In the veins of the 25-year-old Dennis Trillo—who's Dennis Ho off-camera—runs a beautiful blend of Filipino and Chinese blood that has become his ticket to show business.
He was 12 years old when a talent scout handed him a calling card at a mall. That fateful meeting opened the door of commercial modeling for him. After appearing in print ads and television commercials, he joined ABS-CBN's Star Circle Batch 10.
That was in October 2001, when reality-based talent searches were not yet the craze. As a Star Circle member, Dennis became mainstay in the network's primetime drama show, Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan. He went on to appear in other network-produced shows.
When hi six-month contract with Talent Center expired, he moved to GMA-7 and became a regular face in the several TV series. Since he became a Kapuso, he already starred eight TV series and a teen flick. He is currently busy doing Super Twins with Jennylyn Mercado and Nadine Samonte and is also a regular mainstay of S.O.P.
Dennis loves talking about his thriving TV and blossoming movie career. Since he appeared in Mano Po 3 in 2004, he had five more movies, including the Metro Manila Filmfest 2004 entry Aishite Imasu which earned him 11 acting awards.
But if you want him to talk nonstop, ask him about music and films. These are his passions at the moment, and rather than go out partying, he prefers to stay home to watch something from his collection of DVDs and VCDs. It's an impressive collection that ranges from recent releases to rare finds, from classics to anime, from art to foreign language to indie films. And he sure knows his stuff. He even knows the names of the directors!
"Isa sa mga kinokolekta ko ýong Japanes anime, ýong sa mga Animatrix," Dennis says. "Napanood mo na ba ýong Animatrix? Sina [Yoshiaki] Kawajiri, sina Peter Chung... Meron din akong mga Richard Linklater... Napanood mo na The Walking Life [directed by Linklater]? Siya din ýong director ng Dazed and Confused. Meron din akong mag trilogy, like trilogy ni [Polish director] Krzysztof Kieslowski, ýong Red, White, and Blue... Mga films ni Tsui Hark [Chinese filmmaker notable for his Once Upon a Time in China series], meron din ako."
Among independent or indie filmmakers, his favorite is Darren Aronofsky: "Siya gumawa ng Requiem for a Dream at saka ýong Pi." He also likes the comedy touch of Wes Anderson and owns copies of two Anderson movies, Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums. He can even offer trivia about Rushmore star Jason Schwartzman: "Siya ýong drummer ng Phantom Planet [a rock band]. Nagda-drums na lang siya, kasi wala na siyang masyadong [film] projects." About his DVD copy of Rushmore, he says: "Nahirapan akong mag hanap ng kopya nito. Out of stock na sa States and DVD copies. Pero nakabili ako sa Astroplus sa Podium."
He shows off another favorite: "Ito pa ýong isa kong magandang nabili, Akira Kurosawa's Dreams. Influence nina Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas. Maganda iyan." Also part of his collection are Terry Gilliam's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock, & Two Smoking Barrels, and Christopher Nolan's Memento.
Dennis's appetite for movie watching is not limited to his home theater. When a film catches his fancy, he can watch it three or four times on the big screen. "Pag gustong-gusto," he smiles. "Halimbawa, 'Two Towers' [the second installment in the Lord of the Rings series], mga apat na beses ko pinanood iyan. The Matrix, tatlo; Spiderman, dalawa."
And what of his music collection and influences?
"Sa CDs, marami mga classic rock, ‘70s rock, psychedelic. Ibang-iba genre, kasi medyo diverse ýong mga musical influences ko. From classic rock, acid jazz, alternative, heavy metal, death metal-ano pa ba? Punk, ska, reggae... Halos lahat basta music that would make me feel good. Ang favorite band ko, marami. Led Zeppelin, isa ýan. Gusto ko rin ang Quenn. At saka ýong Slipknot—medyo maingay siya na banda at nakamaskara sila. Heavy ýan talaga."
Strange but true: Dennis, a quiet guy who even looks aloof at times, is into noisy bands.
What an interesting guy—and he's a good actor, too!
Editor's Note: Dennis now has his own condo unit. It was exclusively featured in the September 2006 issue of YES! magazine and PEP will grant you a sneak peek--check out "Dennis: A Place of His Own" in the Homes section.