Before he became an actor, Dennis Trillo was just a regular college student dodging Math courses. He enrolled in an International Studies course just because his friends were there and it didn’t have a lot of Math subjects. “But I didn't think that I would be a diplomat or someone who would pursue that course. That's the career that I was looking for,” Trillo tells Esquire Philippines.
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He also had a band and played drums, rocking out to metal and heavy rock music from bands like Rage Against the Machine. “We eventually evolved into classic rock, then we matured into acid jazz. Then we returned to punk and ska-punk. I played in different bands.”
Jacket by Zegna; tank and trousers, stylist's own. PHOTO: PATRICK DIOKNO
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Although he did not aspire to become a diplomat, Trillo knew something big was going to happen in his life.
“I didn't have a solid dream," he says. "I was too happy-go-lucky when I was young. But I knew that something would happen in my life. I just didn't know what it was. I've been feeling for a long time that I have a purpose. I just didn't know it would be in show business."
Unknown to many, Trillo started his showbiz career in ABS-CBN, the rival network of his current home, GMA-7. After graduating from college, Trillo worked at a telecoms company for six months, then decided to audition at ABS-CBN. He was part of the talent search program Star Circle’s Batch 10. He was in the same batch as Bea Alonzo, Nadine Lustre, and Pia Wurtzbach.
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“At the time, I wasn’t sure I would even make it in showbiz,” Trillo says.
PHOTO: PATRICK DIOKNO
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In fact, in his early years as an aspiring actor, nerves caught the better of Trillo. He couldn’t act well because of insecurities about his body, particularly his ears.
“My ears stand out. Every time I stood in my spot and faced the camera, people would look at me weirdly. I didn’t know why. They seemed to be bothered by my ears, so they had to put tape around my ears.”
That incident made Trillo very conscious. “I wasn't acting because I was embarrassed about my ears. I lost my focus. In the end, I didn't get the part. I had an insecurity that they were seeing something wrong with me.”
But after 23 years in the entertainment business, Trillo is an established actor and has played vast number of challenging roles and characters, including a transgender woman spy in the period film Aishte Imasu 1941, a hired assassin in On the Job: The Missing 8, and one-half of a pair of gay lovers in the hit TV series My Husband’s Lover.
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Jacket by Zegna; T-shirt and hat, stylist's own. PHOTO: PATRICK DIOKNO
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But Crisostomo Ibarra was the role Dennis Trillo feared the most
Maria Clara at Ibarra is a portal fantasy series based on Jose Rizal’s two most important works: Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
Trillo feared he would not be able to do justice to an opus that is considered a nearly sacred heritage among Filipinos.
“In Maria Clara at Ibarra, I learned a lot—I was studying and researching. Of course, I’ve read the story.” By “research,” Trillo meant watching old films about the novels. He mentioned the late film director Eddie Romero’s Noli Me Tangere, a 13-part series produced in the 1960s. There was also a TV adaptation of Noli in which Joel Torre and Chin-chin Gutierrez portrayed Ibarra and Maria Clara
It was not until Trillo saw the trailer of Maria Clara at Ibarra when he realized what the show will be about. At first, he was hesitant to take on the role because he didn't know if it would be a fantasy or a historical series.
“When I saw the trailer, I realized what they wanted to happen in the show. And by God's mercy, people watched it and got curious. This is not the usual show you would watch in primetime. People are not used to historical fantasy. Besides, it is also a love story and drama, everything is in here. And you'll learn while watching it. This is one of GMA’s big shows. I have no reason not to accept it,” Trillo says. “It's the role of a lifetime. Finally, this is the role I feared to take on.”
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Beyond reading Rizal’s novels, Trillo says he searched for graphic novels of Noli and Fili to get an idea of Ibarra’s looks, behavior, and style. According to the actor, the most tedious part of portraying Ibarra was capturing the lingua franca of the 1800s.
“The dialogues are old. Making the words flow smoothly involves a lot of repetition—repeating the reading, repeating the words. You have to do it over and over again to capture it by heart. You can't just ad-lib. You have to memorize it word for word,” he says.
“That's the message of the time. Even if you ad-lib, make sure you still fit in with the setting of that time.”
Another challenging aspect of playing the role was inventing how a person from the 1800s would react to someone from the future. Barbie Forteza, who plays the role of Klay, was portaled into the Noli universe after arguing with her professor that the whole book was pointless and had no bearing on her life as a Nursing student.
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“It was a bit weird at first. I didn't know how a person from the 1800s would react to a Gen Z. How would your chemistry be like then?” says Trillo. “But I think the dynamics of the character made the story interesting. People got curious about how a Gen Z would relate to the story and how the story would affect the character while he's inside the story.”
"It's an important thing to fight for what is right"
As Trillo delves deep into his character as Ibarra and Simoun, who are both fighting for their motherland with intense vigor and passion, he reflects on the things worth fighting for with almost the same degree of enthusiasm and indignation.
“It’s an important thing to fight for what is right,” he says. “Rizal saw a lot of flaws in the leaders, in the Friars. As they say, what's wrong is what's happening, and change is needed. And I think acceptance of change is also important. It’s important to accept that you need to change so that you can create a better system than is not corrupt.”
In his eyes, there is a glint of outrage he would not allow to escape through his mouth.
So we asked him what makes him very angry.
“It's dishonest people. That's what makes me angry. The people who are deceitful and are full of themselves.”
At that moment, we knew he was truly meant to portray Crisostomo Ibarra.
There is no profound maxim or principle that Trillo lives by. “Just be kind,” he says.
All his life, his parents instilled kindness as the most important virtue of all.
“That’s the basic building block I’ve learned from my parents. It’s the foundation who I am today. Be kind to everyone. Be thankful. Be appreciative of the people around you,” Trillo says. “I learned a lot from my parents. They taught me the basics of how to survive. I'm so grateful for everything I learned from them. And that's what I'm going to teach my kids.”
And it’s something that radiates out of him. He notices the small things, the small gestures, and the sacrifices of the people around him. Despite a loaded day, Trillo thanked all the people he met during the shoot. There was no ounce of entitlement about him. I sensed exhaustion, but he still followed the instructions of the shoot’s producer and photographer.
Sweater and T-shirt by Burberry; jeans by Helmut Lang, stylist's own. PHOTO: PATRICK DIOKNO
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“Don't forget to thank the people who help you every day,” he tells us. “It's very important to be humble. Be thankful to everyone who does something for you, whether it's small or big.”
And perhaps that’s the reason why the industry still loves him. After all, it’s exceedingly rare for matinee idols to maintain the status quo after over two decades in showbiz.
Dennis Trillo's Other Fear: Fading in Fame
“Fading in fame? Of course, I always fear it,” says Trillo. “Especially if you're a celebrity, that's one of the worst fears you'll have when you're famous. If that happens, you'll lose your job. I think about it and I strive every time.”
For every scene shot, Trillo pours his heart out. “You have to show that you still deserve what you're doing now,” he says.
And then Trillo opens up about the difficulties and sacrifices of being a celebrity in the Philippines.
“It's hard because it's like a business that you have to maintain. It's like a machine that you have to oil. Every year, there are new artists who are younger than you. You can be replaced at any time. You always have to be conscious that it can happen. All of these are not permanent. Maybe, we're lucky or I'm lucky that after 23 years, I'm still here and I'm still doing what I do.”
But there are also advantages when you’re someone like Dennis Trillo: You can be a little more selective with the roles you play.
“I don't accept roles that I think will make my wife (Jennylyn Mercado) angry. I'm careful when choosing roles because, at some point, my daughter will see what I'm doing. I want her to see that I'm a bit wholesome. I’ll still be a role model even if she sees the characters I'm doing.”
PHOTO: PATRICK DIOKNO
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As a family man, Trillo emphasized the importance of time management.
“When I was younger, I didn't realize the importance of time management. Now that I have my own family, it's important to be strong so that you can balance your time with your loved ones, family, and friends.”
With a number of projects in production, Dennis Trillo will undoubtedly remain on our screens for some time. Twenty-three years after starting out with Bea Alonzo in Star Circle, the two are set to reunite in a new drama series on GMA-7. He is also set to appear in the collaboration live-action Voltes V series by GMA and Japan’s TOEI as Ned Armstrong. Meanwhile, those who haven't seen Maria Clara at Ibarra will be glad to know it is now also on Netflix.
Clearly Trillo’s life’s work is far from over. He still feels like he hasn’t played his dream role of being an evil villain.
“I'm still waiting for a role that's 100 percent a villain. I don't want to be a grey character. I want to be a villain. A villain that's evil, that's a threat to people. A scary villain,” Trillo reveals.
Why?
“So that it's different. Since I started working in showbiz, I've been working on characters that are endearing. But with a truly evil villain, people will say, ‘Hey, this is new. This is different. This is scary.”
Story: Mario Alvaro Limos Photos: Patrick Diokno Styling: Paolo Chua Grooming: Muriel Vega Perez Production: Paolo Chua Creative Direction: Bacs Arcebal Design Direction: Igi Talao
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