No pressure for Daniel Padilla to live up to his family’s action star legacy
Daniel Padilla during the press conference of “Incognito.” Image: Instagram/@starmagicphils
Despite coming from a family of action stars, Daniel Padilla doesn’t allow himself to live up to expectations. He, instead, takes the new challenge in stride while choosing to do his best.
Daniel comes from the prominent Padilla clan, mostly composed of action stars, including the actor-turned-senator Robin Padilla, and even to the late Rudy Fernandez.
This time, the actor entered a new chapter in his career as a fully-fledged action star in the upcoming drama “Incognito” where he let go of his romantic roots. But he clarified that his relatives never pressured him to match up to their legacy.
“Wala naman silang binibigay na pressure sa akin. Wala rin naman akong nararamdamang na kaba or anything. Hindi ko alam eh. I’m just doing my best. Kung ano man ang maging kinalabasan, that’s it. I’m doing my best,” he said in a mediacon for the series.
(They didn’t give me any pressure. I don’t feel nervous or anything. I don’t know. I’m just doing my best. Whatever the outcome is, that’s it. I’m doing my best.)
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The series will feature Daniel starring as Andres Malvar, who is described by the actor-singer as a “dugong Igorot, makatao, and a discharged scout ranger.” To prepare for his role, he engaged in muay Thai, basketball, and golf.
While its theme piqued his interest from the beginning, it was his co-star Ian Veneracion who convinced him to be part of the project. Doing stunts wasn’t new for him, but what excited him about the drama was the chance to fully channel his inner action star.
“Nakapag-warm up naman kami ni Direk Lester [Pimentel Ong] sa ‘La Luna Sang’gre,’ nakasubok na ng konting action… Pero ito, iba talaga kasi full action siya. Simula pa lang ng araw mo, adrenaline rush hanggang gabi,” he said.
(Director Lester Pimentel Ong and I warmed up in “La Luna Sang’gre” since it featured action. But this is different because it features full-on action. The moment you start your day, you already feel an adrenaline rush that lasts until evening.)
Daniel added that embracing his new era as an action star is “very fulfilling” for him.
“Pagdating mo sa hotel mo, very fulfilling din. Kasi may mga stunts na hindi madali pero kapag nagawa namin, it’s very fulfilling. Kahit papaano, it’s still very new for me pero [mukhang] matagal kong gagawin ‘to,” he said.
(It’s very fulfilling, even when you get back to the hotel. We have stunts that are not easy, but it’s very fulfilling when we do it. It’s somehow still very new for me but it seems that I’ll be doing this for a long time.)
Aside from Padilla and Veneracion, it also stars Richard Gutierrez, Maris Racal, Anthony Jennings, Kaila Estrada, and Baron Geisler.
The drama will first premiere on a streaming platform on Jan. 17, 2025, then on ABS-CBN’s iWantTFC a day later, before premiering on the Kapamilya platforms on Jan. 20, 2025.
