Gerald Anderson commented on the possible competition between his upcoming prime-time series, A Soldier's Heart, and GMA-7's upcoming adaptation of Descendants of the Sun.
It is because the two shows are both set in the military world.
A Soldier's Heart tells the story of seven soldiers who will face the hardships and triumphs of being a soldier as they forge a loyal brotherhood.
Descendants of the Sun is an adaptation of the 2016 Korean drama of the same title. It stars Dingdong Dantes and Jennylyn Mercado.
The Kapuso series follows the love story of Captain Lucas (Dingdong) and Doctor Maxine (Jennylyn) in the midst of their duty to mankind as a soldier and a doctor, respectively.
In an intimate press conference after the January 16 screening of A Soldier's Heart at Gateway mall, PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) asked Gerald about the possible comparison between the two military-themed shows.
At first, he only said with a smile, "Ah, oo nga!"
When PEP.ph asked if there is added pressure on him as the lead actor of A Soldier's Heart, Gerald answered, "It's nice because, siguro kilala niyo ako, I'm a very competitive person.
"But it just makes it even better, mas napapaganda yung proyekto namin because siyempre, magiging competitive tayo sa kabila.
"But hindi naman sila yung ano, ang gusto lang natin iparating, yung mensahe na gusto natin, ipakita yung bayan natin. Yan ang pinaka importante sa lahat."
Joining Gerald in A Soldier's Heart are Carlo Aquino, Sue Ramirez, Vin Abrenica, Nash Aguas, Yves Flores, and Elmo Magalona.
The ABS-CBN teleserye, which was first announced in 2018, is set to air on Monday, January 20, 2020.
GERALD WORKS WITH DANGEROUS EXPLOSIVES
In A Soldier's Heart, Gerald and the other cast members had to work with guns and explosives.
In one of his scenes, Gerald experienced using an explosive that almost exploded in his face!
He narrated, "Oo, muntikan akong nasabugan talaga sa totoong buhay. Muntik talaga akong masabugan sa mukha.
"Nagkamali yung pumindot, napaaga, e, nandun pa ako, nandito pa yung mukha ko tapos sumabog, nagulat ako.
"So yung reaction ko doon, totoo!
"At the end of the day, parang yung safety is number one. Pero kasama talaga yun sa action teleserye, e.
"Alam mo lang dapat paano gumagana yung baril, kung may load siya, kahit fake yung bala."
Gerald also went through rigorous military training, which can be seen in the show's pilot week.
"Yun yung pinakamahirap na tatlong araw sa buhay ko, e.
"Siguro sa napanuod niyo, sobrang nagpapasalamat ako na dumaan kami sa ganung klaseng training.
"Noong kinukunan namin yung mga eksena, nagtetraining kami, mukha siyang totoo.
Gerald is proud to top-bill a drama series that honors Filipino soldiers.
He explained, "Kasi meron kaming mensahe na gustong iparating.
"Gusto namin, kapag napanuod nila, maiba yung respeto nila sa sundalo natin, maiba yung respeto nila sa pamilya ng mga sundalo natin."