EXCLUSIVE: Kim Chiu, JM De Guzman, and Paulo Avelino Talk About Linlang, Life, and Love

e’s character and actions

From the one-word title itself, Linlang is already a call for drama. And if it is a show that calls the characters to be players who are also being played, then it takes a certain breed of actors who will dare give justice to the title and the roles. Their names? Kim Chiu. JM De Guzman. Paulo Avelino.

As Linlang unveils its unabridged version this time around, MEGA Entertainment sat down with the lead stars to talk about their real primetime comeback and the truths behind their craft.

The passionate lawbreaker

If there was an abstract noun that could be ascribed to one Alexander Lualhati, it would be passion. Naturally, his perseverance to become an attorney and his drive to win in life and love would be meaningless without these seething desires. But for JM De Guzman, who took on this role, Alex was a foil to his identity. “Challenge ‘yung pagiging impulsive ni Alex. Sobrang opposite siya sa’kin. Kapag nagmahal siya, mali. Mali ‘yung dahilan.”

In the show’s streamed version, Alex was indeed easy to despise for his motivations and actions. But there was so much more to him this time around, as his portrayer pointed out. “Makikita nila ‘yung side na pagiging husband [niya] kay Sylvia. ‘Yung love story nila mas buo,” he said.

The Alex in JM

When an actor steps into a character, there perhaps is an inevitable attribution to oneself to fully know, understand, and be that identity. And although JM himself is easily far from the high-strung figure, a part of Alex is familiar to him and vice-versa. This is where his passion for his craft comes in. “Always keep yourself, your soul, hungry for learning. For life. For my craft. Kasi marami na ngang bago, mas magagaling, mas passionate. Mas gutom. So, I always remind myself to keep myself hungry and to keep learning more.” With a plethora of characters under his role roster, his grit as an actor leaves him wanting to play more parts—an individual with a split personality, or a character that calls for his physique to change in the span of playing him.

After a number of years in the industry, JM is no stranger to criticism. But above and after everything, her discernment for his art remains. In playing Alex, he learned, “‘Yung mali, ‘di mo maitatama [ng] kahit anong aksyon o rason. Kahit may backup ‘yan [na] love, passion, or determination. Basta ‘pag mali, mali.” As himself, he concluded, “Marunong akong tumanggap ng kritisismo. I better myself sa mga [constructive] comments. Pero ‘yung mga gusto lang mang-down, marami na akong pinagdaanan sa buhay para magpaapekto sa kanila.”