Rochelle Pangilinan on achieving dream of joining a historical drama: ‘Gusto kong mapanood ako ng anak ko’

Rochelle Pangilinan is among the outstanding actresses currently starring in “Pulang Araw.”

On Friday’s “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda,” the Kapuso star shared it has always been her dream to work on a historical drama project.

“Pangarap ko talagang mapasama sa historical drama kasi gusto kong mapanood ako ng anak ko," Rochelle, who has one daughter named Shiloh, said.

"Lalo na ‘yung mga ganito, sa school, sana maipalabas sa school,” Rochelle said.

She recalled how back then, books were all that students had in school.

“Dati, imagine mo lang ano itsura nung mga 1940s look, ano ba itsura nun? And then maghahanap ka ba sa iba-ibang libro. Ito, makikita mo na siya nang visual,” she said.

According to Rochelle, the most difficult part of doing the Kapuso series is knowing that it really happened in real life.

“Sure kami ‘yung mga character na ginagawa namin, may nabuhay na ganoong character noon. So nangyari na siya, history siya kaya kailangan talagang [bigyan ng justice] lahat ng roles na ginagampanan namin. Kailangang maniwala kayo na may ganitong tao na nabuhay noon,” she said.

"Sobrang proud po ako na mapasama dito sa ‘Pulang Araw’," Rochelle said.

In "Pulang Araw," Rochelle plays Amalia Dimalanta-Torres, the aunt of Adelina (Barbie Forteza) and Eduardo (Alden Richards).

The series traces the intertwined lives of four childhood friends: Adelina (Barbie), Teresita (Sanya Lopez), Hiroshi (David Licauco), and Eduardo (Alden). As war ravages their homeland and Japanese forces occupy the Philippines, their dreams, friendships, and loyalties are tested, leading them on a journey of self-discovery and resilience.  

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. He will have feelings for Teresita.

The show made a strong debut on Netflix on July 26 and was a trending topic on X. The historical drama is on the No. 1 spot on the platform’s list of "Top 10 TV Shows in the Philippines Today."

"Pulang Araw" airs weeknights on GMA Prime at 8 p.m. after "24 Oras."