Khalil Ramos to play Basilio as 'Maria Clara at Ibarra' heads to 'El Filibusterismo'

Khalil Ramos will play Basilio in "Maria Clara at Ibarra" as the hit historical portal fantasy series transitions to "El Filibusterismo."

In an online interview with the press, Monday, the Kapuso actor admitted to feeling pressure given the show's success.

Nevertheless, he is over the moon to portray the older version of the character, which first appeared as a child in "Noli Me Tangere."

"Gusto rin natin magampanan 'yung role ni Basilio nang tama. I'm super excited lang din talaga na ma-fill ko 'yung shoes ng isang [role] na ilang beses na napanood at isa siyang character ni Jose Rizal," he said.

("We want to portray the role correctly. I'm super excited to fill the shoes in a role that has been played several times and a character of Jose Rizal to boot.")

Khalil said among the things he did to prepare is read the novel again. He also gave time for research.

"Medyo matagal na rin po kasi nung huling basa ko nung high school and I familiarized myself again with the characters, ano 'yung representasyon ng characters na 'yon."

"I was given the script ahead of time so talagang inaral ko po 'yung script," he added.

("It's been a long time since I last read the book in high school and I familiarized myself again with the characters, the representation of those characters.")

Though he's only done one shoot so far, Khalil said he is grateful to feel welcomed by the show. He is also looking forward to creating more scenes that would revisit history.

Among the new additions for  the "Maria Clara at Ibarra" cast include Julia Pascual, Pauline Mendoza, Kim De Leon, and Arnold Reyes.

Starring Barbie Forteza, Julie Anne San Jose, Dennis Trillo, and David Licauco, "Maria Clara at Ibarra" is based on Dr. Jose Rizal's novels.

The "El Filibusterismo" chapters will start on January 23.

—MGP, GMA Integrated News