Jake Cuenca on his budding romance with Chie Filomeno

Chie Filomeno and Jake Cuenca. Image: Instagram/@abscbn

“I don’t want to pull the trigger too early,” declared actor Jake Cuenca, who recently admitted to dating actress Chie Filomeno.

The actor said he has learned a few things from his last romantic relationship (with actress Kylie Verzosa) and would rather not go into details about what’s happening with Chie for fear of preempting things. “I’m happy, but like I said, ayaw kong maudlot. Things are really very good right now, but there’s really nothing much to tell. I can certainly say that she makes me happy,” Jake told Inquirer Entertainment during a recent media gathering to launch the second season of his action series, “The Iron Heart.”

“What’s special about Chie is her heart. To be honest, I already knew that she was a very kind person the first time we dated. She’s also very family-oriented. I appreciate that about her because I’m also like that,” Jake pointed out. “I also appreciate her journey. She’s someone who has been in this industry for a long time, but it’s only now that her star gets to really shine. She waited for her time to come. I find that just as beautiful as she is.”

Chie Filomeno

Jake had just returned from a trip to Italy with “The Iron Heart” costars Richard Gutierrez, Ian Veneracion and Albert Martinez. “This was just a week ago. Certainly, it was fun, but it was also a lot of work. We’re all happy because we were satisfied with the work we did. It felt good to act in another country, especially in Rome. I’m happy because not only did I get to work there, I also got to travel,” said Jake.

At the press conference, the cast talked about how different the Asian work ethic is from that of the Europeans. “We’re very fast, that’s why. The Europeans were amazed at how quickly we got the job done. There’s not enough time and budget for us there. We had to try to shoot the scenes that were supposed to be done from six to 10 hours in just three to four hours,” he explained.

Accidents on the set

“We appreciate it when people say the fight scenes are beautiful, but what they don’t realize is that we did a lot of the work for half the time. I personally don’t find this unfair. When this project was offered to us, we told (producer) Star Creatives that we were willing to do it. For me, an injured knee is not enough reason to not do a sequence.”

Jake said that aside from hurting his knee, he also got hit in the head by a coactor recently. “Things like this happen. I won’t say who gave me the head kick… it doesn’t really matter. When I was asked how I was, I just said, ‘No problem. Just give me some space.’”

He continued: “If I’m doing action, particularly for the role of Eros, the last thing I want is to be babied. I’m my character. I’m not really Jake. I’m also aware of the possibility that I could hurt someone, too. If the actor got really mad at me for punching him, that might just break my heart. If it’s something that happened on the set, I don’t get really emotional about it.”

Jake said one cannot commit to an action project if that person is scared of getting physically hurt. “You shouldn’t doubt yourself. You have to arrive on the set already knowing what you’re supposed to do. You can’t enter a scene feeling fearful because this could result in accidents. You have to be deliberate,’” he stressed.

The program’s second season, which started on June 26, will also feature JM de Guzman. “I’ve always wanted to work with JM. I couldn’t think of a better project than ‘The Iron Heart.’ I keep saying that when we’re on the set, we’re like big kids. We’re very serious because doing action scenes is a matter of life and death, but we can’t help but feel like kids, what with all the guns, cars and bikes around,” he said.

Jake Cuenca (second from left) with Richard Gutierrez, Albert Martinez and Ian Veneracion in Rome

“We just got back from Rome and will leave for Iloilo in two days. I want to leave already. I want to get there ahead of everybody, maybe to rehearse and have a feel of the place,” Jake said.

The program’s first season was shot in Cebu. “We want to feature the old-world charm of Iloilo for Season 2,” said director Lester Pimentel Ong. “Aside from that, Iloilo has newly developed places, one of which looks much like our BGC here. It also makes you feel like you’re in Los Angeles (in California, USA). The ‘old world’ and the ‘modern world’ are just a 10 to 15 minute drive from each other. They also have a very nice riverfront that’s newly developed.

‘Necessary trip’ to Europe

“Location is an important element for action projects. That’s what you see in the ‘James Bond’ franchise. You want to take your audience for a ride, so a good location really helps.”

The director also said the trip to Europe was “necessary” in order to tell the story. “Priam (Albert Martinez) is a member of an international crime syndicate. There’s no better way to showcase this than a trip to Italy to see its grandeur. I’m a big fan of Italian gangster movies. It was a dream come true for all of us to shoot there,” the director said.

“The Iron Heart” airs weekdays at 8:45 p.m. on the Kapamilya Channel, A2Z and TV5.