Good Guy, Bad Girl

Article posted July 01, 2008

You’ve heard the buzz about GMA-7’s newest action/suspense primetime offering, ‘Codename: Asero.’ You know it stars the Primetime King, Richard Gutierrez, and new Kapuso Heart Evangelista, and is backed by an outstanding cast. Now, get to know two homegrown celebrities who are both thrilled to play their respective roles in ‘Asero’—Rainier Castillo and Chynna Ortaleza. Text by Rose Galvez. Interviews by Jillian Q. Gatcheco and Jason John S. Lim. Photos by Mitch Mauricio.

The good brother

“Bulag ako dito,” Rainier begins at the story conference for Codename: Asero. “So ibang role na naman ‘to.” Rainier, as with his previous roles in Majika and Kamandag, is on the good side. He plays Nicky, Heart’s brother.

This indeed is a different role for the StarStruck 1 alumnus, who, although has never been a kontrabida, has never played a role this emotionally taxing either: “Sobrang challenging tsaka sobrang seryoso. Bale si Nicky, matapang siya. Pinagtatanggol niya si Heart tsaka ‘yung mommy niya sa lola nilang napakalupit sa kanila. So kahit na bulag, palaban.”

But Rainier is taking it all in stride, knowing that with each role he plays, the more he gets to flex and develop his acting chops.

“Talagang lumalawak pa ang experience ko sa acting,” he says. “Tsaka iba’t-ibang roles ang tinatahak ko.”

Since he’s never played a person with a disability before, was he anxious when they first started taping for the show?

“Medyo na-tense ako [at first]. Pero hindi ko pinahalata, para hindi ako mag-buckle sa mga lines. Para walang take two.”

Rainier also reveals that the cast only knows what will happen in the script for that particular week that they’re taping the scenes, but beyond that, it’s anybody’s guess: “So abangan na lang nila kung ano ang mangyayari, dahil [hindi namin alam at] excited na rin kami.”

He also says that Asero has a cast unlike no other—with stars like Richard Gomez, Janno Gibbs, and Michael V.—and that people should watch out for Heart. And then, he adds, “Kailangan panoorin nila ang Asero kasi sobrang saya, sobrang jam-packed!”

The evil fashionista

Chynna, though just as excited as Rainier about her role, is with the baddies on this one.

“I feel very honored playing my role because most of the characters I played before were ‘gray,’ kumbaga there’s always a good side. But with Fran, she’s very manipulative and scheming,” she says.

Fran, Chynna’s character in Asero, will play the kontrabida to Heart’s character. Actually, Chynna liked Fran’s vibe so much that she, well, decided to become Fran! The most notable transformation the young star recently went through to get into character was having her long hair clipped and styled into a pixie cut. And then she had to pick out all these glamorous clothes and accessories to wear as Fran.

“When I have villain roles, I take it as an opportunity to transform myself and wear all the nice clothes I can. And Fran naman is upper-middle class, so she can dress up,” she relates.

But Chynna didn’t get all the posh clothes and the fancy new ‘do just because she was so into Fran. The Asero creative team also wanted her to look completely different from Heart, who’s sort of dressed down here.

“Her role kasi is different from the ones she played [before]. So I had to look like the complete opposite,” Chynna says.

How about action scenes? Did she train for them?

“No, I didn’t train for this role!” she laughs. “No martial arts for me; I don’t think I have the body for that! [Here], it’s basically all drama and acting.”

Still, Chynna says Asero is different from all the other primetime shows she’s done: “First, it’s got a stellar cast. Second, Heart is with us here, and it’s interesting ‘cause people want to see her again after she was gone for a long time. Third, it was shot in Dubai. And finally, it’s different ‘cause it’s not fantasy. It’s action-slash-[suspense].”

Rainier and Chynna are definitely up to the challenge with their new roles and totally excited about Codename: Asero! Want to know more about how they prepared for the show and if they’ve got any bits to spill about their co-stars?

Chynna reinvented

Article posted July 03, 2008

Chynna Ortaleza attributes her scarlet-streaked hair and newfound spunk to her upcoming character in “Codename: Asero,” Fran. This is a girl who takes her job seriously, changing her look for every show she does and taking feisty roles fearlessly. Text by Jillian Q. Gatcheco. Photos by Jason S. Lim and Mitch S. Mauricio.

Lovin’ being bad

“I love it ‘cos I’m the villain!” she imparts mischievously when asked to describe Fran. “I’m a villain to Heart [Evangelista’s] character in the story, and I feel very honored that they actually got me for this, because most of the characters that I’ve played before are grey—kung baga there’s a good side to them.”

But Fran is very manipulative and scheming, and Chynna adds that she likes the vibe of the character. “That’s why I 'transformed' myself into her!”

Judging from all the stylish outfits she donned during the Asero pictorial, we had to ask if her character is a fashionista.

“Well, basically I really love dressing up, so if I have villain roles, I take [them] as opportunities to really transform myself and wear all the nice clothes that I can wear! And Fran naman is upper-middle class, so you know, she can dress up.”

Chynna explains that they also wanted to differentiate her role from Heart’s character, who is more dressed down. “Heart here is different from the other roles she’s played in [her former Network], kasi nga dressed down [siya]—completely different from the roles she used to play. [So] we wanted someone opposite—[ that’s why] I really had to change my [style and] hair.”

Did she have to train in martial arts or anything of that sort for her role?

“No martial arts for me—I don’t think I have the body for that! I’m really bad with action!” she fesses up. “I’m more on drama, acting—being bad!”

Chynna says that she’s pretty sure Asero will be a big hit because of the great cast. “I’ve worked with most of them, and I’m really excited ‘cos all of us really think about our roles [and] we deliver.” Joining Chynna in Asero are Richard Gutierrez, Heart Evangelista, Rhian Ramos, Ehra Madrigal, Michael V., Janno Gibbs, and Richard Gomez, among others.

“Plus the fact that [the] show has Heart [in it], so it’s interesting," she adds. "These people want to see her again after a long time, and [of course], [it] was shot in Dubai. It’s also nice because it’s not fantasy—it’s action-slash-mystery.”


Pursuing fashion

When Chynna is not doing showbiz work, she manages her online accessory business, Stellar, full-time. In fact, she had to stop going to U.P. Open University for a while because of schedule constraints. “I stopped right now because I have a business I’m really manning constantly. I’m thinking of getting into another school, maybe a fashion design school [later on], so maybe after Asero. I’m really hoping that I can make that dream come true. Sabi ko nga, I like fashion, I like designing things, [so why not?]”

Is she going abroad for fashion school?

“Here na lang muna kasi I have work,” she answers. “I don’t want naman to leave GMA, kasi kung baga I love this Network too much. Sabi ko nga, I’m gonna try and study in SOFA (School of Fashion and Arts) Manila, or maybe this place in Ortigas [called] Fashion Institute of the Philippines.”

Don’t miss Chynna as Fran during Codename: Asero’s pilot episode on July 14!

As good as a movie

Article posted July 02, 2008


“You should not miss the opening—[it’s like] a movie! It’s a movie made for television—it was really shot [like] a [film], and the budget is for a [film],” imparts “Codename: Asero” director Mark Reyes. He tells iGMA about his adventures while taping the first few weeks of GMA’s much-awaited action series. Text by Jillian Q. Gatcheco. Photos by Mitch S. Mauricio and Jason S. Lim.



To Dubai and back

The Asero team went all the way to Dubai to tape just a few weeks’ worth of episodes, but according to direk Mark, it was definitely worth it. “I had all the toys—basically I had a helicopter, I had the desert safari sequence, and blasting [equipment]. So it’s very James Bond and Mission Impossible all merged into one. It’s something Flipinos haven’t seen [yet].”

He explains that although Asero is an action-adventure series, they shall be injecting comedic elements as well, especially with Michael V. and Janno Gibbs around. “You have Janno Gibbs and Michael V. in the show—you cannot not have comedy! So it’s a good mix—it’s something fresh for me. At least it’s [different] from the telefantasyas I’ve done, from Encantadia to [Carlo J. Caparas’] Kamandag.”

He continues, “There is [an element of fantasy] but it’s in a different way, because [Richard Gutierrez] will eventually become a cyborg (half-human, half-robot). So the sense of fantasy is how we’re going to integrate that into the film. It’s different from magical stuff. It’s more sci-fi.”



No awkward moments!

How were Heart Evangelista and Richard Gutierrez during their trip to Dubai? Any awkward moments?

“They’re getting along too well!” direk Mark exclaims with a laugh. “Right off the bat! Onscreen, the chemistry’s right there. It’s a fresh team-up; it hasn’t been seen anywhere else.”

“The kissing scenes [were] giddy [and] funny at first, but after that, wala na. They were so relaxed with each other already,” he adds.

He shares that some things to watch out for are Heart’s belly-dancing scene and her tango sequence with Richard.

“[The belly-dancing scene] was pre-planned in Manila. What was really ‘spur of the moment’ was the tango [shot]. Richard was so awkward dancing the tango, ‘cos he’s used to hip hop [dancing], so it was hard. He wasn’t really comfortable dancing ballroom, so he had to adapt [to it] fast. It turned out well, [though]. When you watch it, it’s very True Lies, very Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”



Not like Lupin

One thing that the production team is quite careful with is setting the series apart from Lupin, where some Asero cast members like Richard Gutierrez, Rhian Ramos, and Janno Gibbs also starred in.

>“We are very careful not to make it look like Lupin—I think there’s a far, far difference between Lupin and Asero, now that we’ve done the episodes. I think more than Lupin or anything, I think the feel is Rush Hour because of the comedy. So I think that’s more of our gauge, that’s more of our point of view for this.”

“That was the mandate, the slant; I want it to feel like it’s fun; nothing too serious. Even Richard, I knew off the bat, [after] doing My Bestfriend’s Girlfriend (BFGF) that he has a knack for comedy. As long as he has a good partner, he’s going to adapt, and he’s going to relate well. And si Janno rin, ang ganda ng chemistry nilang dalawa.”



The story

Direk Mark tells us the basic premise of the story.

“Richard Gutierrez is an agent of ‘Advocate,’ which is actually an anti-crime network that does jobs that the military or the police of the nation cannot do. So it’s all special missions and stuff. And their counterpart is ‘Empire,’ which is headed by someone [Richard’s] connected to. [The two groups] try to outdo each other, and eventually, Richard gets into a situation [where] he ends up becoming a cyborg—he [got] bionic parts that helped him become a better agent.”

“But to go to that point, there are so many things that run through the story [first]. Then he meets Heart in Dubai. Heart has a very interesting story—she’s an OFW [who] tries her luck in Dubai, and she ends up going back to the Philippines. Richard keeps on saying that Heart is the ‘heart’ of the show. You know, the drama is with the story of Heart, the action-adventure is with the story of Richard, and then of course you have Janno Gibbs, Michael V., Richard Gomez, Ehra Madrigal, Bubbles Paraiso, Paolo Contis, Rhian Ramos, and Chynna Ortaleza. We’re very excited. It’s a really strong casting.”

So far, what’s the biggest challenge that he foresees?

“[It’s] to maintain it,” direk Mark admits. “It’s different when you have an episode that’s full of the story and all the production value. But to maintain it for several weeks—that’s the challenge.”

Perfect Venue for Asero Presscon

Journal
Nitz Miralles


Nakahanap na kaya ng perfect venue ang GMA-7 para sa presscon ng Codename: Asero ni Richard Gutierrez next week?

Action-series ang bagong show ng actor at kailangang bumagay ang venue at theme ng presscon sa show.

Anyway, i-a-unveil ang billboard ni Richard for Codename: Asero sa Saturday at iko-cover nang live ng Startalk. Simula lang ito sa sunud-sunod na promo ng actor, bago umalis for Greece on July 14.

Sa July 8, may live chat sila ni Heart Evangelista para makausap ng kanilang fans at maggi-guest din ang cast sa Sis at Walang Tulugan. Sa SOP sa July 13 ang grand launching ng series at maggi-guest din sila sa Showbiz Central at All- Star K! at susunod ang primer.

Wala man rito sa premiere ng series sa July 14 at sa two weeks na itatakbo ng series, tiyak na makikibalita si Richard sa magiging rating at feedback. Sa ginawa nitong paghahanda, hindi siya mapapahiya sa fans, dahil marami siyang bagong ipakikita.

Isa na rito ang combat aikido na ang training ay under Master Monching Gavileño. Magpapamalas din siya ng kaalaman sa kickboxing, Muay Thai at arnis. Regular din ang training nito ng boxing at weights, at brown belter pa sa karate, kaya nasa kondisyon para gawin ang action scenes at gumawa ng stunts sa Codename: Asero.

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KC-Richard: ‘Di na maitago ang relasyon!

Written by Parazzi News Service

Hindi naman siguro publicity gimik lang ang sobrang closeness at sweetness nina Richard Gutierrez at KC Concepcion sa birthday celebration ng ate ni Richard na si Ruffa. Okay, may mga pelikula silang pagsasamahan, both in their respective home network, pero this time, hindi mukhang umaarte lang sa harap ng mga camera ang dalawang young stars.
Mas mainam sigurong aminin na ng dalawang ito ang kanilang relasyon, at tigilan na ang gasgas na linyang “special friends lang kami.”
KC-RICHARD PICS HERE!

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