Alden Richards praises David Licauco's performance in 'Pulang Araw': 'Dumating nang prepared'

Alden Richards could only speak highly of his "Pulang Araw" co-star David Licauco.

In an interview with Nelson Canlas on "24 Oras," Monday, Asia's Multimedia Star couldn't help but laugh when Nelson told him that David felt intimidated by Alden when they did their first scene together for the historical drama.

"Si David, ito talaga, siguro sa aming lahat si David 'yung pinakamalaki 'yung tinalon in terms of performance, in terms of portraying his character," said Alden.

He also said that David came prepared for his scenes.

"Yun 'yung masarap sa pakiramdam na lahat kami nagwo-work, lahat kami nagta-trabaho, so with his performance and kapag nakaka-eksena ko siya, dumating nang prepared," he said.

Alden likewise shared that he's honored to be part of "Pulang Araw" and hoped that the series would help Filipinos rediscover their patriotism and love for their countrymen.

"The Philippines has a lot of stories to tell, not only sa ating mga Pinoy, but also to the whole world and our culture is very colorful. We are such resilient individuals," he said.

"Pulang Araw" premiered on Netflix last Friday and immediately trended on X (formerly Twitter). It also made waves on the streaming platform, as it ranked No. 1 on the "Top 10 TV Shows in Philippines Today" on Sunday.

Written by Suzette Doctolero and directed by Dominic Zapata, the series follows the intertwined lives of four childhood friends: Adelina (Barbie Forteza), Teresita (Sanya Lopez), Hiroshi (David), and Eduardo (Alden) before and during World War II.

The main antagonist of the series is Col. Yuta Saitoh, played by Dennis Trillo. He is a Japanese imperial army officer whose mission is to conquer the Philippines.

"Pulang Araw" premieres on television tonight, July 29, at 8:00 p.m. after "24 Oras."

— CDC, GMA Integrated News