Benjamin Alves reveals he thought he blew audition for Heneral Luna movie

Six years ago, Kapuso actor Benjamin Alves was given a one-page paper to read during his audition for the 2015 period film "Heneral Luna."

At an interview during the press launch of Heneral Luna's sequel "Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral" on Thursday, Alves said he thought he blew the audition.

"I thought really, like, jeez I really ruined that one. I really lost that role," he said.

"It’s hard to visualize something that’s not there yet tapos six years later you’re doing a second film," he added.

He was eventually given the role he auditioned for: former President Manuel L. Quezon.

His character is present in all films of the planned trilogy, and is set to be the focus of the final film.

Look: Benjamin Alves at the Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral press launch pic.twitter.com/0i0HrZhI5M

— Jessica Bartolome (@jacbartolome) August 23, 2018

But Benjamin said he never could have foreseen that "Heneral Luna" would be a huge hit.

"I just had one piece of paper to read. Yun lang binasa ko, on the audition, I just had one piece of paper to read," he said.

"Ang layo po talaga, kaya sinasabi ko kanina I did a horrible job, because I can't even remember the audition material," he added.

Now, Alves is confident that "Goyo" will be a success and help gain momentum for the third film in the trilogy.

"The reading of Manuel Quezon brought me here and I’m confident that in the next few weeks, the movie’s gonna do well, and spearhead and gain momentum for the next film," he said.

He also stressed that it is important to watch the upcoming film to understand the timeline leading up to the third movie.

Readings thicker than script

Alves may have only had one line in the "Heneral Luna" film but the reading materials he went through were extensive.

In fact, his readings are thicker than his script in "Goyo", where he has a much bigger role.

Alves said that director Jerrold Tarog had an extensive knowledge of each character and had the necessary materials for research.

"Mas mahaba pa yung binigay niya saking reading material. Parang isang line lang ginawa ko sa Heneral Luna pero yung binasa ko for it," he said.

"Even when we're doing the Heneral Luna and Goyo, nasa akin na yung meterial. It's very thick material, it's thicker than the script that I got," he added.

For the Filipinos

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the film during its making, its being a period film, Alves said he didn't have apprehensions.

Given its topic, he said that the Filipino is the audience.

"When you're making films of this degree, you set the trend, you set what the audience wants. Let's make a film, we'll find the audience," he said.

"It's for the FIlipino. That's the audience," he added. — LA, GMA News