- “Teleserye King” Coco Martin brought back to life two of the late Fernando Poe Jr.’s past films
- Coco Martin and his similarities to FPJ
It has been a long journey for Kapamilya actor and dubbed “Teleserye King” Coco Martin to get to where he is right now. From being discovered on independent films to introducing himself in the mainstream, and now remaking what was yesterday’s biggest hits on screen.
Coco proved himself worthy of the smallest up to the largest trust given to him on handling projects.
This is why the management deemed Coco rightful for late “DaKing” Fernando Poe Jr. remakes. He’s not only physically similar to FPJ’s earlier days in the industry, he also has the attitude and guts to portray such challenging and action-packed characters.
In 2015, approximately 16 years later, the Kapamilya actor gained the role of Ador and Cardo Dalisay in the re-birth of FPJ’s 1997 film “Ang Probinsyano.” Although it was originally a movie, Coco agreed to bring it back to life through a teleserye in the Primetime slot of ABS-CBN. Joined him on this project was Susan Roces, the wife of FPJ herself, who agreed that the actor is fit for his husband’s role as well.
“Ang masasabi ko, may’ mga bagay na kahawig sa pag-uugali ni FPJ at ni Coco, lalo na sa pagtrabaho. Katulad ng nabanggit, ang working relationship namin ay ganun din noong panahon namin ni FPJ,” she said during a previous interview with Rappler.
Today, Coco has yet again revived FPJ’s presence through the movie remake of his 1970’s “Ang Panday.” The official entry for 2017’s “Metro Manila Film Festival,” called the actor to venture into another milestone in his career. He did not only took on the lead role, Coco also directed this film hands-on.
It seems that the 36-year-old have already captured the hearts of both this generation’s movie and TV enthusiasts, but also the fans of FPJ back in the days.
Curiously, what makes Coco fit to do FPJ?
1. Coco Martin has the angst
According to most viewers of FPJAP, the main character shows the angst expected for him. We all know that the show requires a lot of stunts and fighting scenes, Coco surpassed them all and maintained the fury in his acting.
FPJ was called “Action King” for a reason, one couldn’t simply take on his footsteps without reliving what was popularly known him for.
2. Coco draws an audience
It’s no surprise why FPJAP has remained on top of the ratings game even after two years of its airing, it’s Coco’s charm that has captured the attention and hearts of TV viewers. Evidently, Coco’s fan base grew and more and more households tune in to every episode of his primetime show, which always gets extended for these reasons.
The audience love that Coco is both charismatic and strong-looking on and off screen. No wonder it’s no effort for him to bring them all in cinemas to catch “Ang Panday,” which by the way, rakes millions as we speak.
3. Coco’s passion for arts
Coco spent P100-million just to revive “Ang Panday,” as he described this one as his passion project. This is his first time to fully-direct and act on the same film and he totally outdone himself.
“Ganoon ako ka-passionate dito. Pati sa pagpromote, pati sa paggawa ng mga kanta, ginagawa ko. Gusto ko sulitin talaga. Gusto ko ’yung mga tao ang magsasalita para sa pelikula,” he said on an earlier interview with Manila Bulletin.
He gives his 100% on all his roles and projects, be it acting and directing, or both. Coco’s efforts always pay off because they are made with love for the arts and passion for his job.
4. Coco stays humble despite success
You wouldn’t be in demand or called “king” without such achievements. Coco has already done so much for his age in the industry, but despite all of those, he still puts his feet on the ground about them. For him, there are still a lot to learn.
Coco’s humble personality is what brought him to greater heights. For that, he’s just as worthy to any role because he takes it seriously and whole-heartedly.
5. Work ethics of a veteran
Susan Roces once was asked what traits tie her husband and Coco together. She said that its the actor’s work ethics. Coco really is determined whenever he’s on set of any project. He seldom arrives later or call in sick.
The veteran actress complimented what Coco can do for his show. She shared on an interview with Rappler that he even tries to do scenes outdoor even if it can be done off-cam just to make it look realistic.
“Makatotohanan, palagi na kadalasan ninenerbyos ako kapag ginagawa niya yun dahil pwede namang hindi, kasi off-cam naman yun.”
6. Not for the money
When Coco laid “Ang Panday” on the works, he only had one thing in his mind: for the audience to appreciate the film. He’s not in it to be box-office or top off Vice Ganda and Vic Sotto’s place but to produce a quality movie.
During his interview with Manila Bulletin, Coco shared that he was nervous of how people will react.
“Ninerbiyos ako kasi si Vice iyan. Mag-bestfriends kami at gumawa din kami ng pelikula. Kaya sabi ko sa sarili ko gagawin ko siyang inspirasyon. Sabi ko, kapag hindi maganda ’yung pelikula, hindi masyado tatangkilikin.”
This is what people admire of Coco, he really loves what he’s doing that earning comes second on his list.
7. Brave to try new things
Knowing that remakes should be parallel with the old version, Coco treats this as a challenge. He doesn’t limit his skills in acting to what was already done in the past but he’s brave enough to add some points that he thinks will better the show or film.
According to him, he combines his experiences from Indie to what he does now in order to create a more immersive work for the audience. He’s not conformed to the rules and it showed great results.
8. Coco Martin is a unique actor
Coco can be anyone on screen but he is loved because of his own style. He may be fond of doing remakes but who he is as an actor is what makes him loved by the audience.
All the good things that we mentioned above are Coco’s keys on being the successful entertainment figure that he is now.
Do you agree? Comment below!
