Dingdong (right) and Aga Muhlach in “Seven Sundays”
Being part of the family-oriented film, “Seven Sundays,” is an “answered prayer” for Dingdong Dantes. “I’ve waited for this for a long time,” he said. “So, when it finally came, I embraced it fully—my role and the people I worked with.”
He said he learned so much from working with Aga Muhlach. “What better way to know him more than through a film where we play brothers. It’s a privilege to be with him,” Dingdong said. “He’s generous with sharing his life experiences with us. More than being an actor, he is a dedicated family man.”
Dingdong said he could very well relate to what Aga told him, now that he himself is married. “Kuya Aga said that everything you have now—your money, projects and friends—can all be taken away from you. When this happens, you will have no one to lean on but your family. That’s why more than all the material things in this world, it is what you should give importance to.”
For Dingdong, an exclusive talent of GMA 7, being part of “Seven Sundays,” a film produced by rival network ABS-CBN, “is an opportunity for me to hone my craft and do things that I can’t do with my home network.”
“We have a small industry. No network has the monopoly of all the platforms,” Dingdong pointed out. “Artists will eventually come across limitations (in their networks) that they think will impede their growth. While we appreciate the attention that our networks give us, we are also for fairness.”
The actor pointed out, “Once in a while, artists will come across opportunities like this one—I promise to take advantage of each one that comes my way, especially since my home network has given me permission [to do it].”
Dingdong Dantes
The Star Cinema-produced “Seven Sundays, which began screening in cinemas nationwide on Oct. 11, is directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina. It is a family “dramedy” that centers on the four estranged Bonifacio siblings—Allan (Aga), Bryan (Dingdong), Cha (Cristine Reyes) and Dex (Enrique Gil)—who come together when their father (Ronaldo Valdez) is diagnosed with a terminal case of cancer.
“It’s good that we have variety. We’re grateful that there are producers who take risks in casting artists, regardless of whatever affiliation they may have,” Dingdong told the Inquirer.