‘Iron Heart’ director shares journey with Richard Gutierrez, Jake Cuenca, Dimples Romana
Dimples Romana as Selene Larisa
Director Lester Pimentel Ong likened the male-dominated cast of the action-drama series “The Iron Heart” to a well-oiled sports team.”
They work out a lot. This is why whenever the production team is looking for hotel accommodations, the first thing they ask is whether or not the place has an efficient gym,” Ong told Inquirer Entertainment over lunch recently.
After showcasing different scenic spots in Cebu for the first season, “The Iron Heart” is currently shooting in Iloilo.
“If you wake up at 6 a.m., you’ll see them at the gym. After working out, they eat breakfast together, then go back to their rooms to freshen up. By 8 a.m. they’re ready to be brought to the set. They’re disciplined. They’re like a well-oiled sports team. Nobody forced them to adapt to this kind of routine. This is just how they are. What’s good is that they are able to influence the new cast members. This is also why, I think, Richard is at his fittest these days.”
Lester is referring to Richard Gutierrez who plays lead character Apollo Adelantar, an undercover agent who goes on a dangerous mission to bring down a crime ring. In his journey, he meets characters played by Jake Cuenca, Albert Martinez, Pepe Herrera and Christian Vasquez.
Meanwhile, Jake plays Eros del Mar, a secret agent posing as a gangster. “I first worked with Jake in ‘Palos’ (2007),” said Lester. “Through the years, I’ve been hearing about his journey from other people. When we started working on the show, I noticed how professional he has become. He takes his work seriously. It was actually Jake who influenced everybody to work out every day. He would be at the gym at 5 a.m., ahead of everybody. ‘Put in the work before going to work.,’ that’s what he always says.”
Lester added: “Jake is also very dedicated. He would study the script thoroughly and would repeat his lines again and again. When he isn’t at work, you’d find him in a corner acting out his scenes on his own. His work ethic is amazing.”
Jake Cuenca as Eros del Mar
Lester said “The Iron Heart” is his first project with Richard as the lead. “Nagkapaan muna kami. In the beginning, the action style we imagined for him was not the one he envisioned for himself. This was why we had prolonged conversations until we were able to meet halfway,” he added. “Acting-wise, Richard has improved so much. He is now able to perform well alongside Jake and Ian Veneracion.”
While the cast consists mostly of men, there are female cast members who stand out. This includes Dimples Romana, who plays gangster boss Selene Larisa.
“You all know how good she is as an actress. On set, she also works well with everyone. What’s amazing about her is that I think she has a photographic memory. We would send all of them revised scripts sometimes. I would see her briefly scan the pages. It’s amazing how she manages to memorize her lines in such a short time,” Lester observed.
He added that he would often feel stressed and worried because Dimples tended to push herself to do more than what was required of her. “While I worry about injuries, palaban naman si Dimples. I would always try to hold back, not just Dimples, but also the other actors by saying, ‘This is already a good take,'” he said. “In sports, it’s normal to experience bumps and falls. Just like in basketball, it’s impossible not to hit each other. I’m OK with this as long as no one ends up in the hospital.”
Lester said that, as early as now, he and his team are already preparing for the season finale. “When we did Season 1, we worked on the finale not knowing that the show would be extended or that there would be another season. Our mindset then was, ‘This is our last, so we have to give it our all,'” he pointed out. “This may sound cliche, but you will see more twists in the story, more surprising revelations, and more exciting action scenes. The goal now is to beat ourselves.”
Lester Pimentel Ong (left) with Richard Gutierrez
He added: “We’re grateful to ABS-CBN for allowing us to turn our dream scenes into reality, just like the river sequence featuring Richard riding a jet ski and JM (de Guzman) on a speed boat. You can really see that even our producers want the show to constantly level up. We took it upon ourselves not to disappoint them.”
He also said the finale would “most likely be in a new location. Our producers come up with plans that take us by surprise. Shooting in Italy (for the Season 2 opening) was a surprise to us, too,” Lester added.
As to whether there would be a Season 3, even Lester is still uncertain. “If ever we would have one, I would first aspire for a break. I don’t know why we don’t do this in the Philippines. Action is very tiring. Even though we only work for 12 hours a day, there’s the planning and the rehearsals. If ever this happens, we would return with a series that’s stronger than before,” Lester declared.
The series, produced by Star Creatives for ABS-CBN, airs weekdays at 8:45 p.m. on the Kapamilya Channel, A2Z and TV5. INQ
