Alex Medina on working with Angelica Panganiban: ‘Intimidating si Madame Claudia’

Rhea Manila Santos

<div><img src='' alt='091215-alexmedina_push.jpg' width='400' height='290' align='left' border='0'>Having started out in showbiz with roles in various independent movies, Alex Medina admitted his role in <i>Heneral Luna</i> is an eye-opener when it comes to his knowledge of Philippine history, especially when it comes to the life of national hero Antonio Luna.<i> “Hindi nga ako masyado familiar sa buhay niya kaya what's neat about this movie is dahil dun na-open up ako dun. Sana mapanuod ng mga kabataan para mapanuod nila kung ano yung ipinaglaban ni Antonio Luna. Panalo eh (laughs) Ako dito si Jose Bernal. Isa ako sa mga Bernal brothers. Kami yung mga piling trusted men ni Mr. Antonio Luna. Pero sa lahat ng ginawa ni Antonio Luna kasama kami, kumbaga nandun kami every step of the way sa mga pinaglalaban niya,” </i>he shared.</div><div><br/></div><div>In preparation for the role, Alex revealed they had to learn horseback riding, especially in the combat scenes which employed more than 500 extras and shot in various provinces.<i> “Grabe, sabi ko parang Hollywood talaga. Yung most scenes sini-CGI na lang nila yung crowd pero marami pa rin silang kinuha. 5 am sulputan na yung mga tao nakapasok sa service vans talaga ang dami talaga sobrang dami. Nakakatuwa. Kasi ang ganda ng action dito grabe. Talagang grabe yung budget namin. Ang ganda nung action scenes namin talaga. I can honestly say na buti malaki yung budget kasi hindi kami tinipid nila direk Jerrold Tarog kasi kung ano yung kailagan ng shot, kung ano yung kailangan ng script ginawa namin,”</i> he recalled.</div><div><br/></div><div>On the small screen Alex is also with the top rated teleserye remake of <i>Pangako Sa 'Yo.</i> The 29-year-old actor said he is proud to be part of such a successful show. <i>“Actually before nung tinatanong ako ng Star Creatives kung puwede daw ako, sabi ko tatapusin ko lang yung isang project ko pero gusto ko talaga mag-Pangako Sa 'Yo kasi yung Pangako ang nagsimula ng teleseryes sa bansa natin di ba? Dati kasi afternoon lang di ba? Tapos paglabas nun naging primetime siya. Parang nakakatuwa na honored ako na kumbaga the teleserye that started it all and now I'm part of that teleserye. Kasi mag-iiba na yung phase na yun eh, meron ng Forevermore, meron na yung mga kiligserye so natutuwa ako na naging parte ako nung telenovela o teleserye na culture,”</i> he explained.</div><div></div><div><img src='' alt='091215-alexmedina_push.jpg' width='400' height='290' align='left' border='0'>Playing the role of Angelica Panganiban's secret lover was something Alex said was the first thing he tried to understand and relate with his character.</div><div><br/></div><div><i>“Kumbaga si Simon yung character ko submissive eh. Si Claudia siya yung more of aggressive so I think there's more of a yin yang there. So parang I rely on her actually. There's something about her, hindi mo ma-explain eh. Pag attracted ka sa isang tao hindi mo ma-explain, gusto mo lang makasama. Yung ganun lagi yung feeling. Actually in real life naman ganun ganun din naman ako, submissive kasi ako,” he said. When asked if he would ever agree to a similar arrangement as Madame Claudia and Simon, Alex said he doesn't see the point. “Hindi, ayoko ng ganun. Magulo yun. Magulo. Bakit pa ako papasok sa ganung gulo? Hindi ko pinipili yung ganung buhay (laughs),”</i> he added.</div><div><br/></div><div>Working with Angelica on the set of <i>Pangako Sa 'Yo</i>, Alex said he can attest to the fact that she is not like her character in real life. <i>“Ano siya, professional at tahimik pag ganun. Tahimik lang siya tapos pag rumolyo na yun na yun. Wala namang ganun. Ano lang, feeling ko very in character siya so nakakatuwa. Intimidating si Madame Claudia kaya maganda yung nagagawa niya for the character. Kahit ako natutuwa ako na parang grabe si Angelica gumanap, iba yung hold niya sa character niya. Ibang klase. Talagang madam talaga siya,”</i> he shared.</div>

Alex Medina admits he is impressed with his ‘Pangako Sa 'Yo’ co-star Angelica Panganiban.

Alex Medina on working with Angelica Panganiban: ‘Intimidating si Madame Claudia’ | PUSH.COM.PH