Bagaman nagkatrabaho na noon ang Kapuso Primetime King na si Dingdong Dantes at ang Kapuso Drama King na si Dennis Trillo, ngayon lamang sila parehong magbibida sa isang GMA-7 prime-time series, ang Cain at Abel.
“Alam niyo noong sinabi sa akin kung ano ang gagawin at sino ang kasama, sobrang natuwa ako,” lahad ni Dingdong.
Ayon pa sa actor, “Hanga ako sa body of work ni Dennis. Hanga ako sa mga choices niya sa career, sa mga pagganap niya sa role at halos 20 years na kaming magkakilala.
“Nagsisimula siya sa GMA, ganun din ako.
“Sabi ko, sana balang-araw talaga maging mahaba pa ang samahan namin on-screen.”
Nagpapasalamat si Dingdong sa GMA na silang dalawa ni Dennis ang naisip na gumanap sa Cain at Abel bilang sina Miguel at Elias.
“Siguro a matter of time lang para magsama kami nang ganito talaga and very, very grateful ako sa GMA na binigay nila ang pagkakataong ito kasi at this point in my career, wala naman talagang sigurado.
“Puwedeng may gawin, puwedeng wala.
“Pero, grateful ako na ipinagkatiwala nila itong project na 'to na matagal nang nasa GMA.”
Nakausap ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) sa press conference ng Cain at Abel sa Prime Hotel noong November 13.
Kumusta si Dennis ngayon na ka-trabaho?
“Alam niyo minsan, may mga times na mate-tense ako bago ako dumating sa set. Kasi alam ko si Dennis, nasundan ko yung mga trabaho niya and I know he always comes in prepared.
“Kinakabahan ako na ayokong magkamali dahil si Dennis yung nandoon. E, nagkakamali ako, parang, 'Ay sorry, sorry, Pare.'”
Sabi pa niya, “Firsthand kong nakikita talaga.
“Dati, kulang pa ang pagsasama namin. Sa Twin Hearts, hindi masyado. Sa Endless Love ganun din. So ito talaga, most of the time kami ang magkasama.”
NOT AFFECTED BY PRESSURE OF TV RATINGS
Ikatlong pagkakataon naman na magtatapat sina Dingdong at Coco Martin sa prime-time block. Nauna na ang dalawang aklat ng Alyas Robinhood.
Posibleng bang sa pinagsanib na puwersa nila ni Dennis ngayon, matatalo na nila ang Ang Probinsyano pagdating sa TV ratings?
Sabi ni Dingdong tungkol sa teleserye ni Coco Martin: “Siguro we all agree na yung show na yun is in a league of its own.
“And wala naman kami rito para makipag-kumpetensiya kanino man.
"Naniniwala ako na yung mga manonood, may mga sari-sariling gusto at panlasa.
“Gagawin namin ang lahat para maibigay sa kanila yun.”
Hindi ba siya nakakaramdam ng pressure upang mag-perform well sa ratings game?
“Sa tingin ko, yung material itself, yung hirap ng material gawin, dun pa lang pressure na sa amin yun. Mas gusto namin na nandoon ang attention kesa sa kung ano mang bagay.
“Yun naman ang trababo namin, ang gampanan ang role at hindi mag-monitor ng ratings.”
Ang Cain at Abel ay isa sa mga popular na karakter sa Bibliya. Pero bukod sa hindi naman Cain at Abel ang mga pangalan ng karakter nila ni Dennis sa show, hindi rin naman naka-pattern dito ang kuwento.
Ang tanging pagkakapareho ng prime-time series sa kuwento sa Bibliya ay magkapatid din sina Dingdong at Dennis.
Tinanong ng PEP si Dingdong kung ano ang gusto niyang maiwan o magmarka sa mga manonood kapag pinapanood ang kanilang show.
“Ang gusto namin maibigay nang maayos ang kuwentong ginawa ng writer,” sagot niya.
“Siyempre, binuo ng creative team yan, may vision ang director, nandoon ang interpretation namin as actors, ayaw naming ma-compromise yung gusto namin.
“Ito ang sarili naming interpretasyon on how Cain at Abel is to be told and we will do our best para maging maayos ang paglatag namin ng istorya.”
Nagbigay rin ng pahayag si Dingdong tungkol naman sa dalawang leading ladies nila ni Dennis, sina Sanya Lopez at Solenn Heusaff.
Ayon kay Dingdong, “Si Solenn nakasama ko na Robin Hood pa lang. Kahit papaano may familiarity na kami. Si Sanya, nadirek ko siya sa isang lenten special ni Michael Angelo.
“So when I was directing her, sabi ko nga parang sana balang-araw maka-eksena ko rin siya kasi nakikita ko how serious she is pagdating sa kanyang craft.”
SYNOPSIS
Sa Cain at Abel, si Dingdong ang gaganap bilang si Daniel samantalang si Dennis Trillo ay gaganap bilang si Miguel/Elias.
Directed by Don Michael Perez and Mark Reyes, ang Cain at Abel ay isang action-family drama tungkol sa dalawang magkapatid na lumaki sa magkaibang mundo.
Narito ang synopsis ng Cain at Abel:
This action-family drama is about two brothers, Daniel and Miguel, who grew up in two very different worlds. As children, they were separated by fate. Daniel was raised comfortably in the city by his father. Miguel, on the other hand, was taken by his mother who later changed his name to Elias. They relocated to a poor fishing village where they struggled to make ends meet.
Years later, Daniel and Miguel/Elias were drawn together by their mutual affections: the father who brought them apart, the mother they yearn for, and the woman they both love.
Solenn Heussaff plays Abigail, the bold, sophisticated, and adventurous lover of Daniel while Sanya Lopez is cast as Margaret, the principled, responsible, and inspiring girlfriend of Miguel/Elias.
Also part of the powerhouse ensemble are: Eddie Gutierrez as Antonio, the shrewd, formidable father and the Founder/Chairman of business conglomerate Destileria Larrazabal; Chanda Romero as Belen, a loyal homemaker and a loving mother to Daniel and Miguel/Elias; and Dina Bonnevie as Precy, the seductive and scheming homewrecker who stole Antonio from his original wife.
Joining them are Ronnie Henares as Gener, Abigail's father and the corrupt city governor who is also Antonio's best friend/business associate; Tommy Abuel as William, Belen's mental health doctor; Bing Pimentel as Linda, Gener's charismatic but materialistic wife; Renz Fernandez as Louie, the good and responsible Senior Police Officer; Ervic Vijandre as Alex, the unscrupulous Senior Police Officer who does all of Governor Gener's dirty work; Marc Abaya as Ramon, Elias' enemy inside prison; Carlo Gonzalez as Ronald, Daniel's best friend and confidante; Boy 2 Quizon as Juancho, Elias' best friend; Pauline Mendoza a Pat, Margaret's conservative but feisty younger sister; Vince Vandorpe as Rafael, Daniel's half-brother who is athletic, charismatic, and known as the campus heartthrob; Shyr Valdez as Tina and Leandro Baldemor as Darius, supportive parents of Margaret; and Euwenn Aleta as Sammy, the jolly and charming son of Miguel/Elias and Margaret.
Featuring in special guest roles are the following: Yasmien Kurdi as young Belen; Diana Zubiri as young Precy; Gio Alvarez as young Gener; Rafael Rosell as young Antonio; David Remo as young Daniel; Seth dela Cruz as young Miguel/Elias; and Ashley Cabrera as young Abigail.