DENNIS Trillo (left) and Tom Rodriguez compete in the Kapuso Weekend games in Boracay.
Six months after GMA 7’s gay-themed drama series “My Husband’s Lover” (MHL) aired its final episode, its main stars Dennis Trillo and Tom Rodriguez continue to receive questions about the likelihood of an on-screen reunion.
The possibility of collaborating again will always be there, according to Dennis. Given the chance, however, the actor said he and Tom would love to do something drastically different. In the hit TV series, Tom played a married man, Vincent, who fell in love with Eric (Dennis).
“Maybe we can do an action show or film,” suggested Tom in an interview during GMA Regional TV’s Kapuso Weekend in Boracay event. “We always want to do new things so that our fans won’t get tired of watching us.”
Asked if they would consider accepting another gay role soon, the two Kapuso stars said it would all depend on the material.
Dennis admitted he had turned down a few offers to do gay roles in the past, mainly because some of them required gratuitous scenes. “The great thing about MHL is that it was story-driven … so we didn’t need to resort to bed scenes.”
The two actors, whose team-up is called “TomDen,” admit that MHL opened doors for them.
Tom recently did the Regal Entertainment rom-com “So It’s You,” in which he was paired with MHL costar Carla Abellana.
“As an actor, I aspire to be versatile enough to be paired with other artists and make it work … I learn so much from them,” Tom said.
While already an established artist in the industry, Dennis said his career and personal life benefited greatly from the show, too. “I managed to breathe life into a character that people fell in love with. And in turn, I feel loved as well,” Dennis said.
Going indie
Unlike Tom, who is making mainstream films, Dennis took the indie route, with the drama-action movie “The Janitor”—an entry in the Director’s Showcase section of the 10th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. Directed by Mike Tuviera, the film, Dennis related, is based on an unresolved bank robbery and massacre case in Laguna in 2008.
Dennis, who previously starred in Brillante Ma. Mendoza’s “Sapi,” said he loved the sense of fearlessness of indie filmmaking. “Indie films are not about the usual stories: missing children, etc.—it’s different from what we usually do on TV,” he said. “As an artist, I get a different kind of fulfillment from indie movies.”
Although Tom has already done an indie film, Alvin Yapan’s comedy flick “GayDar,” the Kapuso talent said he was looking forward to tackling more serious roles in the future. “I still have a lot to learn. I hope to get a chance when I’m ready,” said Tom, who likewise expressed interest in the fantasy genre.
Gold status
Meanwhile, Tom and Dennis were both stoked that their album under GMA Records, also titled “TomDen,” has reached gold status.
“Fewer people buy CDs nowadays, but it’s heartening to see that fans actually spend money for our album,” Dennis said.
While the pair isn’t about to launch a serious music career anytime soon, Tom said he was glad he and Dennis were able to do other things in show biz apart from acting. “We want to explore different outlets; we want to try things that we won’t be able to do on our own,” he said.
(E-mail apolicarpio@inquirer.com.ph)