. “That’s what’s so scary about him. He’s unpredictable with his madness. Papatay siya kung necessary na talaga. Even [for] me, it was hard to predict where it was going,” he explained.
Apart from applauding powerful acting performances within the show, Jake further praised the expertise that went into the editing, which kept him emotionally invested all throughout the episodes.
He added, “Ang galing kung paano nila in-edit, I rehearsed several parts of the script so many times inside of a jail cell. ‘Nung inere na nila, ni-rearrange nila ‘yung buong story, pati ako, I was at the edge of my seat.”
For Jake, he called Edong an entirely distinct individual from him, given the mental and physical transformations he has undergone in order to match the complexity of the character. He highlighted his adjusted complexion and most particularly his customized teeth.
“It’s my way to really suit the role. The teeth looked scarier when I lost the thirty pounds kasi mas labas ‘yung ipin ko. I had four sets made, and I thought, if I buy a watch for a role, bakit hindi ko kayang gawin ‘tong expense na ito to show them something different,” he spoke further.
As he watched his performance as a viewer rather than as the actor, Jake remembered that it was never easy, mentioning specifically when he would fast, made harder by the pressure of his custom-made teeth, resulting in the sensation of his stomach being eaten away.
WATCH: Marvel at Jake Cuenca’s chilling portrayal of the notorious Edong in “What Lies Beneath”
Taking on the challenging role of Edong also meant that Jake was frequently forming ideas on how to keep his character interesting, since he was mainly executing solo scenes. “It took all of my 25 years of experience to do it that way. If I got that role any time less, I don’t think I would have done it that effectively,” he expressed.
In discussions about pursuing new roles similar to Edong, the talented actor made clear that it will take him a while, ultimately defining Edong as a character that he cared about deeply.
“The journey that I went through with him was so incredible; I’ll never forget that for the rest of my life. If we just want to make money, madali lang ‘to. It becomes a magic trick. Though, I find it so sad when the magician shows you the tricks and you become amazed, but by the time you see it for the 20th time, sawa na lahat ng tao… I'm not about to do that,” he remarked.
On his reactions with his so-called “Edongnatics,” Jake was beaming, recounting the episode where Edong gained young allies as well as the real-life supporters. It was something he manifested, especially wishing for people to understand Edong’s reasons for seeking vengeance.
“I’m not trying to win sympathy with that role. I’m really not trying to. But for the people to just understand, that for me is already so much because it’s so hard to justify the journey of the sociopath,” he clarified.
Jake concluded that he would be keen on protecting his role as Edong even if he were offered something similar. He considered it his version of the fictional supervillain “Joker,” while feeling fulfilled that he was finally able to set Edong free.
“I love that guy. I did justice for him. Kinikilig ako, it feels almost like my version of Joker,” said the actor.
Catch last 2 episodes of “What Lies Beneath,” 8:45 PM on ABS-CBN sa ALLTV2. Viewers can also watch it on Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, and iWant.