Unfocused elements weaken male lead portrayals in ‘teleseryes’

DANTES. Fall from grace.

When a star agrees to play a lead role in a daily drama series, he expects to get a part that will enable him to show how good an actor he can be.

Sometimes, however, unfocused elements weaken his cumulative characterization, and prevent it from ending up as the scintillating success it fully intended to be.

This season, this is turning out to be the sad fate of Dingdong Dantes in “Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real,” Coco Martin in “Ikaw Lamang” and Paulo Avelino in “Sana Bukas Pa Ang Kahapon.”

Dingdong’s case is the most frustrating, because he started out so well in “Mrs. Real,” giving the new series the emotional focus and weight it needed to make viewers want to see how it was going to develop.

New flame

However, things started to go awry when Dingdong’s character met his new flame (Lovi Poe), but hedged about telling her that he was married.

This went against one of his character’s main established traits: his being a principled man.

It also affected Lovi’s own portrayal, because the fact that she wasn’t concerned about her boyfriend’s civil status, despite his obviously being already in his late 20s or early 30s, made her come off as rather vague and clueless

—and therefore undeserving of viewers’ concern or pity.

But, the biggest loser is Dingdong, who has now been reduced to covering up, looking befuddled and guilty, “hyperventilating” in fear and dread, and other shallow performing tics and shticks—a far cry from his felt portrayal at the start of the series.

Good as new

For his part, Coco Martin comes off less than believably in “Ikaw Lamang,” because he’s been made to suffer and almost die in the turgid teleserye—and yet, he always manages to bounce back, as good as new, with nary an emotional bruise or scar to show for all of the horrible punishment and persecution he’s been getting!

Coco’s character’s ability to recover completely may be intended to show his indomitable resilience, determination and fortitude, but it also makes him come off as an unreal, too-good-to-be-true character, completely impervious to all of the slings and arrows aimed his way by his all-powerful adversaries.

As for Paulo Avelino in “Sana Bukas Pa Ang Kahapon,” his hero-antihero character is proving to be too tough for him to handle, because he is good at the antihero part, but isn’t credible enough when his role requires him to be believably heroic.

Wiles

For instance, he’s supposed to really and truly love Bea Alonzo’s “Rose” character, but keeps exposing himself to the wiles of the villainous temptress portrayed by Maricar Reyes, indulging in “harmless” (in his eyes) drinking sessions with her, allowing her to stay in his apartment overnight—etc.! —The guy is simply asking for trouble!

Also, when his wife is jailed, he can’t even scrounge up enough bail money for her—and just drinks some more to dull his emotional pain, when it’s her predicament he should be thinking of!

For these and other reasons, Paulo’s portrayal to date is more “anti” than “hero,” and that’s a problem not just for him, but also for the drama series as a whole.