Why Arjo Atayde and Jake Cuenca prefer to play ‘imperfect, flawed’ characters

Actor Arjo Atayde, who plays lead in the psychological thriller “Cattleya Killer,” said he had to watch a lot of documentaries and videos about serial killers to prepare for his character.

Arjo plays Anton, the son of Joven dela Rosa, the investigator who cracked the infamous serial killer case some two decades ago. He becomes the suspect in an investigation of a slew of cryptic murders “when his past traumas and long-buried secrets are brought to light.”

Arjo Atayde as Anton dela Rosa in “Cattleya Killer”

The six-part series, directed by Dan Villegas and written by Dodo Dayao, will be streamed on Prime Video starting June 1. It is a sequel to Rory B. Quintos’ 1996 psychological drama “Sa Aking mga Kamay,” which starred Aga Muhlach and Christopher de Leon.

“With the guidance of Direk Dan and Ruel (Bayani, head of ABS-CBN International Production and Coproduction), we were able to create Anton. Definitely, there was a lot of analyzing in the beginning, especially when Direk Dan was still trying to explain how the character should be. I also did a lot of research on my own. I’m more of a visual learner in terms of absorbing information. I watched a lot of materials that helped me become the personality that ‘Cattleya Killer’ demanded,” he told reporters during the recent special screening of the program’s pilot episode.

“I just tried to get into the character,” he added. “In the end, it wasn’t so hard to let go of being Anton. I would just snap in and out of it. Through the years, I have been able to develop my own method. I’ve learned from veterans and directors how to do it.”

Arjo said he felt overwhelmed to be able to work with Christopher for this particular spinoff. Christopher plays Joven, Anton’s dad. “Tito Boyet (Christopher’s nickname) is so giving. No words can describe how thankful I am to have had the opportunity to work with him. It was one hell of a ride,” said Arjo, who added that he was grateful to have also worked with Jake Cuenca, who plays Anton’s brother Benjie.

Jake Cuenca as Benjie dela Rosa

“Besides the fact that Jake is a close friend of mine, he is also very generous as an actor. We just enjoyed our scenes together. We really got the chance to collaborate,” he declared.

Letting go

Unlike Arjo, Jake admitted having difficulty “letting go” of Benjie when filming was over. “It’s because I prepared so much for this. I think I was so stimulated. Like Arjo, I watched documentaries. I practiced day in and day out. I became the character for a time—I even went on an imaginary date with the character of Ms. Zsa Zsa Padilla (psychiatrist Aurora Melendrez). I had so much fun doing it that when it ended, it was hard for me to let go,” Jake told reporters.

Zsa Zsa Padilla as Aurora Melendrez

“It was kind of established that Jake’s character was never in therapy with me,” Zsa Zsa pointed out. “Later on in the story, it will also be revealed why Arjo’s character sees me, why he needs therapy. My character, as explained to me by Direk and the team, is very much present in these men’s lives while growing up. I was like their Tita. So you can see how awkward it was for me [to shoot an intimate scene with Jake].”

‘Very complex’

Zsa Zsa said she also made sure to see the original film before reading her script, “Just to understand the story better. I had to take note of the other characters and what was to happen next. Christopher’s character, as well as his sons, are all very complex. Sobrang loaded nila,” she observed.

Christopher de Leon as Joven dela Rosa

On the matter of shooting the series, Zsa Zsa said she was impressed by how well their producers took care of the whole team. “They made sure to stick to the 12-hour work schedule. This is a good thing because this keeps people on their toes. They know everyone is running on a tight schedule and, therefore, they should be professional,” she recalled. “It was a breeze to work with everybody. The script was given way ahead, so I had more time to memorize my lines. We also had Zoom meetings where all we did was throw lines. I want to work with all of them again,” she said.

At the Q&A session after the screening, Arjo and Jake were asked to talk about the offbeat roles they chose to portray through the years, or how they chose to go against the grain as actors.

“I always pride myself on marching to the beat of my own drum. For me, this is a dream role. The other day, I was telling people that when I was a kid playing ‘cops and robbers’ with other children, I would always choose to be the robber. I am fascinated by characters who are imperfect or flawed. I’m just happy that the industry has reached this point where it’s now willing to tell stories of characters who are more realistic and textured. I’m thankful that there are more projects like this today. I would always think of the late Tito Eddie (Garcia) and the roles he did,” Jake said.

Arjo added: “If you want to keep doing characters like this, then that’s great. You learn so much from playing them. I look up to a lot of character actors, some of them are with us in this project. I learn from my experiences. Through the years, it’s more about observing and absorbing. Definitely, Jake and I aren’t part of the sweet stuff. We chose this route. I’m sure others prefer to be the bida.”

“Cattleya Killer,” which also stars Jane Oineza, Ria Atayde, Ricky Davao, Nonie Buencamino, Jojit Lorenzo, Ketchup Eusebio, Frances Ignacio and Rafael Siguion-Reyna, is a coproduction of ABS-CBN International Productions and Nathan Studios.

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