Dennis Trillo on taking Japanese lessons for ‘Pulang Araw’ role: 'Mahirap gumanap ng character na iba ang lahi'

It took a lot of preparation for Dennis Trillo to play the role of Japanese Imperial Army Officer Col. Yuta Saitoh in “Pulang Araw.”

In a media conference on Tuesday, the Kapuso Drama King said that part of the preparation he did was to learn the Japanese language, acknowledging that it's difficult to play a character with a different ethnicity.

“Mahirap gumanap ng isang character na iba ang lahi, na iba ang pananalita niya,” Dennis said.

“Nag-aral siya [Yuta Saitoh] sa Pilipinas pero siyempre nagsasalita siya ng tatlong lenggwahe, may Hapon, Tagalog at English. So, ‘yung mga accent niya siyempre iisipin mo hindi naman siya pwedeng straight mag-Tagalog, hindi naman siya pwedeng straight mag-English,” he added.

Aside from that, Dennis said he had to memorize a lot of Japanese lines for his role.

He thanked Filipino-Japanese actors Ryo Nagatsuka and Kenji Ishiguro, who play as Japanese soldiers in the series, for helping and guiding him in delivering his dialogue.

“Maraming Japanese line na kailangang memoryahin. Sa tulong nitong dalawang to, si Ryo at Kenji, sila ang mga gumagabay kung tama ‘yong mga ginagawa naming mga linya doon. Kaya maraming salamat. Sila talaga ‘yong nakabantay doon sa mga dialogue namin," he said.

Dennis’s character in the series marks his first-ever major kontrabida role.

In a "24 Oras" interview, the actor said that he had always wanted to play an antagonist role.

"Matagal ko na 'tong hinihintay eh. Matagal ko nang hinintay ang ganitong klaseng project, ganitong kabigat na character. Ngayon naman as a kontrabida. May kaunting pressure pero mas nandoon ako sa importansya sa pagkakaroon ko ng challenge bilang artist, bilang artista," he said.

According to him, he did not have second thoughts when accepting the role of a Japanese soldier.

Set before and during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, "Pulang Araw" follows the story of four childhood friends who face different struggles as war erupts in the country.

It also stars Barbie Forteza as Adelina, David Licauco as Hiroshi, and Alden Richards as Eduardo.

Other cast members include Rochelle Pangilinan, Ashley Ortega, Angelu De Leon, Neil Ryan Sese, and more, with special participation from Rhian Ramos, Julie Anne San Jose, and others.

"Pulang Araw" airs weeknights on GMA Prime at 8 p.m. after "24 Oras." It is also streaming on Netflix, where it is currently no. 1 on the "Top 10 TV Shows in the Philippines Today."

— CDC, GMA Integrated News