Cool casting choices

Inday Bote,” the “fantaserye” that ended last Friday, benefited from its cool and spot-on casting choices, paced by Alonzo Muhlach as tiny Entoy and Nikki Valdez as his ever-loving elf of a mother.

For her part, Alex Gonzaga here did way better than in her past stellar outings, like the unlamented “Pure Love,” where she made a less-than-charismatic lead.

But “Inday Bote” was still not a triumph for Alex, due to her occasional propensity to make ismid and otherwise cluttering up her agreeably “pure” character. Used to acting up a silly storm to get noticed, she should now realize that attention-calling “gimmicks” can be counterproductive.

ALONZO Muhlach should steer clear of roles popularized by his dad.

If memory serves, some years ago, the big, bright casting idea was to cast Jericho Rosales as Fernando Poe Jr .’s “Ang Panday.” The concept had “hit” written all over it—but when the ratings dust finally settled, the action-drama teleserye turned out to be a less-than-sensational achievement.

Quite unfairly, the blame for the less-than-triumphant showing was placed squarely at Jericho’s feet, and its repercussions were so bad that his career slowed down for at least a couple of years.

JERICHO Rosales was unfairly blamed for a series’ low ratings.

It’s good that he has finally fully recovered and “Bridges of Love” is proving all over again that he is his generation’s best male thespian, bar none.

But, for quite a long time there, it was touch-and-go for him—proof that wrong or insufficient stellar casting choices should be avoided for the plague that they could turn into!

These thoughts come to mind, because another one of FPJ’s iconic screen characters, the cop in “Ang Probinsyano,” will be depicted anew on the small screen—this time, with Coco Martin doing the thespic honors. At first blush, Coco seems to be suited to the character’s simple, straightforward, man-of-few-words, masa parameters. But, we hope that producers learn from the “Ang Panday” experience to look out in advance for any land mines lurking in the way.

It’s also good to hear that Angel Locsin will be the TV screen’s latest Darna. She has the right combination of physical charms, action prowess and “inspirational” qualities for the role. She’s also versatile enough to be believable as she shifts from Darna to Narda in the blink of a fantasticating eye—so, all’s well that starts out well.

What’s up next for precocious Alonzo, Niño Muhlach’s mini-me and scion? His handler should make sure that his next career moves are not in roles popularized by his hugely famous dad in his time.

Let him do something original, unrelated and “nonreferential” first, before he goes back to “tribute” mode and essays roles famously made famous by Niño—like the waif in “Ang Tatay Kong Nanay.”

LIZA Soberano and Enrique Gil were ably supported by colorful costars. ABS-CBN

On “Forevermore,” the astute casting decision was to support the series’ young leads (Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil) with a colorful, textured ensemble of actors, including the scraggly senior character actor, Banky, whose career was revived by the show’s popularity.

Less is supposed to be more, but in this instance, it all came beautifully and colorfully together, proving that, if handled savvily and well, a prismatic mix of ensemble talents can be—much more!