Anthony Jennings. Image from Instagram / @anthonyjenningss
Some actors go to great length to make their role-playing believable and such is young actor Anthony Jennings who thought of giving his Cronus character in “The Iron Heart a street-smart demeanor by shaving his eyebrows.
Jennings’ shaved eyebrows was the one thing that showbiz reporters noticed when they were invited to the series’ location shooting in Cebu.
“Kasama sa character ko ‘yan kasi noong humarap ako sa salamin ay parang walang bago. Sabi ko, mag-ahit nga ako ng kilay, i-try ko lang. Parang okay naman so itinuloy ko na lang din,” Jenning explained. (It’s part of my character because when I looked in the mirror, I wanted to see some changes in my appearance. I thought that I should shave my eyebrows, I will just try it. It wasn’t so bad, so I got on with it.)
Jennings got his inspiration from some actors in Hollywood who made physical changes in their appearance to be able to effectively carry out their roles.
“Siguro once na nanonood ka ng film kahit sa ibang bansa, may mano-notice ka naman na nagbabago sa mukha nila kapag sa Hollywood pinapanood mo. ‘Uy, may brace si ano sa ganitong pelikula. May salamin siya dito,’” he said. “Gusto ko talagang ramdamin ang character ko, ibahin ang hitsura ko.” (Maybe you have seen in some Hollywood films that the actors would change something in their appearance. Like, somebody put braces or glasses on… I just really wanted to be in character so I changed my looks.)
In shaving his eyebrows, Jennings admitted that he had initial fears of it not growing again.
“Noong una, natakot ako kasi first time kong mag-ahit ng kilay. Baka ‘di tumubo so habang buhay na akong may ganoon. Pero tumubo naman. Wala pang tatlong linggo tumubo naman siya,” he said. (At first, I was scared to shave it because it might not grow back, and that I would be eyebrow-less forever. But the brow hairs grew back within three weeks.)
As Cronus, Jennings’s character got embroiled in an illegal activity that concerns social media.
“Si Cronus, wala siyang choice kaya kailangan niyang gawin ang mga bagay na hindi naman niya gustong gawin. Parang normal lang naman si Cronus. Medyo exagg lang siya kasi may pinagdadaanan siya,” he said about his character. (Cronus had to do what he had to do, because he didn’t have a choice. He’s just like any normal guy, if but a little exaggerated because he’s going through something.) EDV